14 DAY TRIAL // New Beta builds of Google Chrome 9.0 are now out for all supported platforms, including Mac OS X, with no documented changes for those looking to try out the new release.
According to a blog post by program manager, Anthony Laforge, “The Beta channel has been updated to 9.0.597.42 for Windows, Mac, Linux and Chrome Frame.”
Unfortunately, the post does not document the actual changes occurring with this release.
Instead, Laforge notes that “More details about additional changes are available in the svn log of all revision.”
The Google staffer concludes by encouraging those who find new issues to file a bug at http://code.google.com/p/chromium/issues/entry.
In mid-December last year, following a quick re-iteration of Chrome 8.0 Stable for Mac, Google’s Chrome development team announced the first 9.0 Beta builds for Mac, Windows, and Linux.
The same Anthony Laforge was proud to make the unveiling via the official blog dedicated to Google Chrome Releases.
Just a day later, the first builds of Chrome 10.0 were out through the Developer channel, with Google listing V8 and WebKit updates as the universal enhancements across all versions of the browser (Mac, Windows, Linux), as well as Mac specific changes.
Enhancements made on the Mac front included various minor tweaks to the tab overview mode, 25% less logspew when loading the PDF plugin, sandboxing the GPU process, and experimental popup blocker animation.
A bug fix targeting Mac OS X builds of the browser was also listed - “fix stuck hover state in bookmark button.”
Google Chrome requires Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard and an Intel-based Mac.
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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.
The Stable channel is updated with features and fixes only after they are thoroughly tested in the Beta channel, while the Beta channel is being updated with stable and complete features from the Dev channel, where ideas get tested.