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I want a real Linux and Mac version of Chrome
19 comments- TAGS:Chrome, desktop linux, development, Mac OS X, open source, web browser, WINE
- IT TOPICS:Desktop Applications, Development, Emerging Technology, Internet, Linux, Macintosh & Apple, Networking, Open Source, Operating Systems, SOA & Web Services, Software, Windows & Microsoft
CodeWeavers, best known for making its CrossOver programs that use WINE to run many popular Windows applications on Linux and Mac OS, has just released a proof-of-concept version of Chrome that runs on Linux and Mac systems.
The free CrossOver version of Chrome, CrossOver Chrome, is based on Google's open-source Chromium code. It's not, however, an actual port of Chrome to Linux or Mac OS X. Instead, using their expertise in bringing Windows applications to other operating systems, the CrossOver developers have ported the Windows version of Chrome to Linux and Mac.
It's a neat trick, and it does work. While others at ComputerWorld got it to work on Mac OS X, albeit with fits and starts, I've been running it for over a day now on one of my openSUSE 11 PCs without a hitch. That said, as the CrossOver Chrome FAQ says to the question: "Should I run CrossOver Chromium as my main browser? Absolutely not! This is just a proof of concept, for fun, and to showcase what Wine can do."
So, just because it's working for me, don't assume for a second that it's going to work well for you. This version of Chrome is an experiment and a demonstration of what you can do with WINE. It's not a native Linux or Mac OS X version of Chrome. And, that annoys me.
I really, really like Chrome. I've found it to be faster than blazes and its design to make the most out of Web-based applications. Heck, even running with WINE on my openSUSE machine it's SunSpider JavaScript score was 1,811.6ms, handily beating Firefox 3.01's 3,131.2 score on the same machine: an HP A6040N Pavilion Desktop PC with a1.86 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo E6320 dual-core processor and 2GB of RAM and 320 GB of SATA hard drive.
Since Chrome is open source, it shouldn't take much to bring a native version to either Linux or Mac OS X. Or, to be more specific, to bring it to Mac's Aqua interface or Linux's KDE or GNOME interfaces. Chrome's core code can be used on any platform. The troublesome part is that Chrome's open-source interface code is Windows-specific. So, Google, or someone, needs to get to work on getting Chrome to look good on the other platforms.
That's a hint folks. I want real Chrome on Linux and Mac OS and I want it Now. Come on, how hard can it be? CrossOver pulled bringing the Windows version over a few weeks, I know Google, or some open-source developers who know their way around a GUI can give us a native Chrome. So, how's about it? Can we get Chrome over to Linux and Mac OS by say mid-October? I think it's doable. Do you?
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