14 DAY TRIAL // Chrome for Mac is improving the GPU process with some NVIDIA hardware in a new release of the Developer version which also comes equipped with an updated V8, and fixes for many common crashes.
According to Dharani Govindan, who handles the Chrome Dev channel news for Google, “the Dev channel has been updated to 15.0.861.0 for Windows, Mac, Linux, and Chrome Frame.”
Affecting all platforms, the V8 engine is now updated to version 3.5.7.0. Also spanning all Chrome builds, including that which Mac users can download and use on their OS X-running machines, Chrome 15.0.861.0 fixes a blank popup issue for extensions.
A Windows-only change is a bulk of patches for many common crashes, according to Govindan.
For Mac users in particular, Google engineers have been careful not only to fix many of the common crashes, but also to implement a workaround for crashes in Chrome’s GPU process with some NVIDIA hardware.
Finally, Linux users also get some fixes for Chrome’s inability to close tabs by clicking the ‘x’ button.
As usual, there are a few issues that remain unresolved, but that’s why it’s called the Dev Channel.
Those interested in getting the full scoop on this Chrome release can visit the SVN revision log. Testers are encouraged to report any bugs they may encounter in their daily use of Chrome, as usual.
Users who rely on Chrome for their work should only employ Chrome 13, from the Stable channel.
Recently updated to version 13.0.782.215 for Mac OS X, Chrome Stable has been made more secure for non-savvy users.
Chrome calls for an Intel-based computer, 100 MB of free hard disk space, and at least 128 MB of RAM.
The builds from all distribution channels - Dev, Beta, Stable - can be downloaded from the link below.