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."

Comments

LastPass

[jupiterssj4]

I know that LastPass has a web app, but the local app has for more options. Hope they get this updated before January!

Or, of course extensions that google doesn't like.

[queazocotal]

For example, YouTube downloaders-

I stopped using Chrome

[Anonymous Coward]

I stopped using Chrome because it's extensions were not up to par with Firefox addons.
And now I feel less inclined to use Chrome at all.

Re:I stopped using Chrome

[ebno-10db]

I stopped using Chrome because it's extensions were not up to par with Firefox addons.
And now I feel less inclined to use Chrome at all.

Ditto. What does Google hope to accomplish with this? Switching to Firefox takes less than 5 minutes.

Re:I stopped using Chrome

[Lee_Dailey]

howdy y'all,

the google folks are aware of the upcoming "australis" abomination and are not worried about firefox at all. [*sigh ...*]

the firefox devs are crippling the addon system, crippling the customization system, removing the addon bar/status bar, blocking putting icons anywhere other than on the navigation toolbar, and generally ripping out the things that make firefox so completely customizable.

all this in the name of "simplicity" and "making customization more accessible to more users".

actually, it's being done in the name of stripping out things they don't like to maintain while still adding all that developer tools stuff that otta be in an extension.

i suspect that i will switch to seamonkey when australis comes out on firefox.

take care,
lee

Re:I stopped using Chrome

[SleepyHappyDoc]

Switching to Firefox takes less than 5 minutes.

Yes, every time it starts up.

Ugh

[The MAZZTer]

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.

Sure, go ahead.

[pla]

...And overnight, Chromium replaces 97% of Chrome's market share.

Re:Sure, go ahead.

[rotaryexpress]

....On 0.1% of Chrome users.

Re:Sure, go ahead.

[Sir_Sri]

but how many people do you think actually use extensions from outside the store?

of the people that use extensions at all? Probably most of them, as I would think the most popular extensions are things like youtube downloaders and netflix unblockers that let you use VPN services so you can access say UK netflix from the US, and US netflix from Australia.

Re:Or, of course extensions that google doesn't li

[i kan reed]

Adblock, maybe?

Walled Garden: One brick at a time....

[EvilSS]

Did Google recently buy a brick factory because they seem to be trying to slowly build a wall around their not-quite-as-open-as-it-once-was garden. Between this and some of the stuff they are pulling with Android (Play Store, API lock-ins) and Chromecast they seem to be all about turning down the openness lately. Come to think of it, that seems to be a trend (Skype, Twitter APIs off the top of my head, then of course that fruit company) lately.

Re:Walled Garden: One brick at a time....

[nurb432]

Don't forget moving nearly all their stuff to the new 'Google play framework'... and all the internal hooks it brings with it, just to read mail or send a message..

Google has run off the track.

Re:Walled Garden: One brick at a time....

[maccodemonkey]

Did Google recently buy a brick factory because they seem to be trying to slowly build a wall around their not-quite-as-open-as-it-once-was garden. Between this and some of the stuff they are pulling with Android (Play Store, API lock-ins) and Chromecast they seem to be all about turning down the openness lately. Come to think of it, that seems to be a trend (Skype, Twitter APIs off the top of my head, then of course that fruit company) lately.

I saw this coming from a long ways away from Google. It's classic embrace, extend, and extinguish, Microsoft style.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embrace,_extend_and_extinguish

"The strategy's three phases are:[11]
Embrace: Development of software substantially compatible with a competing product, or implementing a public standard.
Extend: Addition and promotion of features not supported by the competing product or part of the standard, creating interoperability problems for customers who try to use the 'simple' standard.
Extinguish: When extensions become a de facto standard because of their dominant market share, they marginalize competitors that do not or cannot support the new extensions."

Google was only committed to open source for the "extend" portion. Now that they've got more market share than Apple on mobile, and they're dominant in the browser market, they're moving on to extinguish.

So, who wants to fork.

[Anonymous Coward]

Oh, wait, you can just use Chromium and stop crying.

Anyone that uses Chrome and bitches deserves to suffer. You do not need automatic updates.
In fact, automatic updates are more of a pain than anything. There is a reason nobody uses forced updating in business, because developers are asshats that constantly break their own shit and then everyone suffers because of it.
Chromium devs are some of the worst for that too. I can't count how many times "stable" updates broke the browser back in the earlier days, jesus christ what the hell were you guys doing?

If they do, however, block it on Chromium, I am serious in the forking question, I can easily drop my life and work on it. Fuck Google. Don't piss me off, I'm bitter, determined and lifeless outside of code.

Non-issue

[YodaDaCoda]

I suspect that this is less about blocking YouTube downloaders, and more about blocking those extensions that appear after not un-checking the box on programs downloaded and installed from the internet. I.e. it's more for the protection of grandma who wants to download a pretty solitaire app than it is for stopping little Johnny downloading his music videos of Miley. If you're smart enough to follow a few simple instructions and install a local extension, you're smart enough to follow a few simple instructions and install the Dev channel of Chrome first.

Re:Or, of course extensions that google doesn't li

[Sir_Sri]

mediahint, Hola, anything that lets you free VPN into services that you aren't really supposed to be able to access.

Re:Or, of course extensions that google doesn't li

[TubeSteak]

See Also: Google Chrome 25 will disable silent extension installation, kill all such extensions retroactively
Friday, 21 Dec 2012

Translation: Google still can't figure out how to secure Chrome from stealth installs of malware.

Re:wtf google?

[nurb432]

http://www.androidpolice.com/2013/11/04/merging-of-google-voice-and-hangouts-will-result-shutting-down-all-3rd-party-voice-apps-in-may-2014/

Yes, you can use a 3rd party VoIP app with a 3rd party provider, but having the Google integration was really nice. And how many will be free? Only ones i know of hook into Google voice .. all the rest are pay, so might as well keep using your cell minutes.

Re:Or, of course extensions that google doesn't li

[blueg3]

Adblock is on the Chrome Web Store.

Re:Or, of course extensions that google doesn't li

[fuzzyfuzzyfungus]

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.

Re:Or, of course extensions that google doesn't li

[GameboyRMH]

Came here to say this, it's all about the malware. Tons of malware apps use Chrome plugins.

It was nice, Chrome

[istartedi]

It was nice, Chrome. Your scripting engine was fast. You hardly ever crashed. Your UI was pretty decent. I could even overlook some of your shortcomings. You were my first tabbed browser. I was actually willing to retrain my brain to quit using my OS's more universal process switching in defference to your tabbiness. We had some tough times closing the whole browser by accident when we really only wanted to close the page; but we worked through it. Your scripting engine was fast. You were young and sexy. It had to end though. I knew you wanted to pull me into your walled garden and make me mow every Saturday. I just wasn't ready for that kind of commitment. I know it's painful but I think we both realize it's time to move on. There's this other browser and, well... it's a fox.

Re:Or, of course extensions that google doesn't li

[Severus Snape]

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.

Re: Or, of course extensions that google doesn't l

[behrooz0az]

shushsh, the hosts file guy may hear you.

Re: Or, of course extensions that google doesn't l

[dyingtolive]

Or edit your HOSTS file...

Re:Or, of course extensions that google doesn't li

[AmiMoJo]

If they were planning to do that they would have started by removing all the existing extensions on their web store that let you do those things. You can install numerous YouTube downloaders, proxy managers, ad blockers etc. and the same goes for Play (Android apps).

This move is simply to block malware.

Re:Or, of course extensions that google doesn't li

[AmiMoJo]

AdBlock Plus for Chrome, from the official Google site: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/adblock-plus/cfhdojbkjhnklbpkdaibdccddilifddb?utm_source=chrome-ntp-icon

There are many other ad blockers available on there too. If you are going to lie you should at least think of something that isn't so trivially easy to disprove.

Re:Welcome to the Google Walled Garden of evil

[AmiMoJo]

The walls seem to be taller than apples.

Oh come on. They disabled a developer feature in the mainstream build but left it in the dev version. "Controversial" extensions like AdBlock are available on their official website. How is that worse than Apple?

If press the spacebar, it erases the hard drive and re-installs chrome from scratch.

Liar. There are further confirmation prompts, it doesn't just format your HDD the instant you press it. In fact you can completely remove the ChromeOS restore image if you want to, making restore only possible by downloading an image. All Google did was enable a security feature by default, a feature that most people will want and which is easily bypassed.

FWIW Linus himself runs Linux on a Chromebook and uses it as his main development machine. Can't beat that high resolution 3:4 screen.

They also make it easy to install an alternate OS on their phones and tablets, including Linux. Apple do everything in their power to prevent that.