Chromium
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Chromebook-to-Chromecast video? Yes, with Google Drive
As if Android apps hitting Google's Chrome OS wasn't enough excitement for Mountain View's operating system for one week. Now, you can play movies stored in Google Drive via the OS' video player app on your Chromecast. According to Googler François Beaufort, doing so is pretty easy too: simply open the Files app, select a video clip from Drive and hit the sparkly new Cast icon. Voila, cloud-stored videos are now viewable on the biggest screen in your house and even more media functionality for your Chromebook. Of course, since this is in the developer channel there might be a few bugs here and there -- if you spot 'em be sure to let the Chromium team know.
Google banks on its own tech to protect Chrome users from another Heartbleed
Last month Google said that it was tired of mashed-together bug fixes for OpenSSL and decided to create its own fork called BoringSSL. It has now implemented that variant in the latest Chromium build, the open-source software that eventually arrives in Chrome. OpenSSL is software used for secure connections -- created largely by volunteers -- and an overlooked code problem recently caused the infamous Heartbleed bug. When BoringSSL was first announced, there was some grumbling from the security community about yet another flavor of SSL. But Google said that with over 70 patches now in OpenSSL, it was becoming much too unwieldy to implement in Chrome. It added that it wasn't trying to replace OpenSSL and would continue to send any of its own bug fixes to that group. It'll likely be implemented in the next version of Chrome, but you'll be able try the beta soon here, if you're feeling lucky. [Image credit: AP/Mark Lennihan]
Google experimenting with major redesign of Chrome OS
Google has made attempts in the past to unify the design of its various properties with varying degrees of success. Material Design, which is major part of the upcoming Android L release, may be its most coherent effort to date. The new look is expected to touch every corner of Google's catalog, and Chrome OS will be part of that revamp. A screen shot posted by Chromium evangelist François Beaufort on Google+ shows the very early fruits of Athena, an effort to "bring a new kind of user experience" to Mountain View's desktop OS. The image shows windows with minimal controls and decoration in a stacked card view, similar to the app switcher revealed as part of the next Android update. There's also what appears to be a launcher bar with a search field at the bottom of the screen. While the redesign is clearly in the very early stages, you can see the important elements of Material Design at work. Everything is flat and paper like, but exists in a three-dimensional space, complete with less-than-subtle drop shadows. You can compile a copy of Chromium OS yourself to give Athena a test run, but we'd hold out for a more complete version.
Camelot Unchained's UI powered by Chromium, community
Camelot Unchained's information dump continues with a brief blurb about the fantasy PvP sandbox's UI. City State says that UIs typically "consume a large amount of developer bandwidth on the design and engineering side," and as such the firm will not only be building CU's UI "out of the web" but it will also be open-sourcing the entire codebase. The UI is powered by Chromium, and City State has already made the code available on GitHub and is inviting the community to contribute to it (pending developer approval, of course).
Breach is a completely modular, hackable and open source web browser
When it comes to surfing the web, our options are limited: the market is dominated by three or four mainstream web browsers, all of which share major similarities in design and function. Unless you want to build your own browsing program, you're stuck with their modern browsing paradigms. For San Francisco programmer Stanislas Polu, that wasn't good enough, so, he created Breach -- an open source modular web browser designed to allow anybody to tweak and modify it on a whim.
Google's voice search could soon be baked into Chrome, no extension required
Back in November, the folks in Mountain View trotted out the beta version of a Chrome extension that brought "OK Google"-enabled voice search to the desktop, no clicks required. That's all fine and dandy, but what if it said control was a standard option on the desktop, capable of being toggled on or off with a click? Well, the Chromium folks are working on just that, with options for the browser to stop listening after five minutes and working incognito. Items like this that pop up in Chromium have a tendency to turn into standard Chrome features at some point. There's no telling when we'll be able to use spoken word as a standard search tool, but there's always the beta add-on for sorting hands-free queries in the meantime.
This Chromium experiment takes the URL out of the address bar, because why not?
Chromium, Google's open-source Chrome project, isn't for the average Joe (or Jane); it's for open-source fanatics. So today's two Chromium experiments, announced by Product Evangelist François Beaufort, should give that subset of users something curious and something useful to play with, in that order. First up is a Chrome OS experiment that mixes up the traditional URL-in-omnibox setup by removing the host URL altogether and placing it within the toolbar, just off to the right side (as pictured above). You can still click on that "origin chip" to display the full URL, as well as permissions data, if you'd like, but the the omnibox will remain empty for -- we're not sure -- a cleaner search experience, perhaps? Again, the reasoning behind this odd switch up is unclear, but knowing Google, it likely has to do with reducing clutter in the user interface as much as possible. The other, much more sensible experiment involves a bit of code that allows you to make any site of your choosing (presumably a favorite) into a Chrome App. The option, once enabled, will appear under Tools in Chrome's dropdown menu. All it requires is one click and you're done. And no, you wouldn't be wrong for thinking of this as a new way to bookmark sites... it is and it's simple to do. Just hit up the source below to get cracking on this Chrome customization and that other, weird one if you're so inclined.
Google rolls out extra password security to Chrome for Windows
When Google finally relented and tightened Chrome security in order to better protect user passwords, it was available only to Mac users. As spotted by Chrome enthusiast François Beaufort, that feature has now come to Windows, and asks users to authenticate themselves before they can access saved credentials inside their browser. Previously, users could access a plaintext list of saved passwords by pointing the browser at "chrome://settings/passwords," offering easy access to a third party if their computer was left unattended. While the feature has yet to make it to public version of the browser, its inclusion in the latest Chromium builds for Windows and Mac suggests it won't be long until password-protected passwords roll out to all.
Chrome may let you try Web Store apps without installing them
Ever want to test a Chrome Web Store app without installing it? You may get your chance if a new Chromium feature find its way into Google's commercial browser. Mountain View is experimenting with support for "ephemeral" apps that launch like regular Web Store titles, but don't leave a footprint in Chrome or Chrome OS. Users wouldn't even have to visit the Web Store in the first place -- a recent Chromium build lets surfers launch an app directly from a Google search result page. There's no certainty that the new try before you buy (or at least, try before you glorified bookmark) capability will actually land in Chrome's stable channel, but it certainly wouldn't surprise us.
Opera's Android browser gets dedicated support for bigger tablets
After jumping aboard the WebKit train and launching a dedicated browser for the iPad, Opera's now turned its attention to Android tablets. With the release of Opera 18 for Android, the company is quick to note that it didn't just update and scale up its smartphone browser: navigation and menu buttons have been strategically placed to where your fingers naturally rest and its improved Discover feature lets you swipe between newspaper and magazine content that has been matched to your interests and location. Like with all its browsers, Opera's Android tablet app comes complete with data-saving capabilities. Off-Road mode is designed to help you stay online when you're on a public Wi-Fi connection or trying to reduce your data usage, basically when connectivity is less than ideal. Underpinned by Google's Chromium 31 framework, Opera's big-tablet app is available on Play Store right now -- check the source to grab it.
Google finally tightens access to saved passwords in Chrome
Having come under fire over its relaxed attitude towards saved passwords in Chrome earlier in the year, Google is finally looking to do something about it. In a post to his Google+ page, Chrome tinkerer François Beaufort notes that the company will now ask users to authenticate themselves using a system password before they can access saved credentials inside Chrome. Previously, users could access the list of saved passwords by pointing the browser at "chrome://settings/passwords," offering easy access should their computer be left unattended. As it stands, the feature appears limited to the latest Chromium build for Mac, mimicking the behavior of Apple's own web browser: Safari. While there's no word on whether Google intends to implement the feature inside Chrome for Windows, its inclusion on the Mac suggests it could be present inside a public release in the near future. [Image Credit: Francois Beaufort, Google+]
EVE Evolved: The Siphon Unit in Rubicon
EVE Online will soon let players steal valuable resources from each other, and not everyone is happy with it. The upcoming Rubicon expansion will add a new Siphon Unit structure that can literally siphon off materials from a starbase's moon harvesters and simple reactors. Preliminary details on the structure were released in a new devblog this week, sparking debate over whether the new item will be a useful tool for disrupting entrenched nullsec alliances. Many expected the siphon to be a minor annoyance to starbase owners, with the presence of a siphon being easily discovered and a limit of one siphon per starbase established. In reality, one siphon unit can rob a starbase of 60% of the output from a moon harvester or 12.5% from a simple reactor, and there's no limit to how many can be stacked on an individual starbase. It'll take only two of these to completely shut down a single moon-mining operation, and the owner will get no warning whatsoever that it's happening. In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at how the Siphon Unit will work, its stats, various ways to protect your starbase from it, and what the long-term implications may be for EVE.
New Chrome developer tools bring Bluetooth, iTunes integration to packaged apps
Google's latest Chrome developer tools could give us even fewer reasons to close our browser -- devs can now build packaged apps with access to Google Wallet, Google Analytics, Bluetooth devices and an API that dives into the user's music library. Technically, Chrome has had a Media Gallery API for some time, but this latest update allows applications to access, import and play music using iTunes as a default media gallery. Of course, apps using this API will need the user's permission before rummaging through their Papa Roach collection, so settle down. The Chromium Blog's notes the Bluetooth connection could support "low energy health devices like fitness trackers." If that means apps that will monitor a FitBit and tell us to get up and stretch, that'd definitely be appreciated. For the full release notes, hit the links below.
Opera 15 now available for Mac
For almost 20 years, the Opera web browser has provided an alternative for web surfers who don't want to use the browser packaged with their computer. Its latest incarnation, Opera 15, has been released for OS X, and it's the first version that was built using the open-source Chromium engine. While it shares an engine with Google's Chrome, the newest version of Opera has some exclusive features that help it stand out. Off-Road mode compresses pages to speed up browsing when your connection slows down to help you stay online, and then automatically turns itself off when your connection improves. Speed Dial groups the sites you visit most often into a custom start page and now allows you to group multiple links into folders. Opera Discover presents search results based on your expressed interests, allowing it to pinpoint your favorite sports teams or news categories. There is also a new Stash feature that allows you to collect screenshots of web pages for future reference. When in use, you're shown smaller versions of the pages you've snapped, which can then be enlarged for future reference. Best of all, you can tag your snapshots with a keyword to easily find them later. You can download Opera 15 for free over at its website.
Opera 15 Chromium-based browser officially launched for PC and Mac
While the non-final build of Opera's new browser for PC and Mac was simply called "Next," today it's chosen the more formal title of Opera 15 for its official release. There aren't any features of note that we hadn't seen in the desktop preview of the WebKit-based software (or should we call it Blink-based?), but to jog your memory, it sports a fresh design, a Discover feature for catching up on the latest news and a tweaked Speed Dial menu for quick access to your favorite corners of the internet. Also, the web-clipping Stash feature, predictive address-cum-search bar, new download manager and "Off-Road mode" for extra compression on lousy connections are all included in the final version. We ran a quick SunSpider benchmark on the Mac build of Opera 15, in which it scored 167ms, compared with 171ms in Chrome. If you're not already allied to one of the many competing browsers and feel like giving Opera 15 a try, head to the source below for the download links.
Chromium browser cops reset feature to clean up malware messes
Mopping up after malicious software can land you in a browser quagmire full of sketchy search engines, toolbars or worse. Google's latest version of its open-source Chromium browser now has a remedy for much of that thanks to a 'reset profile' setting discovered by code tinkerer François Beaufort. You can revert the defaults for search, homepage, content settings and cookies all in one go, while also disabling extensions. Since Chromium features often pop up later in Chrome, that means your life may soon be easier after your, ahem, friend has a brush with the dark side of the internet.
Google to bring Chrome app launcher to OS X
Those of us who use Google's Chrome browser for OS X are familiar with how Chrome web apps can be installed and launched from within the browser. Now it appears that Google is working on a way to bring those Chrome apps even closer to the heart of your Mac by creating a Chrome apps launcher for OS X. Google engineer François Beaufort detailed the plans in a Google+ post, noting that OS X users can actually try out a beta of the Chrome OS app launcher right now. To do so, you need to install the most recent build of Chromium, then set the --show-app-list switch through the CLI. After performing that magic, launch Chromium and click its Dock icon to display a grid of your Chrome apps, ready to launch (see image above). Put this on your MacBook Air and it's almost like having a Chromebook! Note that this software is not quite ready for prime time, but for Chrome fans it may be worth the effort to give it a try.
Google's Blink team pulls 8.8 million lines of WebKit code in one month
Google let us all know that it would strip out unneeded WebKit code to make its Blink web engine scream, but it never said exactly what kind of pace we could expect. The answer, it turns out, is "breakneck." The company's Alex Komoroske told Google I/O attendees that the Open Web Platform team has already yanked 8.8 million lines of programming from Blink in about a month, with 4.5 million of them scrubbed almost immediately. Removing so much cruft has reportedly improved not just the upcoming engine, but the engineers -- they're far more productive, Komoroske says. The team has already had time to explore new rendering techniques and garner code contribution requests from the likes of Adobe, Intel and even Microsoft. Although we don't yet know if all the trimming will be noticeable to end users by the time Blink reaches polished Chrome and Chrome OS releases, it's safe to say that some developers won't recognize what they see.
Google changelog reveals upcoming Chrome devices with Star Fox-inspired codenames
Though we know virtually nothing about any Chrome OS-based devices in development at Google, we at least know what their engineers are calling them. Google insider François Beaufort revealed that developers working on such projects might be Star Fox fans, as several possible x86 devices seem to bear the Fox, Falco, Peppy and Slippy monikers, according to a recent changelog. None of this is proof of any future products, of course, but Fox and Slippy seem to be Haswell-equipped, according to Beaufort -- which would be a nice step up from their 1993-era Nintendo graphics power.
Chromium code hints at Google Now for OS X
A few months back Chromium whiz François Beaufort spotted a piece of code in the open source web browser that hinted at Google Now possibly coming to Chrome. Today, the programmer has uncovered an issue log pointing out notification center enhancements for OS X. An entry, listed as "[Mac][MC] Implement notification updates and relayouts" could possibly indicate Google Now having a future on Apple's desktop platform. With Google's I/O a little over a week away, hopefully we won't have to wait too long to find out. In the meantime, we'll reach out to the company for a comment on Beaufort's findings and see what turns up.
