Anthony Laforge, Google Chrome program manager, has revealed in a blog post that the Chrome dev channel has been updated to 4.0.249.22 for Mac OS X, Linux, and Windows. Changes have been listed for all platforms, including platform-specific fixes and tweaks. The update comes as Chrome approaches its first official Beta release on the Mac.

Listed as a change undergone by Chrome on all platforms is Disable --enable-user-scripts. Laforge notes that, “You can now install user scripts by navigating to them. You will have to reinstall your current scripts (they aren't migrated).” Two more changes are listed: “Remove toolstrips API” and “Turn on HTML5 DBs by default.” Mac-specific enhancements include the following, according to Chrome’s Program Manager:

- Omnibox no longer becomes too long for window after installing a few themes;
- Display a warning dialog if there was a problem reading the profile;
- Switch "Save" and "Discard" buttons on dangerous download warning to match platform standard;
- Show feedback while dragging bookmarks;
- Implement non-admin autoupdate.

Also on the Mac front is the single known issue with this current Build - “If a user clicks ‘Set Up Automatic Updates for All Users’ and later clicks ‘Update Now’ from the About Box, an error 12 will be displayed. The product is updated successfully; restarting the browser will apply the update.” Those interested in learning more details about the latest developer release of Chrome, including additional changes, will find them available in the svn log of all revisions, according to Laforge.

Last week, Mike Pinkerton, leading the team handling Chrome for Mac, reportedly tweeted out that there were only “8 remaining M4 Mac beta blockers!” at the time. Mike Pinkerton asserted earlier this month that Google Chrome would arrive in Beta form on the Mac before the end of December, 2009. Standing as confirmation that his predictions are accurate are the almost two dozen “Priority 1” bugs fixed in the meanwhile. Only one such issue remains listed on the Chromium site.

In addition to developing the Chrome web browser, Google is known to also be actively working on an operating system bearing the Chrome label. Chrome OS will feature key aspects like speed, simplicity, and security, according to Sundar Pichai, vice president of product management at Google.

Download Google Chrome for Mac (Free)

Note
This release is not appropriate for general consumer use, according to the team developing Chrome for Mac. Several features, such as bookmarks password import and certain privacy features, are unavailable at this time. The development team says you should download this release only if you are a developer or take great pleasure in incomplete, unpredictable, and potentially crashing software.