Google plans Chrome Mac beta for December
Google plans to release a Mac beta of Chrome in early December, judging by some chatter on a mailing list for the browser.
Chrome 4.0 is available today as a beta version for Windows but only as a rougher developer-preview version on Linux and Mac OS X. The standout feature of the new version is customization through extensions, a technology that long has been a core asset of another open-source browser, Firefox.
Google has been moving to a new extensions presentation technology called Browser Actions that let people interact with extensions through a small button toward the upper right of the browser window. "We've noticed that many of you have updated your extensions to take advantage of the new UI. We'd like to encourage the rest of you to do so as well," said Nick Baum, a Google Chrome product manager, in a mailing list posting.
But here's the hitch: Browser Actions only work on Windows and Linux right now. That means those building extensions will leave Mac Chrome users behind for a time. But in telling those developers they won't have long to wait, Baum mentioned the deadline for the beta version.
"The earlier you switch, the more time you will have to polish your experience for our Beta launch in early December," he said.
And Google is on the case for adding Browser Actions to the Mac version of Chrome.
"We realize this means dropping Mac support for a couple of weeks, but we already have people working on that," Baum said. "If you prioritize the Windows and Linux versions, we'll bring you cross-platform parity as soon as we can!"
Stephen Shankland writes about a wide range of technology and products, but has a particular focus on browsers and digital photography. He joined CNET News in 1998 and since then also has covered Google, Yahoo, servers, supercomputing, Linux and open-source software, and science. E-mail Stephen, or follow him on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/stshank. 
browsed Cnet.com with it and it was real slow and buggy.
This browser is to primitive compare to others. Maybe in a few years it will catch up.
Microsoft only has tons of dev cause of their market share.
otherwise mac and especially linux are great platforms for dev.
take it easy Mr.Dee, thats their only strategy , 1st they say .. you dont know what you talking about .
and the 2nd reply w'd be .. your so stupid, your english sucks..even if english is your 1st language and its the only language you know ..
and if nothing of what they works ..they w'd start with.. I'am cool , i am MAC .. i am Hot ..
i even started to belive this s-h-i-t and i am thinking about having a bunch of them in my bed .
You have no idea what you are talking about. I think the reason you constantly criticise Apple is because you feel threaten by their success compared to your beloved Microsoft. I think you are narrow minded and naive if you think that people just buy Apple technology because Steve Jobs tells them to. You just refuse to think that iPod, iPhone or Mac sales are the result of a good product that people want. You can comment all you like, but every time you post a comment you prove how ignorant you really are.
You have no idea what you are talking about. I think the reason you constantly criticise Apple is because you feel threaten by their success compared to your beloved Microsoft. I think you are narrow minded and naive if you think that people just buy Apple technology because Steve Jobs tells them to. You just refuse to think that iPod, iPhone or Mac sales are the result of a good product that people want. You can comment all you like, but every time you post a comment you prove how ignorant you really are.
- by Chasingu November 14, 2009 9:21 AM PST
- Can't wait, hopefully im getting a mac mini for Christmas so this will be good.
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