Google Chrome celebrates 2nd birthday with new version

Posted by Alisa Zykova on September 3, 2010 at 4:40 AM

To celebrate the browser's second birthday, Google has released the sixth version of Chrome, The Inquirer reported today. The "new stable" Chrome 6 is "faster and more streamlined," Product Manager Brian Rakowski wrote in the company's blog.

According to the Christian Science Monitor, the new version is able to process Javascript three times faster. Google further boosted the minimalist user interface of its browser so it is more simple to use, as the two menus are combined into one, the buttons' location has been shifted, and the URL treatment has improved, as has the Omnibox address box and colour palette.

Full-size image via Google

Since the first Windows beta version (on the left), Chrome has gotten a more customizable New Tab page, themes, side-by-side view, a password manager, heightened privacy controls, a built-in Adobe Flash Player and others. (To see more, go here )

The CSM points out that Google's success may not solely be due to the continuous innovation of its browser but also due to the copied and tweaked features that other tech firms are adopting for their browsers. For example, CSM cites Windows Internet Explorer 9, which resembles chrome in its "tidy layout" and "sleek design" while Wired claimed that Mozilla Firefox adopted the minimalist look after Chrome was launched.

Wired reported Thursday that new data from MarketShare showed that Chrome (7.5 percent of worldwide browser share) was now more popular than Safari (5.2 percent). Internet Explorer has a little over 60 percent of worldwide users, while Firefox and Opera had 23 and 2 percent, respectively. Wired added that Chrome may also be the fastest browser out there.