14 DAY TRIAL // A new release of the Google open-source browser is available for download for testers. At the end of the past week, the Mountain view-based search giant produced two more development milestones of Google Chrome version 4.0. Windows and Linux testers can now grab the bits for Google Chrome 4.0.203.2 through the dev channels. With the availability of 4.0.203.2, Google continues to indicate its commitment to building truly 64-bit Chrome for Linux. The Mountain View company is also working to port the V8 JavaScript engine to 64-bit (x64) Windows, but has failed to provide an ETA for delivery so far. Google Chrome 4.0.203.2 fixes a range of hangs and crashes affecting previous releases of the browser.
At the same time, the release is designed to resolve hangs related to the video and audio tags. In Chrome 4.0.203.2, Google also fixed additional problems including “When SafeBrowsing alerts for a page, don't allow that page to redirect until after the user has dealt with the alert. Prevent time/slider from jumping around during and after seeking in video and audio tag content. Reduce Omnibox flicker. Unicode text could sometimes produce garbled Omnibox dropdown entries. Fix regression (since Chrome 2.0.172.1) where some gzipped files (e.g. script) were not unzipped before evaluation, making them unusable. Faster startup with custom themes. Graphical errors with some themes,” revealed Jonathan Conradt, engineering program manager.
As far as Google Chrome 4.0.203 for Windows is concerned, with the latest release, the browser will no longer prompt the user to choose a default if Chrome was already the default browser. An issue related to a clicking/noise associated with playing video/audio tag content with 48 or 96 kHz audio has also been resolved, Conradt noted. At the same time, Google Chrome no longer features the "Clear browsing data" and "Import bookmarks & settings" from Tools menu. This move was necessary since the two have been transitioned to the Options.
There are still known issues that testers need to be aware of with Google Chrome 4.0.203.2. According to Conradt the “WebInspector's Elements Panel is blank for some sites. Control key misbehaves in omnibox on Linux. Chrome for Linux not fully themed with GTK+ theming. Moving a tab in Chrome 64 bit for Linux always detaches the tab. “
The latest releases of Google Chrome are available for download here.