Filed under: Macintosh, Google, Browsers
Chrome for OS X: What we know
by Christina Warren Sep 3rd 2008 at 6:00PM
Although no release date for the Linux and OS X variants of Chrome has been announced, some details about the Mac version of Chrome are starting to emerge.Yesterday, Amanda Walker, a Google software engineer, laid out some of the basics on the Official Google Mac Blog.
While individuals who excel at Mac development are building the Mac version of Chrome (and Linux developers are focusing on the Linux version), the different platforms are not operating on different teams -- everyone is part of the same group and working off of the same Chromium source tree.
As I discussed earlier, Chromium is available for developers to build on OS X -- the UI layer does not exist right now, but you can run tests in the TestShell.
When it comes to a release date for either Mac or Linux, Amanda won't give an estimate. In the blog entry, she writes, "we're not setting an artificial date for when they'll be ready--we simply can't predict enough to make a solid estimate." Fair enough, though obviously lots of Mac and Linux fans hope that it is sooner rather than later.
More details, at least about who is working on the Mac version, have also started to emerge. Mike Pinkerton, the project leader for Camino, posted in his blog that he is working on the Chromium project as a Mac developer. For anyone unfamiliar with Camino, it is a native OS X Gecko browser. Think the rendering engine of Firefox 2, with the interface and Cocoa-goodness of Safari. Up until FireFox 3, Camino was pretty much the only Gecko-based browser I used on my Mac. Interestingly, Pinkerton's former co-lead on the Camino project, Dave Hyatt, currently works at Apple on the Safari and WebKit teams.
Knowing how successfully the Camino team adapted Gecko to OS X, this gives me a lot of confidence in Chrome for OS X.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Rick said 6:37PM on 9-03-2008
But will Chrome for Mac be a Cocoa app? I will only use a browser that fully supports Mac Services. If not, I'll be sticking with Safari.
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Max said 3:46PM on 9-04-2008
Interesting. I don't think I've ever needed a single OSX service in all the time OSX has been out. And I use a cocoa browser, Omniweb.
Suomynona.Eno said 7:13PM on 9-03-2008
@Rick
Acceptable stance in my book really. It'll be a backfiring thing to do if it were built to exclude Mac Services. On another note more related to Linux side, I'm thinking that the vast pool of talents should (if not could..) somehow redirect ample creativities to bring Chrome for Linux into fruition in good time. Preferably something more along the lines of the standard desktop environs in terms of looks and functionalities.
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Christina Warren said 7:35PM on 9-03-2008
@Rick -- no word yet. However, I am cautiously optimistic since Pinkerton is involved.
@Suomynona -- I agree with you totally, it would be great for the Linux side for all the talents to start working to get something together and to keep the UI inline with existing standards.
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michas_pi said 11:13PM on 9-03-2008
This will be an OK browser to use but I think I will stick with Firefox on my Mac. I tried Chrome in Windows XP and it was alright. Nothing revolutionary.
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hazard said 10:16AM on 9-04-2008
Actually it is rather revolutionary because it is the first step towards Google OS.
Max said 3:42PM on 9-04-2008
Who cares? Everyone is going so crazy for this browser because its from Google. However, I tried it and it was merely ok. Nothing that would get me to change from Safari, OmniWeb, Firefox, or Opera (if it was on the Mac). On Windows, I'll stick with FF. I don't buy into the hype of all those web-based apps. I have my apps locally, that's what I prefer. Also, I don't like the privacy issues that are inherent with using a Google product.
Walter said 4:22AM on 9-04-2008
Chrome on OSX:
http://www.julius-eckert.com/blog/28
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Max said 3:45PM on 9-04-2008
That's not on OSX, it's in Wine. Which is essentially like Parallels, only doesn't need Windows, and getting it to run in it takes time and effort.
If one has Parallels or VMWare, that's the way to go for now.
nathan said 10:33AM on 9-16-2008
I play around on XP every now and then, and I gotta say I love chrome. As a user, I don't see or care about most of the technologies (it doesn't have add-ons yet)/ It is, however, revolutionary in my opinion. The UI is simple. the bar is a little better than the Awesome bar in Firefox, which is in turn better then safari and IE and Camino. Its simple, its clean. Its VERY clean. CLEAN! EASY! I love it.
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smeidu said 4:32PM on 9-18-2008
I decided to make a quick mockup design of what the browser could look like on osX. I really hope that Google will design the browser in the osX unified look with state of the art integration into the system. So hopefully more the Camino aprroach than the Firefox way.
http://www.smeidu.com/2008/09/04/google-chrome-for-osx-mockup-design/
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Chromoholic said 2:07PM on 10-03-2008
For those who don't understand the great benefits of Chrome even in the early stages, it's mostly because your ignorant to what Chromes abilities are.
Chrome helps protect you but showing more alerts to unsigned https sites.
Chrome allows multiple processes, one for each tab, unlike Firefox or any other browser, If one crashes they all crash, But not on Chrome.
Chrome loads javascript faster then the others. Not nearly as great as you would think. However it ends scripts that are bugged and bog your browsers down.
Now yes chrome may be lacking in features still, but from the understanding of the blogs posted by google employees that's their intent.
A feature that nearly everyone agrees they need is the ability to organize bookmarks, as this is a function highly sought after in most browsers. I would prefer a function to sync with google service, tied in like the rest of my google services. Allowing me to login to google with my account on all my computers and sync. Currently I use firefox to bring up bookmarks.
Another feature is the RSS is lacked in Chrome. Or at least I have yet to find anyone who has it set up in Chrome.
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Samuel Warren said 9:40PM on 10-05-2008
Actually the real reason everyone will flock (no pun intended) to Google Chrome is V8. The simple fact is that the only across the board client side scripting language is javascript. Speed up the javascript, speed up the web applications. Separate the different tabs on different processes and you've got a stable environment for running multiple web applications at blazing fast speeds. Serisouly, download it and search Google for Javascript speed results. You'll find a lot of test pages touting Opera's Javascript speed. Run their tests and you'll be shocked to find that the Chrome browser out runs even the Opera on Javascript. In a nutshell, V8 is the reason to switch, nothing else. So don't be the one sitting there on IE in two years thinking MAN, I coulda had a V8!!!
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