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.
Google Chrome users can select from among numerous browser themes.
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
-
Wine 10 Includes Plenty to Excite Users
With its latest release, Wine has the usual crop of bug fixes and improvements, along with some exciting new features.
-
Linux Kernel 6.13 Offers Improvements for AMD/Apple Users
The latest Linux kernel is now available, and it includes plenty of improvements, especially for those who use AMD or Apple-based systems.
-
Gnome 48 Debuts New Audio Player
To date, the audio player found within the Gnome desktop has been meh at best, but with the upcoming release that all changes.
-
Plasma 6.3 Ready for Public Beta Testing
Plasma 6.3 will ship with KDE Gear 24.12.1 and KDE Frameworks 6.10, along with some new and exciting features.
-
Budgie 10.10 Scheduled for Q1 2025 with a Surprising Desktop Update
If Budgie is your desktop environment of choice, 2025 is going to be a great year for you.
-
Firefox 134 Offers Improvements for Linux Version
Fans of Linux and Firefox rejoice, as there's a new version available that includes some handy updates.
-
Serpent OS Arrives with a New Alpha Release
After months of silence, Ikey Doherty has released a new alpha for his Serpent OS.
-
HashiCorp Cofounder Unveils Ghostty, a Linux Terminal App
Ghostty is a new Linux terminal app that's fast, feature-rich, and offers a platform-native GUI while remaining cross-platform.
-
Fedora Asahi Remix 41 Available for Apple Silicon
If you have an Apple Silicon Mac and you're hoping to install Fedora, you're in luck because the latest release supports the M1 and M2 chips.
-
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.