chrome browser

Google: We want Chrome to grow the Web

Since the unveiling its own browser, Google's continued support of Firefox has been somewhat puzzling. But to the world's dominant Web search provider, helping increase the amount of Web use ultimately means more Google searches.

Google has been a good partner to Mozilla over the years, pumping tens of millions of dollars into the open-source foundation that have helped make Firefox arguably the best browser in the world.

More recently with the launch of its open-source Chrome browser, however, Google became both partner and competitor to Mozilla. Given the potential to hurt Firefox adoption, it's interesting to … Read more

Browser security and privacy tips

Microsoft has made great strides in educating Windows users about the need to keep their systems secure by downloading and installing the most recent updates. (I still recommend that you set Windows' Automatic Updates to download but don't install, as I described in a blog post from last July.)

The irony of the heightened awareness of Windows updates is that malware is less likely to target vulnerabilities in Windows--or other PC operating systems, for that matter. These days, most viruses and Trojans use holes in your browsers, media players, or Web applications to breach your system's security. That'… Read more

Chrome extensions draw near, but advanced HTML 5 features recede

A new developer version of Chrome takes some significant strides to adding the top-requested feature--the ability to accommodate extensions that customize what Google's browser can do--but programmers also pushed back support for a collection of significant advanced Web features.

Google Chrome 2.0.180.0 emerged Tuesday night for people willing to try the developer preview version. The new version installs some of the plumbing necessary to support the feature, according to the release notes.

"The extensions posse would like to point out that as of today's dev channel release, extensions are starting to be a bit … Read more

Google issues, then reissues Chrome security fix

Google fixed security holes with a new release of its stable version of Chrome--then released a replacement shortly afterward to prevent a batch of crashes that turned up as well.

Chrome 1.0.154.64 (download) emerged Tuesday and was intended to fix one critical security problem and one high-severity one. On Thursday, came 1.0.154.65 to fix a crash during startup that affected "a small percentage of users," said Chrome Program Manager Mark Larson.

With the first problem, an attacker under some circumstances could run attack software with the same privilege as the computer user. … Read more

Google fixes severe Chrome security hole

Google released a new version of its Chrome browser Thursday to fix a high-severity security problem.

The problem affects Google's mainstream stable version of Chrome and is fixed in the new version 1.0.154.59 (download). Google has built Chrome so it updates itself automatically with no user intervention, though the software must be restarted for the new version to run.

The security problem, reported April 8 by Roi Saltzman of the IBM Rational Application Security Research Group, allowed cross-site scripting attacks. Such methods can make a Web browser process unauthorized code such as JavaScript, enabling a variety … Read more

Chrome update offers tab micromanagement options

One of the features that set Chrome apart from rivals on its debut, the array of Web page thumbnails that greeted users when they launched the browser or opened a new browsing tab, is becoming optional.

In the Chrome 2.0.174.0 update Google released Thursday to those signed up for the raw software available through the preview channel, the browser now includes the "ability to remove thumbnails from the New Tab Page," said Google Chrome Program Manager Anthony Laforge in a blog post.

Personally, I like the feature overall, since it makes some constructive use of … Read more

Chrome begins RSS support, solidifies extensions

Google has begun work on one much-requested feature of its Chrome browser, the ability to detect when a Web page offers a subscription service through RSS or Atom technology.

Google programmer Finnur Thorarinsson formally marked the RSS support issue as "started" on Wednesday, though the feature is disabled for now.

"The first part of this has been implemented and checked in," Thorarinsson said, referring to the part that discovers when RSS feeds are available on a Web site. The feature is disabled for now, though, because the second part, which will produce a page that lets … Read more

Google offers better-tested Chrome version

Google released a new beta version of Chrome Tuesday, offering a better balance between software that's stable but out of date on the one hand and cutting-edge but crash-prone on the other.

The new version offers a number of new features, including zooming that increases or decreases the graphics as well as text; autofill to ease the chore of re-entering information in Web site forms; and new tab-dragging features that let you dock browser windows to the sides of the screen. The new beta version is essentially the same as Chrome 2.0.169.1 that was released last … Read more

Google Chrome now bundled with RealPlayer

Google wanted to release version 1.0 of Chrome in part so it could bundled with other products, and now one such deal has arrived.

The option to install Chrome is checked by default, which no doubt will help some people to add the software without really deliberating much on its merits or drawbacks. However, the Chrome option shows on a separate stage of installation, so it's not hidden on some invisible "advanced options" section off the beaten track of the process.

Contrary to its practice with most of its products and services, Google is actively promoting Chrome … Read more

Google promotes Chrome with YouTube ads

Well, now we know one customer who's excited by Google's new ad possibilities at YouTube: Google.

The company is showing ads for its open-source Web browser. I saw Chrome overlay and display ads on a classically viral video, "No Pants Subway Ride 2009." (Snow angels on a New York City sidewalk in your underwear? Does your mother know?)

Chrome ads also are appearing on Facebook's Boggle-like Scramble game.

Both of these venues have plenty of unsold, low-cost inventory, so Google probably isn't spending Super Bowl-level marketing money on them. On the other hand, they … Read more