Google launches Chrome 55: favors HTML5 over Flash by default radically reducing RAM usage
For the ones that may not have realized it, Google recently launched the most recent version of its Chrome browser earlier this week which brings the modern browser up to the 55th version. The important update includes nothing less than 36 securities fixes which alleviate an array of issues including Same-origin bypass, XSS (cross-site scripting), and buffer overflow vulnerabilities. Remarkably, 26 of the fixes were provided by outside researchers who were paid a collective sum of more than $64,000 by Google for their labor.
Chrome 55 equally includes some enhancements to usability, as well as eagerly awaited tweaks to the engine of the V8 JavaScript which, based on interior tests, would supply an average of 50% decline in memory consumption. Whereas this will have the most effect on devices with lesser amounts of RAM, as well as tablets and smartphones, all customers will stand to profit from the optimization of the V8.
A more graphic upgrading included in Chrome 55 is the addition of the CSS automatic hyphenation. This will be apparent when viewing line wrapped text with the purpose of enhancing readability and steadiness of paragraphed text. In possibly the mainly user impacting update to the browser, Chrome 55 will now, by default, obstruct Adobe Flash content in support of HTML5 as indicated by Google earlier this year.
When a user visits a site deficient of HTML5 capability, Chrome will alert the user and ask them to allow the Flash content to run. Nonetheless, in a bid to reduce interference to the user experience, Google has exempted Flash-only websites along with the top ten sites, particularly:
• Facebook.com
• YouTube.com
• Yahoo.com
• Live.com
• VK.com
• Yandex.ru
• Twitch.tv
• OK.ru
• Amazon.com
• Mail.ru
Nevertheless, the exemption applies just for a year after which Flash content will be blocked by default for all websites and Chrome users will be requisite to present their authorization to view such content.
Typically, Chrome will update itself wordlessly and automatically but, if you’re one to go days or weeks amid browser restarts, you can reboot Chrome now to obtain the most recent upgrade.
Over the past year or so, Google has been gradually pushing Flash out the back door for HTML5, a far better technology that improves safety measures, reduces power consumption and leads to more rapid load times. With Chrome 55 having just recently upgraded to the stable channel for Mac, Windows, and Linux, the switch is almost complete.
Chrome 55, as expounded by Google’s Anthony LaForge early this year, will default to a site’s HTML5 familiarity mostly every instance when it has a choice. If a site uses only Flash, you’ll be alerted to permit it the first time you visit.
An exemption to this rule applies only to the top 10 websites that use Flash Somewhere else; Chrome 55 is also alleged to radically decrease RAM usage by as much as 50 percent thanks to an upgraded JavaScript V8 engine that reduces the heap size and memory zone. Google’s web browser is infamously bad for its managing of remembrance, so it’s huge that they’re addressing the issue at last.
While on the subject, I would equally counsel checking out the latest Chrome optimization guide if you have not done so yet. By getting a hold of Chrome 55 and altering a handful of settings, you’ll probably notice a considerable performance enhancement.
In case you’ve disabled auto-updates or are not using Chrome currently, you can get the version 55 for a series of platforms right here. If you are searching for the changelog, that’s available on the Chrome release blog.
Most people are okay sticking with the default browser set up when they open their computer for the first time, which means Safari if you’re on an Apple Mac and Internet Explorer if you’re a Windows user. Both browsers have massively improved recently, yet part of that enhancement is down to the expansion in rival browsers like Google’s open-source substitute.
Chrome is no more the young upstart it was once upon a time, and its pioneer spirit is frequently forgotten in the mist of time. It was Chrome’s sleek tab-driven interface with a minimum real estate that was adopted by Firefox and the latest IE9. Chrome was the first to offer a resource-friendly browser that loads swiftly and did not suck the life out of your system, though again the opposition has caught up – and in a few cases – overridden its achievements.
Chrome was equally the foremost to use a rapid release cycle, therefore if you’re fed up with a new browser number appearing in the About menu every few months, you have Google to thank for that too.
Chrome might not seem like the stunning young starlet anymore, yet it does more than hold its own against the opposition. It’s still swift to load, speed to perform and simple enough to utilize . It includes the Flash plug-in so you do not have to download it alone and the sync function on the browser makes it simple to back up and sync your settings across various computers.
Whereas the opposition has certainly caught up, Chrome has enough going for it to keep its current users happy sustaining the browser that has led to so many enhancements in the manner we view and peruse the web.