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Chrome

Google Chrome to Start Blocking Flash; Switch to HTML5 as Default

by Rajdeep April 4, 2024

written by Rajdeep

Google Chrome to Start Blocking Flash; Switch to HTML5 as Default

In line with its earlier announcement, Google has now confirmed that it will start to de-emphasise Flash in favour of HTML5 from September. The tech giant wants to promote HTML5 as it provides faster load times and consumes less power as compared to Adobe Flash Player.

With its stable Chrome version 53 channel, Google will block Flash and encourage HTML5. For sites running solely on Flash, Google Chrome will speed-break on users’ browsing experience and ask for permission to run.

“Today, more than 90% of Flash on the web loads behind the scenes to support things like page analytics. This kind of Flash slows you down, and starting this September, Chrome 53 will begin to block it,” Google reasons on its blog.

With Chrome 55 in December, Google will make HTML5 the default. It will ask for permission to run Flash on specific sites that only support the Adobe software.

This move doesn’t come as a surprise as Google had announced in May that it plans to reduce ties with Flash through the course of this year. It had announced that by the end of the year, Flash will only be available on click-to-play basis on Chrome

At that time, Google named ten most used websites that run Flash, and white-listed them to avoid over-prompting. The names of some of the white-list websites are YouTube, Facebook, Yahoo, Amazon, Yandex.ru, Live.com, Mail.ru, OK.ru, VK.com and Twitch.tv. These websites will have Flash Player running without any hiccups. However this white-list expires in one year, and by the end of 2017, these websites are expected to make the switch to HTML5.

Google admits Flash played a huge role in the adoption of video and gaming on the Web, but it’s plain to see it failed to keep up with the momentum that’s built up in the recent years. Because of that and various security threats that it poses, all browsers including Firefox, Safari, and Edge are now transitioning to HTML5.

[Source:- gadgets.ndtv]

April 4, 2024 0 comment

Internet

Google Details Plans to Start Blocking Flash in Chrome This Year

by Rajdeep April 4, 2024

written by Rajdeep

Google Details Plans to Start Blocking Flash in Chrome This Year

In a bid to get more developers to adopt HTML5, Google has announced plans to slowly phase out support for Adobe Flash Player in Chrome. The company looks to implement this change by the fourth quarter, after which Flash will come bundled with Chrome but its presence will not be advertised by default.

It will instead promote HTML5 which provides faster load times and consumes less power. So if any website offers an HTML5 experience, it will be made as the default experience. As many sites still use Flash, Google is not completely blocking it, but is nonetheless discouraging it. If a site absolutely cannot work without Flash Player, then Google will prompt its users to run the plug-in for that domain only.

Google states that Chrome will also keep a track of the domains that the user manually opted for Flash, and open it automatically in subsequent visits. Furthermore, Google has named the ten most used websites that run Flash, and has white-listed them to avoid over-prompting. The names of some of the white-list websites are YouTube, Facebook, Yahoo, Amazon, Yandex.ru, Live.com, Mail.ru, OK.ru, VK.com and Twitch.tv. These websites will have Flash Player running without any hiccups. However this white-list expires in one year, and by the end of 2017, these websites are expected to make the switch to HTML5.

Google is also discouraging the download of Flash Player, by trapping links that redirect to the download page. Some sites like Pandora ask the user to download Flash Player by redirecting them to Adobe’s installation page. Once the user clicks on the download link, Chrome will intercept the request, cancel the navigation, and instead present an ‘Allow Flash Player’ yellow infobar on top. This is merely done in an attempt to get the user to rethink before using Flash.

For Enterprise users, Chrome will enable a setting that gives the option to “Always run Flash content”, for all intranet sites that may use Flash. Even though Google is doing all it takes to get rid of Flash, there are quite a few creative, interactive and gaming sites that use Flash heavily and changing them to HTML 5 now, would be a deep tedious task. Chrome may run Flash on click-to-play basis to discourage its use, but the Web isn’t getting rid of Flash just yet.

April 4, 2024 0 comment

Why Google Should Merge Chrome OS and Android

by onkar April 4, 2024

written by onkar

Why Google Should Merge Chrome OS and Android

Google has said that it is committed to Chrome OS – and has no plans to “kill it” – but perhaps a convergence should be on the cards.

Both the operating systems as standalone services have great potential, but also limitations of their own. The union of two, at least on paper, could produce a result that is more powerful and feature rich than the individual constituents.

The Chromebook, powered by Chrome OS, is a handy productivity machine. But it severely lacks applications. It used be just a Chrome Web browser centric-operating system. Over the years, the company has added several features to it such as the offline media playback, and ported a handful of Android apps. The convergence with Android would essentially get Chromebook users a plethora of apps.

On the other hand, Android is the most used mobile operating system and has hundreds of thousands of mobile apps. But as soon as you put Android on a large screen device, the experience becomes terrible. As we have seen in a number of Android tablets reviews, the vast majority of apps seem to be just a blown-up versions of their mobile counterpart, offering a sub-par experience. This is particularly the case when you’re running productivity apps. Whether it’s Google’s Docs and Sheets, or Microsoft’s Word and PowerPoint, the experience is just not good enough.

If Google manages to converge the two operating system right, the resultant could significantly bolster productivity experience. Android could get more PC-like features such as multitasking; yes, you can already multitask on Android, and even have multiple windows on the same screen, but the experience could stand to become better.

Microsoft, albeit after multiple attempts, showed the world how tablets can indeed be productivity devices, by putting a full-fledged operating system and desktop-class applications on its Surface tablet. Apple’s iPad Pro also addresses the gap between laptops and tablets. It’s a segment of the market that’s getting a lot of attention right now, and if Google wants to aim for this segment then it really needs to sort the mess that is Android apps for large screens.

Microsoft is still struggling to attract developers to port their desktop apps to mobile. Google’s approach should be in the opposite direction. Google’s Android platform is enticing and lucrative for developers, which puts it in a better position to achieve that feat than Microsoft.

Considering the penetration of Android in the low-tier market, universal apps is another area in which the fusion of Chrome OS and Android makes sense. By bringing the two ecosystems together, Google will be able to offer computing devices for everyone – from mobiles in your pocket, to tablets that you actually want to use. So maybe it’s time Google has a rethink about killing Chrome, and brings us the best version of Android for all devices.

[“source-gadgets.ndtv”]

April 4, 2024 0 comment

Tech Update

Update your Google Chrome NOW – tech giant warns over dangerous bug ‘that lets hackers hijack your computer’

by Loknath Das March 8, 2019

written by Loknath Das

GOOGLE is warning Chrome users to update their browsers immediately due to a security bug that could let hackers hijack your computer.

The tech firm was forced to make an announcement because hackers managed to uncover the bug before Google found it – which is a major cause for concern.

ALAMY

Chrome users should update their browsers immediately

Google regularly fixes bugs that can exploit your computer software and reduce computer security.

But sometimes, these bugs are known as ‘zero-day’ – that’s when cyber-crooks work out how to exploit the glitch before Google itself.

It means the firm had zero days to prepare to tackle the problem because they didn’t know it could happen.

That’s the case with this latest bug, which means hackers have had a head-start – and that’s bad news for you.

ALAMY

Cyber-criminals could exploit the vulnerability to remotely take over computers

Chrome users don’t need to panic though as they can simply update their browser to protect themselves.

Detailed information about what will happen if users don’t update their software has not yet been revealed.

Google said: “Access to bug details and links may be kept restricted until a majority of users are updated with a fix.

“We will also retain restrictions if the bug exists in a third party library that other projects similarly depend on, but haven’t yet fixed.”

However, some tech experts are theorising that the security vulnerability could allow hackers to implant malware without any warnings or popups, read files and potentially even take over computers remotely.

Chrome security researcher Justin Schuh wrote on Twitter: “Also, seriously, update your Chrome installs… like right this minute.”

[“source=thesun”]

March 8, 2019 0 comment

Internet

Google Chrome 64 for Android Automatically Cleans Up URLs While Sharing

by Loknath Das February 20, 2018

written by Loknath Das

Google Chrome 64 for Android Automatically Cleans Up URLs While Sharing

HIGHLIGHTS

Users will see a primary link instead of a lengthy tracking string
Works on using the Share button or by copy and pasting a link somewhere
It does not affect referral information

Google Chrome 64 for Android- introduced in late January – has been spotted sporting a feature where it automatically cleans up messy referral links. Now, when users share a URL with someone, they will see the primary link instead of a lengthy tracking string. The new feature works automatically on Android handsets while sharing links from the Chrome browser, using built-in Share option to either share directly to an app or use the Copy to Clipboard option. somewhere else.

Quite often it is seen that URLs have a large amount of additional text attached to them. Users don’t prefer such huge amounts of junk included when a link is shared with them, as the link is unnecessarily long. For example, while sharing a tweet, it is often seen that the link includes a referrer to track how users landed up on the page. There are some URL shortener solutions to solve the issue, but since they are third-party apps, it is cumbersome to use all the time. But with Chrome 64, Google has taken care of the lengthy URLs. You can use the Share menu to copy the shortened link to the clipboard or share directly to another app.

Android Police had spotted the new feature on Chrome 64. The new feature removes anchor tags which are used to direct a user to a certain part of the page. This means that if you visit a link shared from Chrome for Android, it will take you to the top of that particular page. When we checked, the feature was found to work on links from Amazon, Flipkart, Google AMP, Wikipedia, and more. The clean up doesn’t work every time however. You can also manually copy the entire URL if you need it, by selecting the URL from the navigation bar and copying it.

The new URL shortener is a part of several other features rolled out by Google for Chrome, including an inbuilt ad-blocker. The search giant will begin using its Chrome browser to eradicate ads it deems annoying or otherwise detrimental to users.

[“Source-gadgets.ndtv”]

February 20, 2018 0 comment

Chrome

Google Chrome to Start Blocking Flash; Switch to HTML5 as Default

Google Details Plans to Start Blocking Flash in Chrome This Year

Why Google Should Merge Chrome OS and Android

Update your Google Chrome NOW – tech giant warns over dangerous bug ‘that lets hackers hijack your computer’

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Google Chrome 64 for Android Automatically Cleans Up URLs While Sharing

HIGHLIGHTS