14 DAY TRIAL // The Beta and Dev channels of Google Chrome have been updated to versions 7.0.517.24 and 7.0.536.2 respectively for all supported platforms (Mac, Windows, Linux).
Although Anthony Laforge of the Google Chrome team made the Beta Channel update official, his blog post doesn’t include a single line of text detailing any of the changes.
The post simply reads “The Beta channel has been updated to 7.0.517.24 for Windows, Mac, Linux and Chrome Frame.”
However, Karen Grunberg’s post on the Dev update includes tons of info regarding the new release.
For all platforms, Chrome 7.0.536.2 brings the following changes:
- Fixed saving passwords containing non-ASCII characters - Accelerated compositing and support for 3D CSS transforms enabled by default - WebGL support enabled by default - Regression fix: keep the download shelf visible when multiple sites are saved - Add a lab for the Page Info Bubble for Windows and Linux; Mac coming shortly.
On the Windows side only, Chrome developers have fixed a problem with context menus where the presence of extension-added items prevented keyboard accelerators from working.
Two Mac-specific changes are noted: More keyboard shortcuts for Tab Overview; add sqlite and javascript memory columns to task manager.
For users of a Linux PC, a trio of specific tweaks is mentioned:
- Add javascript memory column to task manager - Make compile-time dependency on gnome-keyring optional - Resolved problems accessing FTP sites
This developer version of the browser also appears to be suffering from an issue that happens when the user tries to download certain types of attachments in hotmail.
As usual, the log of all revisions holds more information about additional changes.
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A note about Google Chrome release channels and updates
Chrome boasts a release system with three distinct channels: Stable, Beta, and Developer preview, called the "Dev" channel. It was introduced on January 8, 2009 when there had been only two channels: Beta and Developer preview.
After January 8, 2009, all previous Developer channel users were moved to the Beta channel. Developer channel builds are less stable than those that Developer channel users were getting during Google Chrome's Beta period.
The Stable channel is updated with features and fixes only after they are thoroughly tested in the Beta channel, while the Beta channel is be updated with stable and complete features from the Dev channel, where ideas get tested.