Google Chrome goes gold

Stephen Withers
Friday, 12 December 2008 01:01

Business IT - Open Source

Chrome was regarded as being speedy from the outset, and JavaScript performance (important for running web applications such as Google Docs) is said to be 40 to 50 percent faster than the original release, with "more speed to come" according to company officials.

Distinguishing characteristics of Chrome include a separate process for each tab (so a badly-coded site doesn't lock up the entire browser), a combined URL/search box, and a design aimed at making it more secure than other browsers.

While Google now regards Chrome as being solid enough for use by regular people, it will continue to add features to the browser. For example, autofill and RSS support (which many users take for granted when using other browsers) are expected in the near future.

Google's still talking about Mac and Linux versions, but has yet to provide any indication of when they might arrive. The same goes for the proposed extensions mechanism that would allow the development of add-ons by people outside of the main project.

The idea has been raised that Google might now seek OEM deals with PC vendors to pre-install Chrome on their products. While Google officials agreed that was a possibility, they did not confirm that any such negotiations were in progress.

One of the motivations behind Chrome seems to have been a desire on Google's part to have more control over its destiny, at least in the way its web applications are rendered on the desktop.

Existing Chrome installations will be updated automatically; new users may download the browser here.