Comments on: Google updates Gears for new Firefox 3.5

Google's Gears technology has caught up with Firefox, restoring offline access to offline Gmail and other services that use the plug-in.

[yeobaby]

I'm from Canada and this new version I can't get. Will only let me install version 0.5.25.0 and can't even find google gears on mozilla's add-on site!

[Shankland]

I don't have a direct Windows link, I'm afraid, but for Mac and Linux try these:

Mac: http://addons.mozilla.org/google/google_gears_osx.html
Linux: http://addons.mozilla.org/google/google_gears_linux.html

[FF2009]

awesome plug-in. Thanks Google for supporting Firefox.

[ArtInvent]

So Google is going to release an entire OS based on Linux and Chrome . . . but at this point they can't seem to get their act together enough to release a Gears for Linux 64, or even a fully baked Chrome for Linux for that matter. I'm still running a Windows version of Chrome through Wine, which is pretty awful. Next, they don't have native linux versions of either Picasa nor Sketchup (the old wine trick again.)

Unless they throw a whole sheetload more developers at this stuff, the notion of challenging MS with a Chrome OS while I'm still young seems pretty laughable.

The Gears are turning very slowly indeed.

[Shankland]

Not to be a Google apologist, but the fact that they have any Linux support at all for Picasa and Sketchup (and Google Earth) puts them miles ahead of most companies when it comes to Linux desktop software, Wine or not. It's a small market, and most companies choose to do nothing. You'll get your Chrome for Linux eventually (especially given the Chrome OS push). If you were in charge of allocating finite developer resources and wanted to make as big an impact with Chrome as possible as soon as possible, which OS would you support first?

The more notable trajectory in my opinion though is Google's attempt to make Web applications richer and more powerful, a move that benefits Linux users tremendously since Web-based applications don't care nearly as much about what operating system is underneath the browser.

[SteveMcQwark]

There is a pre-alpha of Google Chrome. It currently doesn't have plug-in support or Gears, but other than that, its probably much better than Chrome + Wine. And its developing really fast. They'll probably have it ready for the Chrome OS open-sourcing later this year. Just FYI :)