Web of Trust extension comes to Chrome

Google's browser now has an extension to use the Web of Trust, a project that lets people rate the trustworthiness of Web sites and see how others have rated them.

The open-source plug-in previously worked only with Firefox and Internet Explorer, but now a version is available for the new developer preview version of Chrome, according to a blog post.

The Web of Trust extension lets people rate Web pages. Clicking an icon in the lower left corner of Chrome pops up this interface.

(Credit: Screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET)

It's one of a host of relatively widely used extensions available on other browsers but now on their way to Chrome, whose extensions framework is just getting off the ground. There also are extensions (called add-ons in the Firefox realm) for Delicious and Xmarks, for example.

The extension takes advantage of the newer "mole" feature that lets windows pop up from the bottom of the screen. (The "mole" term originated with the work Google's Gmail team on instant-message windows; closing a number of them is like playing Whack-a-Mole.) However, Web of Trust programmers are considering using a newer extensions possibility called browser actions, which builds an extension interface into a button that appears along the top of the Chrome window.

"Browser Actions look promising though and we're looking forward to using them in future," said programmer Sami Tolvanen in a mailing list announcement. He also offered a list of suggestions for the Chrome extensions interface.

Separately, Google announced a new developer preview version, Chrome 4.0.221.6 for Windows, 4.0.221.8 for Mac OS X, and 4.0.221.8 for Linux. In the Windows version is a new browser action feature, pop-up windows.

[timba]

Chrome and IE 8 are two great things to avoid. Both are bad junk and need to go away.

[biostyx]

Chrome is amazing!! idk what timba is smoking..

[censorshipblows]

...another totally clueless wonder. [rolls eyes]

[0zSpit]

i agree, anything google is possibly the worst thing anyone can put on their computer. one of the worst trojan-ware companies to date. now they want to build the first linux o/s that's infected out of the box. let the suckers use this junk

[thestrange71]

Whaddya say? Chrome is great!!!!!!!!!!! but i agree to avoid IE8

[exactlyy]

yes, chrome sucks, its been out for a year and its still so naked, they cant figure out the top secret behind a master password science, they completly depend on IE's proxy ..

been a year and they have maybe less than 5 addons..and they are completly unusefull ,

add to that some really ugly themes , and so many lies about it ultra speed which is just a complete BS

..why w'd i use chrome and have google's ads in my inbox, my messenger , my desktop, and maybe if i check my ***** i'll find one or two of their ads !

[Chris Kerrigan]

Although I do believe Chrome was intended to be simple and elegant, if I wanted a browser with basically zero add ons and nothing notable other than it's web surfing ability, I'd still be using IE 5 :P

[modson11]

interesting and practical while you surf the web

[mr.sms]

Best browser ever created, I can't go back to IE now I fall in love with Chrome.

Elegant, fast, safe and sexy!

[Anonymous220]

Chrome i love it dearly lolz

[steve l]

As anyone tried Opera you may be surprised.

[kunbiswas]

It is the best browser I ever seen..
The download speed is GOOD that I think...

[mightybutton]

Yes, Chrome has advantages over IE and FF, but I have to agree with the comment by exactlyy. Chrome has been out a year and I cannot customize it. I do prefer simple, but that doesn't mean my simple is the same as Google's. I still use Chrome, but only because my FF keeps getting buggy on me. If I could figure out the bugs, I wouldn't touch Chrome (and IE isn't even a consideration to me - I look forward to the day we consider IE the same way we do Netscape now, a forgotten headache)!

[AlienDK]

Well.. Chrome is a great browser. However, I still use Firefox as my primary browser and I use SRWare Iron instead of Google Chrome. The developers of Iron took the Chromium source code and took out the privacy violating "features" like the uniqueID and other stuff. See more at http://www.srware.net/en/software_srware_iron_chrome_vs_iron.php

[0zSpit]

still 100% useless without adblock plus and noscript. you need something to defend yourself against google spyware. best advice is stay as far away from anything google as possible, unless you don't know any better...

[queticomn]

One huge article for one add-on? The google fanboy writer is at it again. Most people should realize allot if not most web ideas IMO have come from Mozilla FireFox, FireFox add-on writers and Opera, Opera-widgets.

As 0zSpit says google is a monopoly now trying to control the web as just as M$ is, using their spy-ware. Chrome will never see ad-block or No-script.

[grafitti123]

It doesn't work. Keeps giving me some error about permissions[0]. Doesnt matter, i use FF anyway. Making addons for chrome must be really difficult.

[Lambert John]

Chrome blows! It's the biggest compilation of spyware known to the Internet. Do you think Google wants you to install Chrome without giving them something back. Absolutely not. They get plenty from you the minute you install their software. Koolaid anyone?

[vickymiller]

How to use Google Chrome:
1. Install
2. Go to the Wrench, Options, Under the Hood
3. Clear out all of the lovely tracking cookies it comes installed with
4. Change cookie options to only save cookies from sites you visit
5. Run Malwarebytes, SUPERAntiSpyware, and Iobit Security 360 to make sure all tracking cookies are gone.
6. Install Privoxy to block ads
7. Change Internet Options to run through a proxy
8. Install WOT to surf safely
9. Use Chrome for about an hour
10. Uninstall

[rogerpack2005]

I'm not so sure that WoT is open source though.

[briancarr99]

i think chrome is a very good browser (still under development )with sure better things to come its uncluttered you can play with it, the extensions are good, bug fixes are always repaired it has a good feedback option for the developers the themes are cool i give 9 ot of 10 keep up the good work!!!!

[Lerianis3]

Where do you get these 'extensions for Chrome' from? I've looked online and cannot find one site with them, and it's getting kinda annoying that they support extensions in the latest versions of Chrome, but you cannot find any extensions.
Really, the biggest two extensions that are needed are NoScript and AdBlock, just like Firefox has.

[Jack-Bxp]

I run Chrome on my Virtual Box XP inside Ubuntu 9.04 on a 30 gigabyte partition. I like Chrome, i like the look of it on XP, it's fast too, but the ads suck and i really don't trust Google with total access to my complete OS, but to run it virtually, i'm quite happy. On my main OS, which is XP too, Firefox is my default browser of choice, mostly because of Adblock Plus, but i also use Personal Menu, which gives the Chrome-like wrench menu, also a must on a browser for me is mouse gestures, for that i use FireGestures. Download StatusBar is another good one too. I just try to use the extensions that give good functionality. The "other browser" i use is Iron Browser. This is a replica of Google Chrome, it's made by a German company. They claim to have removed the issues with Chrome that concern privacy ect. Some things removed from Iron Browser are - client id, timestamp, suggest, alternate error pages, error reporting, RLZ-tracking, Google updater and URL-tracker. It's also possible to create your own ad-blocker on Iron Browser, i have done it - and it took under 5 minutes. Anyway, it's a good alternative to Google Chrome, if you don't like the ads or their tentacles in your PC. It doesn't have mouse gestures yet though. Their website is - http://www.srware.net/en/software_srware_iron.php