| Chrome 5.0 ships for Linux, and MeeGo for Netbooks is released |
May 27, 2010
 Google released version 5.0 of its Chrome browser -- including the first stable build for Linux -- promising faster performance, multi-machine sync, and HTML5 utilities. Chrome is also part of MeeGo v1.0 for Netbooks, which was released yesterday -- and our early tests showed zippy performance.
Chrome 5.0 is now available for download in stable versions for Windows, Mac, and Linux, making it the first non beta release of Linux and Mac versions. Early 32-bit Linux versions of Chrome appeared last year, and in August, Google announced that a 64-bit Linux version was coming. Chrome for Linux went beta in December, and is now available in stable form for both 32- and 64-bit downloads.
Chrome 5.0 for Linux
(Click to enlarge)
Google Chrome 5.0 is claimed to have improved JavaScript performance by 213 percent for the V8 benchmark and 305 percent for the SunSpider benchmark since Chrome's first Sept. 2008 beta, according to a Clint Boulton story in our sister publication, eWEEK. Chrome 5.0 is also said to leverage HTML5-based geolocation APIs, which users make use of in Google Maps, as well as in drag-and-drop for files in Gmail.
The Chrome bookmark manager has also been enhanced with HTML5 functionality, says eWEEK. In addition to synchronizing bookmarks across several computers, users can sync browser preferences such as themes, homepage and startup settings, Web content settings, languages, and settings for page zoom, says the story.
Future plans call for integrating Adobe Flash Player 10.1 into Chrome, something that could happen when 10.1 goes final in June, says eWEEK. According to the publication, Chrome has quickly moved up the charts to a 6.7 market share worldwide.
Another view of Chrome 5.0 for Linux
The Chromium team responsible for bringing Chrome to Linux heralded their achievement in both a formal announcement and an amusing and informative cartoon (see links below). The announcement blog stated, "From the early porting days of layout test fixing, deep and hairy posix and raw X11 code, to designing a truly native UI and building a host of new and polished features, we’re thrilled to work with the larger community to deliver a fast, stable, secure, and sophisticated browser."
(A longer version of this story on our sister site, LinuxDevices, examines Om Malik's suggestion in GigaOM that Google downshift on the Chrome- and Linux-based
Chrome OS and focus its attention on the fast-growing Android. The story may be found here.)
MeeGo for Netbooks released -- and it's fast
The Intel- and Nokia-backed MeeGo project yesterday released MeeGo v1.0 for Netbooks, which combines Moblin and Maemo Linux distributions, and comprises the Chrome browser, Nokia's Qt 4.6, the MeeGo SDK, and an application IDE.
MeeGo v1.0 for Netbooks
(Click to enlarge)
Intel and Nokia announced the MeeGo platform in February. Hosted by the Linux Foundation, MeeGo combines two open source Linux projects: the Intel-backed Moblin and Nokia's Maemo distribution. In early April, the project released some early MeeGo code and announced reference platforms including Intel Atom-based netbooks, the ARM Cortex-A8- and Maemo-based Nokia N900 smartphone, and Aava Mobile's Moorestown-based Aava phone design.
The MeeGo Handset "environment" release will occur next month, says the project. This will be followed by a general MeeGo 1.1 core release due for October, which is also said to support touch-enabled handsets, tablets, and in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) devices, says the project.
Meego Netbook features are said to include:- Instant access to synchronized calendar, tasks, appointments, recently used files, and real-time social networking updates through the home screen
- Aggregation of social networking content on one screen, including status updates.
- Google's Chrome or open source Chromium browser
- Email, calendar, and media player apps
- Support for multiple languages
In addition to releasing MeeGo v1.0 for Netbooks, optimized for Intel Atom-based netbooks, the MeeGo project has released the MeeGo v1.0 core software platform for the Nokia N900.
We downloaded MeeGo v1.0 for Netbooks and found that the distribution ran surprisingly fast. In addition, the interface, which appears to be largely based on Moblin 2.0, is more refined, and although a bit novel for those not accustomed to Moblin, highly effective.
(A longer version of this story, with more details on testing, may be found on LinuxDevices, here.)
Availability
The Chromium blog announcing the stable Linux version of Chrome 5.0 may be found here, and the cartoon version should be here. The Chrome 5 for Linux download page may be found here.
The eWEEK story on the Chrome 5 release should be here.
MeeGo v1.0 for Netbooks is available for free download now. The announcement may be found here, and the release notes should be here.
DesktopLinux Editor-in-chief Jonathan Angel performed software testing for this report.
-- Eric Brown
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