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Google To Block Local Chrome Extensions On Windows Starting In January
An anonymous reader writes "Google today announced it will block local Chrome extensions starting in January, but only on the Windows platform. This means that next year, Windows users will only be able to install extensions for the company's browser from the Chrome Web Store. The changes will affect both Chrome's stable and beta channels on Windows. Google says it will continue to support local extension installs on its Dev and Canary channels, as well as installs via Enterprise policy. Chrome apps are not affected at all and will continue to be supported normally."
I use an extension to download videos from YouTube. Those tend to be blocked from the Web Store, so you have to install them manually from other websites (this is the bit that is getting blocked). I hope there is at least a command line switch left in to disable this behavior! It's very "walled garden" and I don't like it.
BTW, the summary says "local extensions" but that is incorrect. It just blocks non-Chrome Web Store web extensions. Extensions you are actively developing and load via "Load unpacked extension" will still work.
Actually, that might have to be the fix for my YouTube extension I use. Oh well.
If that were the motivation, would they not also do this on the Mac?
This is about _fucking_ annoying windows malware repeatedly reinstalling chrome extensions.
The fact that they are not breaking the capability on 'enterprise' policy installs suggests the same.
Incidentally, even if you aren't on a domain, this should mean that it isn't exactly rocket surgery to install the 'blocked' Chrome extensions. Winkey+r, gpedit.msc, import the chromium policy templates, modify 'ExtensionInstallForcelist' to taste. Game over.
In the store. Google made some changes to Webkit a while back to improve Adblock, before Adblock used to still have to download the ads, then block them. Some changes Google made allowed the ads to be blocked before the ads were fetched.