A glimpse at Google Chrome 2.0 Pre-Beta
Just four months after the initial release of Chrome, Google is offering a pre-release of version 2.0. While the release includes some upgrades, so many features are still lacking that you have to wonder if Google is trying to catch up with other browsers in terms of version numbers.
Maybe it’s just a slight case of version envy. With Internet Explorer at version 7 and Opera working on version 10, Google should get caught up with both in about three years at this rate.
Some basic features that users can expect to find in Chrome 2.0 are auto-complete for forms and an autoscroll feature for quickly scanning pages. The new version also has a zoom feature that’s powered by Ctrl+ and Ctrl-.
Probably the largest upgrade for Google Chrome 2.0 is support for GreaseMonkey scripts. These scripts help users to customize how certain pages are displayed using JavaScript.
The most original feature coming to Chrome is a user profile feature. The user profiles allow you to have a different home page, bookmarks and browsing history from one profile to the next.
Profiles are a good way to keep home browsing separate from workplace sites and history. if multiple family members share the same computer, it’s also a way to keep their preferences and bookmarks separate.
Probably the most glaring feature still missing from Chrome is a plugin architecture. Both Internet Explorer and Firefox offer enhanced capabilities through third party extensions, a model that Google does not yet support.
Also still missing are Google Chrome for the Mac and Linux platforms. Google is still working on versions of the browser that will run on these operating systems and has not indicated when they might be available.
All of the functionality included in Chrome’s 2.0 Pre-Beta release seems more like a 1.0 Beta in my eyes. However, this is fairly unsurprising considering the fact that Google unceremoniously rushed the 1.0 designation so that OEMs could include it on new computers.
Fans of the original Chrome release will be thrilled with these minor enhancements. If you were waiting for Chrome to compete with Firefox 3, you might still want to hold off.
Related Posts:
