Faster, Stable Google Chrome 3
After a year's development, a new, stable version 3.0 of Google's open source Chrome browser is now available. Developers promise "significant speed improvements," although current beneficiaries are Windows Vista and XP users only.
As Google program manager Anthony Laforge announced in his blog posting, "this stable release incorporates many of the improvements and features that we tested out in our most recent beta release, including a 150% increase in Javascript performance since our very first beta." The official Google blog supports his assertion with two benchmark graphics and comparisons with Chrome versions 1 and 2.
Chrome 3 underwent a complete redesign of the New Tab page where the most commonly accessed webpages become thumbnails that you can rearrange and pin to a persistent spot on the screen. To continue along the "most used and favorite" theme, the Omnibox at the top of the browser that serves as both a search box and self-completing address bar now has an optimized presentation with a drop-down menu and helpful icons. Chrome 3 also incorporates the new HTML5 features of integrating videos as easily as graphics into a website. Then there's the abundance of browser themes, with a themes gallery showing the selections, comparable to what Mozilla Firefox has been providing as an add-on for some time.
The official Google blog has some interesting background figures: the past year involved 51 developer, 21 beta and 15 stable updates, with 3,505 bugfixes that went into Chrome 3. Downloads for Chrome 3 for Windows XP and Vista are on the Google webpage. The Linux variant should be out by the end of the year and is currently in a developer version.
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Systemd Fixes Bug While Facing New Challenger in GNU Shepherd
The systemd developers have fixed a really nasty bug amid the release of the new GNU Shepherd init system.
-
AlmaLinux 10.0 Beta Released
The AlmaLinux OS Foundation has announced the availability of AlmaLinux 10.0 Beta ("Purple Lion") for all supported devices with significant changes.
-
Gnome 47.2 Now Available
Gnome 47.2 is now available for general use but don't expect much in the way of newness, as this is all about improvements and bug fixes.
-
Latest Cinnamon Desktop Releases with a Bold New Look
Just in time for the holidays, the developer of the Cinnamon desktop has shipped a new release to help spice up your eggnog with new features and a new look.
-
Armbian 24.11 Released with Expanded Hardware Support
If you've been waiting for Armbian to support OrangePi 5 Max and Radxa ROCK 5B+, the wait is over.
-
SUSE Renames Several Products for Better Name Recognition
SUSE has been a very powerful player in the European market, but it knows it must branch out to gain serious traction. Will a name change do the trick?
-
ESET Discovers New Linux Malware
WolfsBane is an all-in-one malware that has hit the Linux operating system and includes a dropper, a launcher, and a backdoor.
-
New Linux Kernel Patch Allows Forcing a CPU Mitigation
Even when CPU mitigations can consume precious CPU cycles, it might not be a bad idea to allow users to enable them, even if your machine isn't vulnerable.
-
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.5 Released
Notify your friends, loved ones, and colleagues that the latest version of RHEL is available with plenty of enhancements.
-
Linux Sees Massive Performance Increase from a Single Line of Code
With one line of code, Intel was able to increase the performance of the Linux kernel by 4,000 percent.