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Chrome Corner - weekly updates, extensions, themes, and tips for Google Chrome
With the Download Squad crew (and the rest of the world) spending more and more time in our web browsers, we decided it's time to make with the weekly round-ups. Sebastian introduced you to our Firefox series last week, and now it's time to get the ball rolling for Google Chrome!
Each week we'll be sharing interesting items we've gathered - news, program updates, extensions, themes - you name it. If you spotted something cool and Chrome-related you think we should cover, send us a tip! Without further ado, on to volume 1 of Chrome Corner!
Hey, Big Daddy! Skin Chrome with two awesome Bioshock 2 Themes!
If you're a sucker for the dark, grungy, industrial look, check out these themes created by fansite Bioshock2.org. There are two available, and they're very well done. Easily two of the best unofficial themes I've seen - check the image after the break!
Each week we'll be sharing interesting items we've gathered - news, program updates, extensions, themes - you name it. If you spotted something cool and Chrome-related you think we should cover, send us a tip! Without further ado, on to volume 1 of Chrome Corner!
Hey, Big Daddy! Skin Chrome with two awesome Bioshock 2 Themes!
If you're a sucker for the dark, grungy, industrial look, check out these themes created by fansite Bioshock2.org. There are two available, and they're very well done. Easily two of the best unofficial themes I've seen - check the image after the break!
Extensions Gallery hits the 1K mark!
Browser customizers, rejoice! While it has been open just a short time, developers are obviously much more excited about creating extensions for Google Chrome now that the official Gallery has arrived. Sebastian waded through the available options and picked out 10 must haves and more are arriving every day.
While Chrome's gallery won't be catching up to the Firefox Addon repository any time soon, it's a sign of good things to come.
Goo.gl link shortening extensions hit the gallery
When Google recently announced that they were launching a short URL service, it stood to reason that developers would waste no time in creating ways for users to utilize it. I spotted three Chrome extensions in the Gallery, and commenters on the post chipped in with a bookmarklet which enables Goo.gl link shortening from any browser.
Google Chrome is now the third most popular browser
Well, that didn't take long. From a new release in December of 2008 to the number three slot on the browser chart, behind only Internet Explorer and Firefox. Thanks to the release of Google Chrome 4 beta for Mac and Linux, Chrome leapfrogged Safari this month. Chrome's 4.4% share was up nearly half a point from November 2009.
Chromium-based SRWare Iron and ChromePlus keep chugging along
The privacy-minded Iron browser released a beta version built on Chromium 4 recently, and ChromePlus updated to version 1.3.3. Both remixes aim to keep communications with Google to a minimum (by doing things like removing the unique ID, etc.), and ChromePlus adds built-in mouse gestures, IETab, and integration with various download managers.
Chrome advert powered by Rube Goldberg device
Haven't seen this one yet? It was one of the most talked about videos on Twitter last week, and it's pretty darn slick. Check it out below, and share your thoughts in the comments!
Comments
16
Subscribe to commentsMaverickDec 21st 2009 3:23PM
Google takes up so much memory, it's not even feasible to use it once u cross 10 tabs. This makes me wonder why the hell you keep posting updates about new themes and extensions while it's (at least to me) virtually unusable.
Lee MathewsDec 21st 2009 3:24PM
Despite your misgivings, plenty of people seem to think it's a browser worth using. That's why we bother posting.
NordicOtenDec 21st 2009 3:39PM
I don't run into memory issues with Chrome, but then again, I rarely have more than 3 tabs open at any time. Knowing how Chrome handles tabs, I can see how people that have many tabs open could have problems.
MxxConDec 21st 2009 3:59PM
too much memory? unfeasible after 10 tabs?
does your computer have more than 640kb of memory?
why don't you open Chrome's advanced task manager and see how much memory is actually takes up compared to any other browser.
MxxConDec 21st 2009 4:00PM
to open advanced task manager in Chrome type
about:memory
ScooterGDec 21st 2009 4:26PM
Or press shift-esc, then click stats for nerds.
MaverickDec 21st 2009 9:13PM
Nevertheless I still think it starts up very quickly.
Suicidal360FlipDec 21st 2009 4:06PM
I had pretty bad experiences with Firefox using up a lot of memory. It is usually around 300 MB but occasionally would be around the 900 mark. Chrome has a more fixed memory usage at around 230 MB, for me anyway. Its true I am using less extensions in Chrome at the moment but there are a lot of small things I like about it over Firefox excluding the memory usage.
FoiledDec 21st 2009 4:08PM
One tab open. Current memory usage for Chrome: ~176MB reported on the about:memory page - http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/4080/24962732.png
Maverick does have some weight to his comment.
MaverickDec 21st 2009 9:32PM
@foiled: 1 Tab takes up 49 MB! so this means that 5 tabs will consume around 200MB. In Firefox on my PC opening up 10 tabs uses this amount of memory. And to clear things up, I'm not against chrome at all in fact i was very excited and eager to use it and it really did impress me and still does by how quickly it starts up, something Firefox lacks. Still i think chrome developers has lots of work to do starting with the memory issue and the built-in autodiscovery of feeds.
ScooterGDec 21st 2009 4:31PM
6 tabs + the memory tab, 11 extensions:
Google Chrome 4.0.266.0
Private Shared Total Private Mapped
554,168k 10,722k 564,890k 539,816k 224,860k
JGGJDec 21st 2009 5:37PM
let's hope there will be a plugin that fixes the exposed passwords issue.
I loved using Chrome and started permanently switching from FF to Chrome untill I saw the passwords settings tab.
I could choose between never letting someone else use my laptop or use FF.
Guess what I did...
ArgentDec 21st 2009 5:56PM
could just install the lastpass extension and disable password tracking altogether (which is what i'm doing.)
ArgentDec 21st 2009 5:38PM
in looking over my stats, i can't say any of the instances of the browser itself are all that memory intensive (each tab is between 20 and 30 megs, flash-intensive sites can range from 50-80 megs per.)
extensions (i run 8 atm) are around 9 to 15 megs each, nothing terribly harsh there.
but then there is the flash plugin. with two tabs open (neither of which are really flash intensive), it's sucking up 100 megs atm. pop open a a few flash sites (games, any type of FB game, video, etc) and its consumption just goes ape. snl skit on hulu, farmville and a random youtube vidoe and the flash plugin was guzzling 300 megs by it's lonesome self.
so, at least from where i sit, a lot of the memory footprint in chrome seems to be tied to the flash plugin -- something that wouldn't surprise me if it's true in firefox as well. that said, chrome has never given me the bad memory leak issues that FF constantly subjected me too.
MxxConDec 21st 2009 9:31PM
and in chrome you can kill flash plugin without affecting the rest of the browser.
so you can easily reclaim that memory back.
ZintinioDec 21st 2009 10:16PM
I love chrome. I installed it on linux and windows, and I've been using it since the alpha for linux. It's very fast, and it takes less memory for me then firefox. Most of the time, I accidentally open firefox, then go back, open chrome, and chrome is sitting on my homepage before firefox even chugs to life.