Early Builds of Chromium Browser for the Mac Available

[MacRumors]

The Chromium web browser project which serves as the basis for Google's Chrome has started releasing early builds of the Mac version. While not complete, the builds work well enough to get an impression of the browser. CNet took a quick look at a build:

The software, available for download from the Chromium Web site, is incomplete and definitely buggy, as one would expect for a developer version that reflects all the latest changes programmers are making with the project. But for Mac users who've been clamoring for the software, I can tell you that overall, it works, and it shows glimmers of what I liked about the open-source browser on Windows.

The latest builds are kept in this directory in sequential order. If you are interested in testing it out, you should download the most recent build that you find. Updated builds are being added all the time.

Article Link: Early Builds of Chromium Browser for the Mac Available

 

[themoonisdown09]

I might have to try this out. I love the Google Chrome browser for Windows, of course, I haven't used it since I started using Safari 4 Beta a couple months ago.

 

[talkingfuture]

I would have been excited about this before christmas but now I am using Firefox I'll probably pass. Will give the final version a test run when it is ready.

 

[Pugpuppydude]

Awesome, not better than safari 4 though.

 

[BMWFan]

Awesome, not better than safari 4 though.

Funny since Safari 4 basically copied Chrome. So much for innovation.

 

[Compile 'em all]

Competition is good.

 

[brendon2020]

be interesting to see once plugins/extensions become available and what will happen to ad blocking type extensions.

 

[Ampidire]

Funny since Safari 4 basically copied Chrome. So much for innovation.

But Safari 4 is readily available and at a much more mature state that chromium/chrome is for Mac, so despite their similarities, I'd still take Safari 4 over Chrome right now; but seeing as I use neither because of the lack of a huge library of extensions, I'll stick with FF3 and FF3.5Beta4

 

[HLdan]

I'd say too little too late. I'm tired of companies making us Mac users wait for simple things like a web browser while the Windows community gets it all first. We are almost into 2010, Macs are no longer toy to tinker with that nobody hardly uses, they are major player now and Apple is quite iconic. If certain companies want to continue doing this I will just use other Mac software. Safari 4 is great contender.

 

[giaotze]

yeah I was waiting for chrome.. but safari 4 works just as good I think..
so I will skip being ginnie pig

 

[xUKHCx]

Funny since Safari 4 basically copied Chrome. So much for innovation.

I wondered how long it would be before copyng claims were made. Any specifics points you would like to claim or just a blanket statment. Generally with os' browsers etc if a feature is good it will get absolved into all the other similar pieces of software.

Good to see progression on thhr Chrime front, taking longer than originally expected when google released the windows version. It will be interesting to see the final release and how it stacks up.

 

[Ttownbeast]

I'll give it a try but I have my doubts about it being anywhere near as good as Firefox has been to me.

 

[Cleve]

Is anyone able to get Flash running on these?

I also find it interesting that they update the build once an hour!

That is some serious upgrading
http://9to5mac.com/Chromium-mac also notes it runs in 32-bit mode on Snow Leopard. Interesting

 

[themoonisdown09]

I'd say Apple too little too late. I'm tired of companies making us Mac users wait for simple things like a web browser while the Windows community gets it all first. We are almost into 2010, Macs are no longer toy to tinker with that nobody hardly uses, they are major player now and Apple is quite iconic. If certain companies want to continue doing this I will just use other Mac software. Safari 4 is great contender.

So are you saying that Google should have started with the Mac version before the PC version? That would be dumb on their part. They simply started with Windows first, since they have a slightly higher market share, and have since moved onto creating the Mac version.

 

[alexbates]

Google Chromium is better than Safari 3 but not better than Safari 4 in my opinion. I am going to download this though, to take the place of Firefox. I'm so glad Google finally made it for Mac

 

[zwilliams07]

I had been using the Chromium build from Latko for a while now. He is better known for compiling the optimized Firefox builds.

http://www.latko.org/2009/02/13/chromium-build-for-os-x/

 

[lamadude]

Finally! Some decent browser competition on the mac.
I will stick to FF3 though, since non of the other browsers allow me to have a spell-check feature for multiple languages.

 

[HailToTheVictor]

I have been waiting for this for the past few months as I use Chrome on my work pc and like it a lot, but I doubt it will replace Safari on my Mac (once I get it working after the 10.5.7 debacle)

 

[twoodcc]

glad to see the mac version is finally coming. competition is always good, but i like safari 4 right now

 

[Ttownbeast]

OK just tried it and guess what it only works for you intel users I guess my architecture is not compatible so clearly my Firefox is superior at least on this old thing LOL

 

[chstr]

video doesnt work yet in chrome. no youtube etc

 

[TripleF]

Always good to have alternatives. I currently use Safari 4 and Camino as a backup. Looking forward to Chromium.

 

[EmperorDarius]

Just another browser with less privacy for the users. Won't be any better than Safari or Camino.

 

[GuillaumeB]

Wow that's a pretty old news

I personnally prefer chrome over safari. Safari 4 is everything but intuitive. The tabs on top are not that easy to manage compare to Chrome. Also the tab resizing is really getting on my nerve. i had to tweak the whole thing but am definitely waiting for chrome

 

[DELLsFan]

Meh

Competition is good.

Yes. But competition among free products isn't quite your father's competition, is it?

I'll stick with Firefox.