Google stomps dozens of Chrome bugs

Google released a new developer preview version of Chrome Friday that fixed more than 150 bugs--then another version Monday that fixed about a dozen more.

Chrome 2.0.169.0 is a version of the browser geared for people who want the latest builds and are willing to put up with bugs and crashes. It's also a preview of things to come in the more reliable "stable" and "beta" versions.

When using predecessors, I have been annoyed chiefly with long periods of unresponsiveness, but I can hardly complain given that they've been only developer preview versions. Perhaps, though, this spate of fixes indicates an effort to stabilize things a bit for a new beta version based on the 2.x code.

One hint that might be the case is in the removal of the user profiles feature, a technology that could let you browse the Web with different electronic personas but that caused problems on the Mac version of Chrome that's in the works.

"We have decided not to support the current profile implementation in Beta or Stable," said Chrome Program Manager Mark Larson in a note on the Chromium developer site. And Jonathan Conradt, engineering program manager, added in a blog post, "We want to take this feature back to the drawing board before releasing it."

[goodspeed8701]

chrome sux anyway

[streamline35]

I don't use it at home because of its lack of features and such, but after using firefox, chrome, and opera on my msi wind for a couple weeks, chrome is the clear winner just in terms of speediness and screen real estate - both of which are top priority on a netbook

[mark_925]

I had that same unresponsiveness problem when chrome was first released, but it went away with whatever version they released after about two weeks. I'm using the 'stable' version.

[eluv72]

I tried chrome for about 3 weeks when it first came out. Then decided that it was a pile of steaming doo doo. I prefer just to use igoogle..red sox scores, cnet news, wired news, weather, gmail, facebook, thats all the feeds I need.....who wants to spend that much time looking through the web browser functions and tabs anyway? doesent matter what they fix...its still too much junk ******** on the pages...

[vamman]

Junk browser. Not adhering to standards, shame on Google!

[Shankland]

Which standards do you wish they'd comply with that they're not? Can you be specific?

[darthstupid]

Unless you are referring to standards Microsoft wrote for IE you are full of crap. Go look up your facts.

Chrome is WebKit which is the foundation for half a dozen different major browsers. It's ilk is second in popularity only to Firefox based browsers.

[Business1980]

Of course Chrome doesn't suck, but im disappointed about the not too early update releases, they are taking too long to improve a version, which bothers me, Firefox is taking the right road to the closest to "perfection" via feedback (so to speak), but i like a simpler look like Chrome, however being late in the updates i dont know where to go, im using safari 4 too, but the new designs kinda "hybrid" loses its personality somehow, how well, choosing a browser when using a lot the internet (specially for work) it takes observation and known opinions.

[slzb]

Chrome uses way less memory than any of the other browsers and the rendering and script performance absolutely trumps them too. The user interface is clean and maximizes screen space.

Not adhering to standards? what standards would you be talking about? It's based on WebKit, which is the most standards-compliant browser code base there is.

As for unresponsiveness, I think the chrome's design (isolating each tab as a separate copy) definitely favors multiple core CPUs. If you are running an out of date machine this may be a problem.

[planetjeffy]

I added chrome to my mom's very slow notebook and it is very quick and uses much less proccesor / memory. Sometimes less is more - especially for cranky older machines.

[George_Marenco]

I like Firefox better.

[nopinktoday]

Yes sir, but this article is about "Google Chrome".

[NicholasTuck]

I would love to really give Chrome a chance to shine, however being a web developer just doesn't give me that option. Takes quite a bit of knowledge to figure out the different interpretations between firefox and IE, and don't have the time to waste to develop via Chrome. However a final test passing in firefox normally renders the same, or close enough in Chrome due to similar web kit implementation. However the debugging process and rendering differences for faulty code would be like starting from square one again, though the built in tools in Chrome are great and replace many firefox extentions, I just can't foresee a lot of developers risk time wasted for chrome interpreting a fault differently than their familiar firefox and IE.

Until Chrome is out for a while longer I am sticking to firefox just to keep sanity. Add a few numbers before and after that version dot though the chance of switching increases.

[exactlyy]

well.. i tried every single browser available, safari 4 is too hybrid, Chrome is too naked ,IE is too stupid and bugged,opera is fine i just cant get along with it, my choice is FF ,and whocares about memory leak, when u have 4 or 6 GB of RAM ,what if FF uses 100 mb or even 500 MB ?? and get ur browser to look and work the way u want!

[firtvid20]

I use Chrome and I like it. It is fast.

[aaronbucks]

Chrome is a fantastic browser, easy to use.....its brought a new standard in speed and in the future reliability to web browsing. And for all you Chrome haters....I use all major web browsers and they all have hickups, crashes now and then, good/bad features. but most features are being adopted by all of them. so to one browser users, you need some diversity in your life and try new things.....last thing i have to say is..Chrome does need to fix there Sound....i have no sound on any web pages..just in chrome..chrome...thats one bug you might want to look into...thanks

[ProzacJM]

My big problem with chrome is doesn't work flawless with a lot of forums -doesn't show some buttons, you can't quote etc- love how fast it is.

[knowles2]

I had that problem for sometime with chrome on various borders it disappeared a couple of days after it appeared, it was either a update to the browser or to the forums. Do not know but it was nothing I knowingly did through.

I like browsers.

[AndrewRich]

Chrome is now my browser of choice on the sad occasions when I have to use Windows. My backups are Opera and Safari.