Google Chrome 5 Now Available for Download, Linux and Mac Users Welcome

Google Chrome 5 has finally graduated from beta and is now a stable release, Google announced in a blog post on Tuesday. The latest version of Chrome also happens to be the first stable release for Linux and Mac users.

"Today’s stable release also comes with a host of new features," Google said. "You’ll be able to synchronize not only bookmarks across multiple computers, but also browser preferences -- including themes, homepage and startup settings, web content settings, preferred languages, and even page zoom settings. Meanwhile, for avid extensions users, you can enable each extension to work in incognito mode through the extensions manager."

In addition, the Chrome 5 browser incorporates several HTML5 elements, including Geolcation APIs, App Cache, web sockets, and file drag-and-drop, Google said. To try some of these features out, you can navigate to HTML5 specific websites like scribd.com, or head over to your Gmail account and drag and drop attachments.

Not included in Chrome 5 is Adobe Flash integration, though Google says this will change with the full release of Flash Player 10.1.

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Chrome Extension of the Week: Session Buddy

One of the hardest elements of Google Chrome I had to come to terms with, upon switching to the browser after years of using Firefox, was its lack of support for session management. I'm a pretty prolific user of tabs--I usually keep hordes of tabbed windows open at any given time as a sort of "bookmark but not really" method for reminding myself to check out said sites once I have a little bit more time.

However, this lifestyle isn't without its flaws. A browser crash here, an errant reset there, or some silly screw-up on my part (like closing the main browser window that's full of tabs before closing an ancillary pop-up window) has often brought forth heartache. Tabs disappear. An entire week's worth of browsing and collecting (or hording) vanishes within seconds. Tears are shed. Information is forever lost.

Chrome hasn't been the best of browsers when it comes to tab management... but all that's about to change thanks to one, simple extension!

Mozilla to Put Mac OS X 10.4 Support on the Chopping Block

PIQOO | www.piqoo.blogspot.com

Listen up Mac fans - if you wish to continue running Mozilla's Firefox browser, you may want to considering upgrading your OS, at least if you're still rolling along on Mac OS X 10.4. Going forward, Mozilla will no longer support Tiger with upcoming Firefox releases.

"We would like to take advantage of more modern technologies on Mac OS X, and 10.4 support has been a hindrance," Josh Aas, one of Mozilla's Mac experts, said in a mailing list post. "We are planning to make the decision to remove 10.4 support final and remove the code from the tree. If you have any strong objections please let us know now."

Predictably there has been a spattering of objections, such as one user who laments that "I still have two PowerPC machines that use OS X 10.4.11... As it stands now, it is impractical for me to update either machine due to lack of funds." Another user suggested Mozilla create two browsers, "one with all the fancy new stuff, then one for us poor people that can't drop $3,000 at the drop of the hat."

For those that object, we have a much better solution - see here.