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

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.

Comments

The what?

[Gravis Zero]

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

Re:The what?

[Anonymous Coward]

the information you seek is in the summary

Re:The what?

[DontBeAMoran]

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

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

Re:The what?

[MagicM]

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.

Re:The what?

[ElizabethGreene]

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.)

Re:The what?

[squiggleslash]

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

Re:The what?

[MagicM]

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

Re:The what?

[thegarbz]

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).

Re:Shiver

[jellomizer]

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?

A New Strategy?

[NaCh0]

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?

Re:A New Strategy?

[imcdona]

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/...

Re:A New Strategy?

[I-am-a-Banana]

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.

Farming your internet history...

[dark.nebulae]

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...

Re:Farming your internet history...

[SeaFox]

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.

Extension to record everywhere you've gone online?

[mandark1967]

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.

So what does this do...

[UncleTogie]

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

Just let us pick when to install updates

[Solandri]

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.

Re:Just let us pick when to install updates

[thegarbz]

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.

Re:A New Tragedy?

[DickBreath]

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.