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Microsoft Releases Windows 10 Timeline Extension For Google Chrome (windowscentral.com)

Posted by msmash on from the marching-forward dept.

Microsoft has released an official Timeline extension for Google Chrome called "Web Activities" that brings Timeline integration to Google's web browser. From a report: Just like with Microsoft Edge, this new extension syncs web browsing activities with the Timeline feature on Windows 10, making it easier to pick up old activities and search through webpages you've visited recently. The extension is available now in the Chrome Web Store, and ties with your Microsoft Account.

39 comments

  1. Shiver by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Shiver

    1. Re:Shiver by jellomizer · · Score: 1

      What part?
      Are you a Fan of IE or Edge?
      Are you afraid of Google, and what it would do with your privacy?
      Are you a developer who will need to redo all your "Web Apps" because the platform changed, despite your protests years ago that we should not focus on MS technology but focus on Open Standards, just in case the Microsoft Browser may not be in use the next decade. Only for your execs to tell you to use Active-X or Silverlight because the rest of the Dev team doesn't know how to code outside of a GUI screen. Now everything needs to be recoded, those devs who can only code in a GUI screen will now be retrained, all this will cost your institution a lot of money, and none of your bosses are in a mood for a "I Told you so". Type of shiver?

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
  2. Spware Add-In You Say? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What a GREAT idea. Both Goog and MS can sell my data thay way... brilliant!

  3. This is fantastic! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Thank you Microsoft!

    I've been eagerly awaiting this feature for a long time now. Ever since Internet Explorer was abandoned and Edge discontinued, I've been in anguish over using Google Chrome. Google is tracking my every thought and interest, but now with this extension, I can bring Microsoft back into the fold. Now I can share all my most personal ideas with all the talented marketing engineers at both Microsoft and Google!

    You guys are great! Really fantastic work. Thank you so much!

  4. The what? by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 3, Insightful

    What is "Timeline"? I'm not a Microsoft connoisseur.

    --
    Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
    1. Re:The what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      the information you seek is in the summary

    2. Re:The what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't think that's true.

      making it easier to pick up old activities and search through webpages you've visited recently.

      makes some implications, but not the clear statement Gravis Zero was asking for.

      My guess is that it gives you a glimpse of the creepy spyware/adware nature of Windows 10.

    3. Re:The what? by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 2

      Even after reading the summary, I'm still wondering what it is.

      All I can understand is... it's what other browsers call "history"?

      --
      #DeleteFacebook
    4. Re:The what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Even after reading the summary, I'm still wondering what it is.

      All I can understand is... it's what other browsers call "history"?

      Browser history sync'd to your Microsoft account, in case you clear your history. Microsoft doesn't want to lose all that data you know.

    5. Re:The what? by MagicM · · Score: 1

      Literally the first result when you google "windows timeline":

      If you've ever checked your browser history, you'll have a good idea of how Timeline works. But instead of just tracking which websites you visit, Timeline tracks most of the applications you use, and the documents that you opened and edited.

    6. Re:The what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sooo... literally the exact opposite of a feature that I would actually want or need in a browser or an OS?

      customers: we're getting a little tired of / creeped out by all of the spying and surveillance you're doing.
      ms (and to be fair basically every other software manufacturer on the planet): ok cool, then you're gonna love this new, extra creepy surveillance feature we've just added!

    7. Re:The what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oh dear fscking fsm... what genius thought that was a good idea, and how the fsck do you turn it off?

    8. Re:The what? by ElizabethGreene · · Score: 2

      With timeline I can start reading something on my PC and then switch over to my tablet to finish it. Or come back to something if I closed the window. I stumbled across the feature on my tablet over the weekend because (In Tablet mode) the timeline links show up on your start menu underneath your pinned stuff.

      It was handy, but I'm normally a Firefox user by habit so it's not of great use to me.

      Yes, it's very much like the browser history function, except that it can span devices (and now browsers).

      (I work for Microsoft as a DSE supporting unrelated technologies. This is not paid corporate shilling.)

    9. Re:The what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Thanks Elizabeth! That sounds like a really great feature. Tell your peeps at Microsoft to keep up the good work.

      I had no idea what "Microsoft DSE support" does, so I looked it up. Here's a link for anyone else who was wondering.

    10. Re:The what? by squiggleslash · · Score: 1

      Ah, so it's Facebook for Windows, useful in case Ivan also needs to know what video games you played and when.

      --
      You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
    11. Re:The what? by MagicM · · Score: 1

      I'll give you a hint: it involves googling "windows timeline" and clicking on the first result that comes up.

    12. Re: The what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, not that DSE.

      I'm a 'Dedicated Support Engineer'. It's my job to teach technology, architect, help prevent problems before they become business impacting, and help fix problems that do occur.

      E.g. today I had a long discussion about getting print services and Airprint working in an environment where the iDevices are in an isolated network that is firewalled off from the normal print infrastructure.

    13. Re: The what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, I was thinking that probably might not be quite the right DSE, but you gotta admit, it is pretty funny when you search for DSE and that comes up as the result. :) lol

    14. Re:The what? by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      It's what it sounds like. A timeline of your activities. Click the little Timeline button on the task bar and you get a list of apps and open documents, except in chronological order and it also displays previously closed items, or webpages (until now only if you were masochistic enough to use Edge).

    15. Re:The what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      customers: we're getting a little tired of / creeped out by all of the spying and surveillance you're doing.
      ms (and to be fair basically every other software manufacturer on the planet): ok cool, then you're gonna love this new, extra creepy surveillance feature we've just added!

      Microsoft too: And now it works in Chrome!

    16. Re:The what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Timeline is like a browser history but that spans more activities. Windows 95 onward has had a list of your most recent documents/apps at the ready, and timeline is just a more visual representation UI for that same thing. This plugin allows for your browser history to show up on that same timeline view.

    17. Re:The what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Do you know have access to Google search?

  5. A New Strategy? by NaCh0 · · Score: 1

    Now that Edge and IE are discontinued, will Microsoft's new browser strategy be adding so many windows specific add-ons that Chrome for windows becomes distinctive from chrome on other platforms?

    1. Re:A New Strategy? by imcdona · · Score: 1

      Now that Edge and IE are discontinued, will Microsoft's new browser strategy be adding so many windows specific add-ons that Chrome for windows becomes distinctive from chrome on other platforms?

      You mean like they've done for Android? With the large collection of Android apps provided by Microsoft you can essentially turn your Android device into a Microsoft phone.

      Here's a list of addons to get you started:
      Microsoft Launcher
      Your Phone Companion
      Microsoft Edge
      Onedrive

      Meet the new Microsoft Phone, powered by Android.
      https://www.zdnet.com/article/...

    2. Re:A New Strategy? by I-am-a-Banana · · Score: 1

      I actually like the MS Launcher compared to the Samsuckits 9's launcher, the "Your phone" companion is useful while I am at work for texting, I fat finger too many times on that screen, having a key board is great. And I like the Edge browser as compared to the phone's default. And as this is a company phone the Google Chrome is controlled by our IT, so Edge is an alternative.

  6. Antifeature by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Just what no one ever wanted

  7. so now both of them by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    microsoft and google, can see what you're doing. sounds super to me.

  8. Farming your internet history... by dark.nebulae · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Since they can't gather the telemetry from folks not using their crappy browser and crappy search engine, they needed a way to grab it from the competitors.

    So here, install this extension to make your windows integration work better, yeah, that's the ticket.

    Meanwhile you're just handing over the data to M$ on top of everyone else...

    1. Re:Farming your internet history... by SeaFox · · Score: 1

      Since they can't gather the telemetry from folks not using their crappy browser and crappy search engine, they needed a way to grab it from the competitors.

      Reminds me of that trend a few years back of every webmail provider wanting you to set up your third-party email accounts in their service and letting Yahoo/Hotmail/AOL log in and collect your other email for you. It was pretty much the opposite of what people wanted to do (set up the free account to forward to their "real" email address).

      Or, more recently, the existence of "Gmail the mobile app". Why use the mail client native to Android when you can use a whole other app instead for your Gmail account. Oh! And you should set up all your other email accounts in it, too. So they're all conveniently in one place, of course.

    2. Re:Farming your internet history... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > Since they can't gather the telemetry from folks not using their crappy browser and crappy search engine

      They wrote the entire OS that browsers run on, including the freakin' networking stack. Do you honestly think using Chrome on Windows prevents MS from getting any telemetry data passing through it? That's cute.

  9. Extension to record everywhere you've gone online? by mandark1967 · · Score: 1
    I don't need no steenkin' extension for that!

    I just let the NSA record all my online activity!

    P.S. Sorry to the NSA guy who followed that link I visited Saturday. I swear I had no idea that would appear.

    --
    Sig Follows: "Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself." -- Mark Twain
  10. Orwell had a tardis, doo-dah! doo-dah! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Microsoft - you've f'd us in every way imaginable. Windows 10 is a wonderfully disturbing spy/ad/install-ware product! Good job, you're losing trust! If only you'd stop practicing evil and try to reverse the F'ing of your customers a little tiny bit, it might help us trust you again. At this point, you're evil scum.

  11. So what does this do... by UncleTogie · · Score: 1

    ...that you can't use the Tab History option for?

    --
    Don't tell me to get a life. I'm a gamer; I have LOTS of lives!
    1. Re:So what does this do... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ...that you can't use the Tab History option for?

      Exactly. Chrome does this if you allow them to tie your Google account to the browser as a profile already. This is entirely redundant for folks that want that option. I guess if there is a few privacy focused individuals (on slashdot, of course) that WANT the option but without Google's influence, I guess this is an option... kinda...

  12. Spyware integration by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    just what we need.

  13. Just let us pick when to install updates by Solandri · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You wouldn't need to add a "Timeline" feature if your forced Win 10 updates weren't automatically rebooting computers overnight, closing millions of working apps and web pages without user consent. People only need help picking up where they left off because you're closing everything without their approval.

    1. Re:Just let us pick when to install updates by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      You can pick when to install the update. Literally the first thing you get is a notification that an update is ready to install and a button which gives you the option to select exactly when you want to install it (at least to the nearest 30min) in a time frame of the following *week*.

      Your inability to plan ahead with that much notice says more about you than the OS, as does your desire to delay security updates for an even longer period than that.

  14. Re:A New Tragedy? by DickBreath · · Score: 1

    A New Hope. I suggest a new strategy R2. Let the Wookie win.

    Only Firefox will be left. The Windows managers can keep the Windows systems in line. Windows 10 will have direct control over people's browsing. Fear will keep the Linux systems in line. Fear of this blue screen.

    --

    I'll see your senator, and I'll raise you two judges.