Google has?announced?the availability of the first official Chrome developer release for Linux and Mac OS X. The search giant says that the release is a preview intended for testing purposes only and that the software is still unsuitable for regular users.

When Google launched Chrome last year, the browser was available only on Windows. Development on the Linux and Mac OS X ports began shortly after the initial Windows release and has progressed at a steady pace. The Chrome team aims to build ports that feel native and conform well with the underlying platform, but also retain some of the browser's unique characteristics, such as the distinctive angled tab skyline. This approach to cross-platform software development is very challenging, especially on Linux where the inherent diversity and modularity of the platform makes it difficult to translate many elements of the original Chrome vision.

The browser's source code is available for download under an open license, but Google uses separate branding to create differentiation between the underlying open source project and their own official builds. The project is called Chromium and the official browser is called Chrome. Until now, the Linux and Mac OS X port was only available in the form of Chromium builds. This is the first time that Google has released Mac and Linux binaries with the Chrome name and branding. It's a significant milestone for the browser, and it demonstrates Google's commitment to supporting it in an official capacity across all three platforms.

We recently tested a Linux build of Chromium on the Linux platform. Despite its incompleteness, it showed significant promise. The official preview build is nearly identical and exhibits roughly the same strengths and limitations. For a more detailed examination of the browser's current status, you can refer to our review from late May.

One point that is worth reiterating is that its performance on Linux is good. It loads pages swiftly and it starts up almost instantly. Maintaining that performance advantage as the program matures is going to be the key to making Chrome a compelling option relative to other native WebKit browsers.

Installation packages are available from the Chromium website. For Mac OS X users, Google provides a standard DMG image that contains the Chrome application bundle. At the present time, the only Linux distributions that Google supports are Ubuntu and Debian. The Linux packages are in the standard .DEB format. During the installation process, the DEB package will install a cron script that adds the Chrome package repository to the user's APT sources.

Users should keep in mind that the Mac and Linux ports are not yet complete and some of the functionality may not work as expected. Google is particularly emphatic about this in reference to the browser's privacy and security features. The company has published a detailed privacy notice that thoroughly describes the missing privacy features in the Linux port and articulates some of the potential risks of using the test builds.

Chrome warning message on Linux

The preview is a great tool for developers who are eager to observe the progress of Chrome on the newly-supported platforms. It also provides users with the opportunity to get an early look. It's an important step forward for Google and it could help attract more contributors to the project.