14 DAY TRIAL // Since Chromium, on which Google Chrome is based, is an open source project which lists all patches, updates and code changes for all to see, a bit of snooping around the most recent changes will reveal some interesting upcoming features more often than not.
One such find is an upcoming UI change which will merge the extension manager in Chrome into the global settings page.
The move makes plenty of sense, enabling users to manage more things about their browser from the same place.
Currently, users can manage their extensions from a dedicated page, over at chrome://extensions.
The page lists all installed extensions and enables users to enable/disable them or access their preferences. There is also a link to the Chrome Web Store.
The new extensions page, integrated into the settings one, is identical functionality-wise, but has a few layout changes and looks a bit spiffier than the existing page.
It will show up below the "Under the Hood" section in the settings page under the title "Extensions." Users will be able to access it directly via chrome://settings/extensionSettings.
All installed extensions will be listed with the option of disabling them or removing them entirely. With "Developer mode" enabled, users can install unpacked extensions or pack an extension.
Most of the links in the current manager have been replaced by buttons or checkmarks, which not only look better, but are also more intuitive to use for most users.
The integrated extensions page is still in the works and there's no word on when it will become available to Chromium/Chrome users. There's not even a flag for it yet.
When it makes it into the public builds though, Chrome dev users should get it first and it will make it to the stable channel several weeks after that.