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Google Chrome beta update brings faster JavaScript, GPU acceleration, Web app backgrounding
Google's Chrome beta update brings with it a slew of goodies for the adventurous users who prefer slightly more cutting-edge features over tried-and-true stability. Version 10.0.648.82 hit the beta channel earlier today, and it affected just about every piece of the browser, from the settings interface to the rendering engine.First and foremost, the already-impressive V8 "Crankshaft" JavaScript engine has been updated. Along with the addition of GPU-accelerated video, that means browsing with Chrome is going to be noticeably snappier than with the previous version. This is no placebo effect, either; according to the Official Chrome Blog, the V8 version used in this beta shows a 66% performance increase over the current stable release.
Browser settings are now opened in their own tab, as opposed to a separate window. The added space and cleaner layout that this provides is actually quite nice, and when you think about it, a browser that can use multiple tabs really has no reason to make new windows at all, so it just makes sense. One cool side-effect of moving settings into a tab is that they're actually browsable, meaning that if you get good enough at it, you can go directly to the page for certain settings just by using its address -- like "chrome://settings/advanced" or "chrome://settings/browser."
Passwords have been added to the ever-growing syncing list, out-dated plugins are now disabled by default, built-in malware reporting bolsters day-to-day security concerns, and Web apps can now be backgrounded when not in use (don't worry, it's done automatically). As usual, beta channel users can grab this update simply by restarting their browser, while everyone else can get it by going to the beta channel landing page.
Comments
5
Subscribe to commentsaj.zapataFeb 18th 2011 1:38PM
Nice hardware acceleration is definitely a must now a days. For those running the beta version, how stable is it? I want to try it, but if it crashes a lot then I'll just wait for the stable version. The settings page looks cleaner I guess.
zkamFeb 19th 2011 1:50PM
@aj.zapata I've been using the 10.x beta versions without problems up until now. But I installed this latest version and had repeated crashes of the Flash, Shockwave, and AdBlock+ extensions. I even had Chrome crash completely once. So I switched back to the previous version (10.0.612.1). Note that I use the portable version of Chrome (from portableapps.com)
Anyone else been having problems with the latest version crashing a lot?
Stinky PetersonFeb 19th 2011 5:18PM
And still no bookmark separators...
Rain WilberFeb 20th 2011 12:21PM
No offense, but the good browser has been made, and it is Firefox. I gave Chrome a try last year, but the installation is already proving that (unlike the Google homepage) this browser is still "beasty/bulky" when compared with Firefox. It was already over 30mb at that time, and was obviously "over-installing".
The joy of browsing in a customized Firefox (through a few years of following which are the most appropriate add-ons for my situations) is absolutely unparalleled... and won't be anytime soon, because they have a large group of caring developers consistently making this browser a heavenly experience.
Also thousands of community people are improving these add-ons, which keeps for the most amazing browser, hands down, bar none, no exceptions, absolutely.
david.mcclellan.sdMay 18th 2011 12:20AM
With how aggressive the other browsers are, Chrome needs to step it up. Everything listed were things that other browsers had except for the speech to text feature. At least they have officially dropped Google Gears (http://www.softwarecrew.com/2011/05/google-chrome-12-beta-enhances-security-and-loses-gears/ )