Google Chrome 2.0 Pre-Beta Now Available for download

[Gaius]

Release Notes 2.0.156.1

posted 4 hours ago by Mark Larson

Build 156.1 has all of the code changes from the main line of the source code since 154.0 was branched in October (revisions 2745 - 7599). There are too many changes to enumerate specific bug fixes. These notes cover the major changes:

* New version of WebKit. WebKit is the open source code Google Chrome uses to render web pages (HTML and CSS). 1.0.154.36 used basically the same version of WebKit as Safari 3.1, but the WebKit team has made a lot of improvements since that was released. 156.1 uses WebKit version 528.8 or, more precisely, revision 39410 from the WebKit source tree. In addition to fixing bugs and enabling features like full-page zoom and autoscroll, the new version also enables some nifty CSS features:

o CSS gradients

o CSS canvas drawing

o partial implementations of CSS reflections and CSS masks

* Form Autocomplete. Google Chrome remembers what you've typed into fields on web pages. If you type in the same form again, it will show any previous values that match what you've typed so far. You can disable Form autocomplete on the Minor Tweaks tab of the Options dialog. (Note: this is like the basic form autocomplete available in Firefox or Internet Explorer. It is not the same as the form fill feature in Google Toolbar.)

* Full-page zoom. Previously, page zoom (Ctrl++ or Ctrl+-) increased or decreased only the text on a page. Zoom now scales everything on the page together, so pages look correct at different zoom levels.

* Spell-checking improvements. You can now enable or disable spell checking in a text field by right-clicking in the field. You can also change the spell-checking language by right clicking. To enable spell-checking in a language, add it to the list of 'languages you use to read web sites' in the Fonts and Languages dialog ([Wrench] > Options > Minor Tweaks > Fonts and Languages). Note that Google Chrome doesn't have spell-checking dictionaries for every language you can add to this list.

* Autoscroll. Many users have asked for this and (thanks to our WebKit update), we now offer autoscrolling. Middle-click (click the mousewheel on most mice) on a page to turn on autoscroll, then move the mouse to scroll the page in any direction.

* Docking dragged tabs. When you drag a tab to certain positions on the monitor, a docking icon will appear. Release the mouse over the docking icon to have the tab snap to the docking position instead of being dropped at the same size as the original window. Docking positions are:

o Monitor top: make the dropped tab maximized.

o Monitor left/right: make the dropped tab full-height and half-width, aligned with the monitor edge.

o Monitor bottom: make the dropped tab full-width and half-height, aligned with the bottom of the monitor.

o Browser-window left/right: fit the browser window and the dropped tab side-by-side across the screen.

o Browser-window bottom: fit the browser window and the dropped tab top-to-bottom across the screen.

* Import bookmarks from Google Bookmarks. The [Wrench menu] > Import bookmarks & settings... option now has a Google Toolbar option to import Google Bookmarks. The bookmarks get imported into your Other bookmarks folder. The bookmarks are not kept in sync; the import process simply reads in the current set of online bookmarks.

* New SafeBrowsing implementation. SafeBrowsing is now faster, more reliable, and uses the disk less often.

* Use different browser profiles. You can start a new browser window that uses a different profile (different bookmarks, history, cookies, etc.). Use [Wrench menu] > New window in profile. When you create a new profile, you can name it and add a shortcut to your Desktop.

* Update the V8 Javascript engine to version 0.4.6.0 (from 0.3.9.3).

* New network code. Google Chrome now has its own implementation of the HTTP network protocol (we were using the WinHTTP library on Windows, but need common code for Mac and Linux). We fixed a few bugs in HTTP authentication and made Google Chrome more compatible with servers that reply with invalid HTTP responses. We need feedback on anything that's currently broken, particularly with proxy servers, secure (https) sites, and sites that require log in.

* New window frames on Windows XP and Vista, supporting windows cascading and tiling, and other window-management add-in programs.

* Experimental user script support (similar to Greasemonkey). You can add a --enable-user-scripts flag to your Google Chrome shortcut to enable user scripts. See the developer documentation for details.

* A new HTTPS-only browsing mode. Add --force-https to your Google Chrome shortcut, and it will only load HTTPS sites. Sites with SSL certificate errors will not load.

http://dev.chromium.org/getting-involved/d...easenotes201561

Read more about it at the Google Blog.

http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2009/01/g...0-pre-beta.html

[9UnknownMen]

Been my primary browser since the first pre-beta. Wish they'd add some code that takes advantage of Win7's new taskbar preview/jumplists. Stay ahead of Mozilla and keep pace with IE out the gate. ;)

[afusion]

Oh mangs I hope this don't crash on me

[Rappy Veteran]

I might get this and try it out.

[Gaius]

I don't know about you guys, but at the speed this development is going, Firefox will probably have to settle with being number 3 in a year or two.

[+Mystic MVC]

Love using Chrome on my slower computers but with any of my midrange to upper level computers, I still use FF. The speed of these releases are still pretty sweet though.

[Dance.]

Thanks for the update, installing now :)

[Mercellus]

I stopped using Mozilla Firefox on my PCs since Google Chrome was announced and the first beta was released, I never used extensions or anything in Firefox anyway so I don't miss anything, and I love the WebKit engine.

[revvo]

Autoscroll. Many users have asked for this and (thanks to our WebKit update), we now offer autoscrolling. Middle-click (click the mousewheel on most mice) on a page to turn on autoscroll, then move the mouse to scroll the page in any direction.

Yesssssss. Finally :p

Love using Chrome on my slower computers but with any of my midrange to upper level computers, I still use FF. The speed of these releases are still pretty sweet though.

I second this. On slower computers with 512mb especially, Chrome launches very quickly, then it's IE, then it's Opera, then it's Firefox.

[Dance.]

I stopped using Mozilla Firefox on my PCs since Google Chrome was announced and the first beta was released, I never used extensions or anything in Firefox anyway so I don't miss anything, and I love the WebKit engine.

Same, I use Chrome on my desktop and I'm running beta on my desktop. Compared to FX, chrome is much much much faster on load-up times and page rendering (atleast AFAIK).

[Andre S. Veteran]

Not really interested until it goes final.

[Veckin]

Yesssssss. Finally :p

I second this. On slower computers with 512mb especially, Chrome launches very quickly, then it's IE, then it's Opera, then it's Firefox.

wait wait wait....you consider 512 slow?! damn!1 I know its not a lot, but my comp is pretty decent. but im only running xp sp3, so its not like im putting much strain on it....right?

*gulp*

[Veedems Veteran]

They still need some sort of way of accessing bookmarks without using a toolbar. If they don't want on top of the window, the IE method of a menu crated from an address bar button makes the most sense.

[revvo]

wait wait wait....you consider 512 slow?! damn!1 I know its not a lot, but my comp is pretty decent. but im only running xp sp3, so its not like im putting much strain on it....right?

*gulp*

:rofl: well, for us it is! One of the PC's I use for tests at work has 512MB, and it runs a lot of crap. The launch difference between Chrome and FF is huge.

[User6060]

its fast but it broke the layout of facebook news feed

[lemonbear]

When I am finally convinced that this browser has almost nothing to nitpick about then I will swap from FF and Opera. yay!

[g33kb0y]

* Autoscroll. Many users have asked for this and (thanks to our WebKit update), we now offer autoscrolling. Middle-click (click the mousewheel on most mice) on a page to turn on autoscroll, then move the mouse to scroll the page in any direction.

Cool... except I (really) prefer Fx and IE's middle-click scrolling. Click-to-Activate? I'd prefer click-and-hold-to-scroll-up-and-down. :)

[Dance.]

[Chr1zt1an]

its fast but it broke the layout of facebook news feed

And Hotmail its unusable :(

[DrBroccoli]

And Hotmail its unusable :(

Pfft, who still uses Hotmail?

[total_n00b]

Here is the Download Link [Offline Installer]

Download : Google Chrome v2.0.156.1 Pre Beta

:)

[Denholm]

Funny. I got a better score. Running under Win 7 Beta 1.

So, Webkit FTW (Y)

[ZonoBurk]

Here is the Download Link [Offline Installer]

Download : Google Chrome v2.0.156.1 Pre Beta

:)

Bless you.

[Dance.]

Funny. I got a better score. Running under Win 7 Beta 1.

So, Webkit FTW (Y)

Weird, I got 98 one time too, but majority of the times I got 97. will try again though.

Edit : Still getting a 97 :s.

[Denholm]

Chrome 2.0 - even now is amazingly good. But it's missing 1 feature, well two.

1) RSS Feed Handling.

2) Mac OS release.

:cool:

And Hotmail its unusable :(

It's inconvenient, but I can live with that. Probably something that Microsoft needs to get sorted out.