thechromesource – Google Chrome and Chrome OS News and Resources

Linux Chrome 5 Beta is a Go

Posted on 03. Feb, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey.

Although Chrome 5 Beta has been available for those using Windows and Mac for a little while already, Google held back its release of the Linux version of their beta browser. That’s no surprise, as the initial developer version of Chrome for Linux users has only been out since June and has a much smaller user base than the other two platforms. Regardless, Google announced yesterday that the 5.0.307.1 Beta for Linux is now available.

Some of the new features being released with this version include support for notifications, a different directory for loading plugins and improved text support for various languages.

It’s important that Google keeps the Chrome browser for Linux up to speed with Windows and Mac. An ever-increasing amount of users are turning to open source, and all of the solid OSs are based on Linux. In terms of netbook operating systems, platforms such as Ubuntu Netbook Remix, Moblin and Jolicloud are all based on Linux. This helps drive the cost of netbooks lower, as these OSs save money on the overall product price when compared to Microsoft’s licensing fees that are required for every device that ships with Windows.

At the same time, when Google eventually comes out with Chrome OS, it will be essentially competing with these machines, but will still have a leg up on overall browser competition because Linux does not support the closed-source Internet Explorer. Opera and Firefox currently are some of the most popular browsers for Linux. Safari is also available as well.

You can get Linux Chrome 5 Beta from the download page here.

64-Bit Chrome OS Build Released

Posted on 10. Dec, 2009 by Daniel Cawrey.

I just discovered that there is a project that has gotten a build of Chrome OS in 64-bit off the ground. Called ChromiumOS64, it was developed because the largely 32-bit Intel Atom for netbook processors are the intention by Google for running Chrome OS. The author of ChromiumOS64, Teo En Ming, has also added Xen virtualization to ChromiumOS64 so you are capable of running a VM of whatever OS you want to on top of Chrome OS. Pretty cool idea.

There are instructions on how to use this build on Teo’s website, and they look pretty straightforward. There are even instructions on how to put the build on a USB drive. Too bad I don’t have 64 bit hardware, I would like to run Windows in a VM and use Chrome as well.

But it looks like ChromiumOS64 has been popular. The site was updated yesterday stating that the bandwidth limit has been reached from the hosting provider. Good thing there is a link to another copy. Warning: this file is over a gigabyte.

Do you think that Chrome OS should only be for netbooks? Or does running it with another more technically proficient OS sound tantalizing?

Comment and tell us what you think. Or you can join the conversation at the forum.

How to Take Screenshots in Chrome OS

Posted on 06. Dec, 2009 by Daniel Cawrey.

One of the initial problems associated with using Chrome OS is that there really is no way to take screenshots since you are unable to install a screen capture program. Besides that, when I try to hit Print Screen, nothing happens. Outside of running Chrome as a VM and then getting your screen captures from another OS, there really is not an efficient way to do it.

There is a company called Aviary that has an extension for Chrome browsers that allows for screenshots within the browser, and I was able to install that on Chrome OS. The software is pretty cool, it allows you to grab screens via a small button on the upper right of the browser. Once you have taken a screenshot, the extension then takes you to a web app hosted by Aviary where you can crop and edit the screenshot any way you like. I was able to save my screenshot to my USB drive running Chrome OS, and there was also an option to store files on the Aviary server. In fact, it appears Aviary wants to become a full fledged image editing suite, although right now it only has limited functionality.

Speaking on limited functionality, Aviary only allows shots inside the browser, so I couldn’t find a way to display tabs or the address bar within Chrome OS. I am hoping Aviary is going to fix this…

Download the Aviary screen capture extension here.

Where to Download Chrome OS

Posted on 04. Dec, 2009 by Daniel Cawrey.

At this point, there are already several different flavors of Chrome available.  It all depends on what kind of system you plan on installing Chrome OS on, and we can give you a run down on what you need to know.

If you want to run Chrome on a virtual machine (VM) such as Sun’s VirtualBox or VMware, you can get a compiled version of Chrome OS here.

As reported earlier, there is a version that has been released by Dell that has been successfully tested on their Mini 10v. The build is loaded via a USB device, and you will need one that has a spare 8 GB. You can get it here.

There is a smaller more comprehensive version of Chrome OS that has been developed as well. According to the developer, it offers a wide array of support in terms of hardware. This is by far the most comprehensive site that is out there, and also offers excellent instructions on how to install Chrome. The version is called Chrome OS Cherry, and the build supports wifi and can be loaded on a 1GB memory stick.