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Google Chrome Is Out of Beta

BitZtream writes "This morning Google announced that Chrome is out of Beta, and showing improvements for plugin support, most notably video speed improvements. It also contains an updated javascript engine, claiming that it operates 1.4 times faster than the beta version, and work has begun on an extensions platform to allow easier integration with the browser by third parties."

30 of 444 comments (clear)

  1. Credit where credit is due by AKAImBatman · · Score: 5, Informative

    I have to give the Chrome team credit. Chrome has been improving in stability and usability almost like magic. From day to day, it seems like problems I had previously just disappear. As it turns out, Chrome has an automatic updater that runs in the background. The browser is constantly and silently upgrading itself as the Chrome team push out new updates. The results are quite impressive.

    If you'd reading this in chrome and want to force the most recent update, just go to the "About" screen. Chrome will tell you if an update is available and allow you to manually run the updater. There's a good chance that most users are already updated, but it doesn't hurt to check.

    The killer feature that I still think is missing is the ability to exit and save tabs. Chrome can Restore after a crash (most of the time), but you can't manually restart the browser without loosing the history you have open. Another issue I wish they'd fix is remembering the last save directory when doing a "Save As...". I realize that keeping a single Downloads directory is userfriendly, but using it as the default location when the user is overriding the download location is annoying. If I need to download 10 files, I need to navigate to the same directory 10 times. That's just ridiculous.

    Otherwise my gripes are mostly minor and have no real bearing on its use in day to day activities. (e.g. I hate that I can't view the properties of an image. Sometimes I need to verify that its under a certain size. Or that there's no easy method of tracking page errors.) Thankfully, most of my gripes are developer-related and are better served by keeping a copy of FireFox around.

    Kudos to Google for working on another alternative to Internet Explorer! If Chrome and Firefox can each grab a significant marketshare, Internet Explorer's hold over the Internet will disappear. Firefox's popularity has already caused it to wane. I look forward to the day when using IE will net you nothing but pages telling you to upgrade your web browser. :-)

    1. Re:Credit where credit is due by Arionhawk · · Score: 5, Informative

      The killer feature that I still think is missing is the ability to exit and save tabs. Chrome can Restore after a crash (most of the time), but you can't manually restart the browser without loosing the history you have open. Another issue I wish they'd fix is remembering the last save directory when doing a "Save As...". I realize that keeping a single Downloads directory is userfriendly, but using it as the default location when the user is overriding the download location is annoying. If I need to download 10 files, I need to navigate to the same directory 10 times. That's just ridiculous.

      That "killer feature" is in there, you just have to turn it on in the options, in the "on start-up" section. You just select the option that says restore the pages that were open last. I agree with you on the saving files thing, that is rather annoying.

      --
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    2. Re:Credit where credit is due by Homr+Zodyssey · · Score: 5, Interesting

      The "Updater" killed it for me. I downloaded/installed Chrome, browsed a little and thought 'ooh isn't this neat.' Then, I killed it and fired up a video game. It was slower. I looked in my Task Manager and there's GoogleUpdater running. I uninstalled Chrome and never looked back.

      I really don't care if they want to run an updater when I'm using Chrome. But I don't want software installing stupid stuff to run in the background when the software isn't being used. Its why I hate iTunes and Tivo Desktop. I'm even a little annoyed at Sun (Java Updater).

      My machine is over 5 years old. I don't have the resources to allow every new piece of software to run some updater in the background, nor do I have the resources to go out and by a new machine right now.

    3. Re:Credit where credit is due by daver00 · · Score: 5, Informative

      (e.g. I hate that I can't view the properties of an image. Sometimes I need to verify that its under a certain size. Or that there's no easy method of tracking page errors.)

      This I don't understand it, but this is the biggest misconception about chrome there is! Chrome has the best and most comprehensive page debugger I have seen, for Javascript, html and css. Right click on your image, and select "inspect element" from the menu. You will get all of your image properties plus all of its surrounding code. Page errors, same deal just right click and select "inspect element" and you can get an extremely good, verbose output of any javascript errors, or track your way through the dom as it highlights elements firebug style.

      Chrome rules, it is the best browser bar none, especially when it comes to development!

  2. Out of beta? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Am I the only one surprised just to hear that Google has taken something out of beta?

    1. Re:Out of beta? by Hordeking · · Score: 5, Funny

      Am I the only one surprised just to hear that Google has taken something out of beta?

      No, and you ain't in Kansas, neither.

      --
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    2. Re:Out of beta? by Khuffie · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I read somewhere a reasoning for this: that google wants OEMs to bundle Chrome with their browser, and OEMs don't want to bundle software marked as 'beta', hence, magically, Chrome comes out of beta!

  3. Still no Mac / Linux support. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    I'd love to try it, but I'm still waiting for the Mac and Linux ports. But I guess if they take it out of beta before those are out, it's not on the top of their list.

  4. OEM deals by javacowboy · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I'm sure Google is trying to work out deals with OEM's to bundle Chrome on Windows PC's. Obviously, they can't do this while the browser still carries the "beta" tag, which is akin to a scarlet letter.

    It's interesting they chose to drop out of "beta" before they implemented one of their supposed top features, namely, cross-platform compatibility.

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  5. Re:just what we need by PotatoFarmer · · Score: 5, Funny

    They should look into that advertising thing, I hear there's a market.

  6. Neat - Mac OS X ? Linux? by HaloZero · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Call me when I can get it in .dmg format, or just sudo apt-get install GoogleChrome

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  7. Re:Addons by rite_m · · Score: 5, Informative

    They are going to support extensions. The list includes content-filtering extensions like ad-block.

  8. Don't forget the WebKit team by Midnight+Thunder · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The WebKit team and anyone who ever contributed to it should also get praise. Without it Chrome would never have seen the light of day. Google Chrome is essentially Google's chrome around the rendering engine and any tweaks they provided to WebKit.

    --
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    1. Re:Don't forget the WebKit team by Enderandrew · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Except Chrome is light-years better than any other Webkit browser out there. They had some truly innovative and necessary ideas when it came to a multi-process, sandboxed browswer with a virtualized javascript engine. Saying that Webkit deserves all the praise isn't remotely fair. If Webkit alone was enough to light the world on fire, we'd be using Safari. And despite the benchmarks of nightly builds of pure Webkit running like a speed demon, Safari sure doesn't.

      --
      http://blindscribblings.com - Tasty pop-culture in conceptual fashion.
    2. Re:Don't forget the WebKit team by chrysalis · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Before anyone else, thanks to the KDE team. It looks like Apple and Google names shadow the developpers behind KHTML, but WebKit would probably never have existed as it is now without KHTML.

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      {{.sig}}
    3. Re:Don't forget the WebKit team by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      WebKit would probably never have existed as it is now without KHTML

      ...and for that matter, lets all thank Adam and Eve. Because none of this would be possible if the first two Humans didn't procreate!

    4. Re:Don't forget the WebKit team by onefriedrice · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Nobody said WebKit should get all the praise...

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      This author takes full ownership and responsibility for the unpopular opinions outlined above.
    5. Re:Don't forget the WebKit team by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Aaaah, I see what you did there. You sneaky creationist you.

  9. Everyone except Microsoft welcomes Chrome by David+Gerard · · Score: 5, Funny

    "We absolutely promise that we only want to completely screw over Microsoft with this, and certainly not Mozilla Firefox," said Google's Sundar Pichai. "That we put a pile of our sponsored Mozilla developers on the project is completely irrelevant. We're not evil, remember."

    "We are so, so happy with Google Chrome," mumbled Mozilla CEO John Lilly through gritted teeth. "That most of our income is from Google has no bearing on me making this statement."

    Microsoft was unfazed. "Browsers don't need to be integrated with online apps," said marketing developer Ian Moulster. "Certainly not like the operating system ... I'll just get back to you."

    Google's new browser will give you their web and email services, photo processing, mapping, office applications that will run in said browser and will make you a cup of tea. This is all paid for by personally-directed text ads in your tea leaves, based on analysing a DNA sample taken when you sip the tea and sending your genetic code back to Google for future targeting.

    Pichai stressed that Google would maintain complete confidentiality within the marketing department of whatever the browser accessed concerning your confidential business data, bank account details, medical information and personal preferences in pornography. "We're Google. We know where you live. In a completely not evil way. Sponsored link: Get Chrome Browsers on google.com. Or we'll make you use Windows Live."

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    http://rocknerd.co.uk
  10. Re:Addons by moosesocks · · Score: 5, Funny

    I am sorry, I can not conceive the internet any more without add-block...

    I find that subtraction works well.

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    -- If you try to fail and succeed, which have you done? - Uli's moose
  11. Re:Addons by LingNoi · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Great, however "going to" isn't "already support".

  12. Re:Addons by windsurfer619 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Please stop telling everyone about it! I want slashdot to remain free.

  13. I know its unpopular to bag on the Mighty Google by Phizzle · · Score: 5, Interesting

    But... Have they removed that "Big Brotherly" unique ID "feature", that each of the Chrome Beta installations came with, that loudly identified you on the web?

    --
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  14. Re:just what we need by Hognoxious · · Score: 5, Funny

    I still don't understand why Google and Sun are offering the same software under different names.

    I would try an explain it with a car industry analogy, but there isn't one.

    --
    Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  15. Re:Attn: Network admins Security issue by BitZtream · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So, you mean, it was written properly and doesn't require admin rights. So assuming you've properly configured your PC and network this software is not a major threat since it never needs to elevate itself to admin status. It can still damage files and network resources your user has access to, but thats generally far less damaging than taking over the entire PC and effective any user that logs into it or any network resource it has access to.

    Your comment is extremely ignorant and indicates that you have no clue about being a network or systems admin. You can run firefox on any windows machine that has a writable directory on it, same for almost all properly written software. Good luck running a windows PC without a writable directory some where, you'll break to many legitimate apps.

    So if your idea of 'security' is because the 'installer' doesnt write to any other directory than the 'program files' directory, then you have no security at all. What do you do about the people who install software on their own PC at home then just copy the files to a USB drive, bring it to your network and copy those files to the %TEMP% directory, or their %USERPROFILE% or %APPDATA% directories, all of which you will typically have write access to?

    Google isn't going to 'fix' this 'issue' because the 'issue' is with the person who thinks a flaw, no amount of complaining to anyone is going to help you, all the people you would be complaining to have about a billtion times more of a clue than you do about the 'issue'.

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  16. Re:just what we need by Tokerat · · Score: 5, Funny

    God dammit there IS always a car analogy! You're a genius!

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  17. Re:just what we need by glittalogik · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Vauxhall Astra
    Opel Astra
    Chevy Astra
    Saturn Astra
    Holden Astra

    QED

  18. Re:just what we need by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    A car industry or an analogy?

  19. Re:Addons by trawg · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Weird, why was this moderated Funny?

    I assume all you guys that run AdBlock realise that ads keep these websites free. I'm happy to absorb a few ads in the interests of getting free content.

    Yes, sometimes they slow page loads, yes, sometimes they're annoying, but they keep sites free.

  20. Re:Addons by Spit · · Score: 5, Funny

    Slashdot has ads now?

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