Google Chrome to leave beta, preload on PCs
updated 12:05 pm EST, Wed December 10, 2008
Google Chrome Leaving Beta
Google's Chrome web browser is soon to exit beta thanks partly to a plan to expand its reach, company VP Marissa Miller has told TechCrunch at this year's Le Web conference in Paris. The WebKit-based browser has been relatively slow to gain share since its debut in September but will be marked as a finished product on an upcoming release to let PC makers bundle an officially completed version with their systems.
Which PC makers will opt for Chrome aren't named by Miller.
The expansion is a further blow to Microsoft, which through antitrust rulings is forced to allow default browsers besides Internet Explorer with new computers. These have typically been limited to Firefox and the now-defunct Netscape but will now potentially have a more commercially supported alternative that also emphasizes universal web standards, the historical weaknesses of Microsoft's browser.
Chrome is currently available only for Windows but is being ported to Linux and Mac OS X with an estimated launch early in 2009.
VP??
12/10, 12:27pm reply
Marisa Miller works for Google? Now that's just not fair, what else are those guys going to take over?
Guest
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Nov 1999
Mac version?
12/10, 01:53pm (1 reply) reply
Any news on the Mac version? For that matter, the Linux version?
ebeyer
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jun 2004
Ugh...
12/10, 02:02pm reply
We all need another browser like we need a friggin hole in the head!
G4_Kessel
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jan 2003
blows...
12/10, 02:14pm (1 reply) reply
my mind that an application based on core OS X/Apple functionality still doesn't have a version that actually RUNS on Apple computers. One that has been in beta for several months and is about to go release.
paulc
Junior Member
Joined: Aug 2000
mac version progress
12/10, 02:23pm (1 reply) reply
@paulc, the reason is that Goog made tons of changes to WebKt to make it work in a multi-process architecture. There's a lot of work to do to make it run multi-processing on the Mac (it isn't a port, it's a rewrite).
You can check up on status updates here:
http://code.google.com/p/chromium/wiki/MacDetailedStatus
Meanwhile, use Stainless:
http://www.stainlessapp.com/
saddino
Mac Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2003
bullshit!
12/10, 10:53pm reply
Saddino: if Google wanted their own home grown browser why would they use WebKit? Even over Mozilla? Makes no sense.
And talking of nonsense "it's a rewrite" -- do you understand how open source, or heck even programming in general, works? Maybe you think that is you open a document in Word and then save it you've "rewritten" it?
Jeez.
dimmer
Mac Enthusiast
Joined: Feb 2006