Google reforms Chrome for Snow Leopard

Google released an update for Chrome to fix compatibility problems with Snow Leopard on Monday, which along with other fixes shows the gradually maturing state of the Mac OS X version of the browser.

Chrome 4.0.203.4 for the Mac is only a couple notches up the version ladder than the version 4.0.203.2 it replaces, but there are some significant changes in the developer-preview software. For Snow Leopard compatibility, programmers fixed a garbled text bug, said Jonathan Conradt, a Chrome engineering program manager, in a blog post Monday.

Google began Chrome on Windows but has been gradually moving it to Linux and Mac OS X. Those versions so far are still only developer-preview incarnations not ready for prime time yet, though I find myself gradually slipping over to Chrome on my Mac system now that it's getting mature enough for me. I suspect a beta version isn't far off.

Google is fleshing out some basic features, though. One user-interface tweak enables support for command- and shift-clicking.

Another feature coming to the Mac is support for the tab-to-search feature in the omnibox. That lets you perform a site search directly from the address bar by typing a URL, for example news.cnet.com, then the tab key, then search terms.

Tab-to-search also works with Amazon, Google, Google News, and Yahoo, The New York Times, but not Bing yet. I search a lot, and this saves me one step and waiting for a page to load just so I can click in its search bar.

The tab-to-search feature has arrived on Chrome for Mac OS X, too.

(Credit: Screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET)

The most annoying issue I've found--and let me know if I'm missing something obvious here--is that I lose the file-upload dialog box while using Gmail with Chrome on Mac OS X if I switch away from the application while halfway through. If I don't attach a file immediately, that tab's instance of Gmail becomes useless because I can't get back to it.

Performance still is an issue with the Mac version, though. I was pleased to see some work on new-tab creation speed, with programmer Mark Mentovai using various changes to work the time from 1-3 seconds down to a fifth of a second.

Google is working hard to spread Chrome, though it has small market share at present. It's now installed as the default browser on some Sony laptops, as Endgadget noticed in July with the Vaio NW, and I heard about earlier in August.

Google has been advertising the browser as well and is at work making it the foundation of its Chrome OS.

[rollcage]

What benefits would Chrome offer over Safari in Snow Leopard? I believe Safari is faster (running in 64-bit mode), and I like the way Safari handles crashes over Chrome. As long as a plug-in causes the crash (since I've started using OSX, all of my crashes have been because of Flash) you end up with empty frames where that content would be, with the rest of the content intact. Simple reload if you need that content, or just carry along without it.

[SteveMcQwark]

You do realize that this feature (isolated plugins) originated with Google Chrome, right? Whenever flash crashes, (pretty much never on Windows, sometimes in the dev build on Linux, as it specifically states its unstable for that), I just have a sad puzzle face show up in its place, and the refresh button fixes it.

And most tests show Chrome being faster than Safari 4.

Besides that, its really personal preference. I like the minimalist UI and the omnibar, which really speeds up searching sites I visit frequently (wikipedia, wikia, images, youtube... Some people might like Safari for... other reasons.

[ballmerisanape]

"And most tests show Chrome being faster than Safari 4."

On Windows... he asked what would be the benefit of Chrome over Safari on a SL Mac.. It would have to be a pretty compelling argument.. because the 64-bit Safari.. at least so far for me.. flies.

[Shankland]

The more I use Chrome, the more I with other browsers would open new tabs adjacent to the one I'm using, not at the end. It's pathetic how helpful that is and how nonexistent in other browsers (without plug-ins, at least--I use tree-style tab to enable it in Firefox).

For Safari, I hate its new-page behavior that often spawns new windows. It's hard for me to switch windows without a lot of mousing or trackpaddery, and I'm a keyboard guy, so I like Chrome there, too.

For JavaScript, given Apple's boasts of its 64-bit version being a lot faster, that could be good. My brief tests show it to be great at Google Docs and Chromeexperiments.com, but I'm not sure how well the architecture scales with many JavaScript-intense sites simultaneously. JavaScript in Chrome on the Mac now is kinda pathetic.

Flash is getting more stable in Chrome on Mac but I still hear gripes. Seems to work for me mostly, though.

[iertry]

@Sankland There is a terminal command you can run which forces Safari to oepn everything in tabs. I used firefox and chrome until I found that out. Now I'm on safari on snow leopard.

[cougar888]

One benefit is the smaller UI. Right now on a mac, I would take Safari, no questions asked. On Windows it is easily Chrome. With Linux I'll have to stick with firefox for now, chrome is getting better, but it still has a long way to go.

[mynameiscoffey]

@Shankland - Command Tilde (~) will switch windows within the same application if you don't like switching windows via the mouse/trackpad.

[Henzapper]

Wait, I've had quite a couple of crashes in Safari, and it always requires me to relaunch with none of my pages saved. I like how Chrome, each tab is separated (I know there are terms for what I'm describing but I don't know any of them). When something crashes in Safari, everything goes down with it, which becomes quite annoying.

[jake3373]

The term you are looking for is "sandbox" - Each tab runs as its own process, so if one process crashes, the others remain working.

[stubbyns]

When Safari crashes, everything goes with it.

[Gold_Storm_Mac]

i dont think many ppl r going to give up on safari and get chrome. 64 bit safari is still faster and it has som many features not in chrome.

[jake3373]

Except flash? No 64-bit Flash=32-bit browser for me

[Mr. Dee]

Just can't see the point of using Chrome over Firefox unless. Google seems to want to get a huge market share overnight by targeting three different platforms and uselessly bumping up the version number.

[cougar888]

There are actually changes that come with those version numbers (I do agree that they should be minor version changes, not major). Chrome 2 has faster JS than Chrome 1 (like twice as fast). Chrome 3 has theme support and extension support. Chrome 4 will have more features, but right now it is basically Chrome 3.

[joetesta70]

Great. A browser with 1% market share supporting an OS with 1% market share. That's .01% of the market.

LOL!

[kelmon]

Research has shown that 56% of all statistics are made-up.

[stevicus]

@ those asking about safari crashing and taking the whole thing with it:

ASFAIK, the sandboxing of tabs is new with safari 4 in SL. safari 4 in 10.5 did not sandbox tabs.

[yenerm]

I am very impressed with google products, even the betas are far more complete than most other vendors! great job guys!

[gpalfi1]

I cannot understand why so many of you are so anxious to be part of the Google botnet. It is the biggest, and potentially, the most dangerous in the world. I would never use Chrome as long as it enables Google to record everything I do. To be avoided at all cost.

[cougar888]

First off, I don't care if Google knows what sites I visit. I have nothing to hide. Usage data for Google's stuff is all anonymous unless otherwise specified. All Google cares about is what people collectively are doing, they don't care what I personally am doing. Do you really think that a company as large and well trusted as Google would be able to harm people (Identity theft, installing viruses, stealing data) and get away with it without a major class action suit? If you are worried that Google keeps track of the sites you visit and throws that data in with a billion other people's data, then you my friend are just paranoid. You become less anonymous to the world by just walking outside.

[ZetaZeta_]

Then use Chromium with the search engine set to Bing or something.

[jake3373]

OK, Chrome is open-source. So go and download the source, look at the code, recompile it with the changes you want. (This probably won't work well unless you are an experienced developer)

[klor5]

In my opinion Safaris/Webkits' killer feature is its' activity window and its' ability to integrate with download accelerators such as iGetter and SpeedDownload.No other browser that I've tried makes it so easy/fast to download files (especially video for me) off the net.I would also like to suggest that there is minimal difference between tabs and windows in most circumstances,just learn "command ~" shortcut to quickly flick through all Safari/Webkit windows.
MBP 3.1 Tiger 10.4.11.