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Google Chrome for Mac, Linux? Keep waiting

Search company still won't commit to a ship date for bringing its Chrome browser to Mac OS X or Linux but calls it a "high priority."

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Stephen Shankland principal writer
Stephen Shankland has been a reporter at CNET since 1998 and writes about processors, digital photography, AI, quantum computing, computer science, materials science, supercomputers, drones, browsers, 3D printing, USB, and new computing technology in general. He has a soft spot in his heart for standards groups and I/O interfaces. His first big scoop was about radioactive cat poop.
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  • I've been covering the technology industry for 24 years and was a science writer for five years before that. I've got deep expertise in microprocessors, digital photography, computer hardware and software, internet standards, web technology, and other dee
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Stephen Shankland

Update 9:14 a.m. PST: I uncovered much more specific information from Google programmers, so be sure to check this separate story describing how Chrome works crudely on Linux.

I get a lot of e-mail from people asking when Google will release its Chrome Web browser for Mac OS X and Linux. So, with the Windows beta version available for more than two months now, I thought I'd pester Google for an updated schedule.

Will we see the new versions by Thanksgiving? The end of the year?

The answer, in effect: "Please hold, your call is important to us."

In other words, the search powerhouse still isn't going to commit to any timelines. Here's the official statement: "We're working on a version for Mac and Linux, but we wanted to launch Google Chrome in beta for Windows so that we can get feedback from our users...We care about reaching all users and so this is a very high priority for us."