Download chromeos version 38

Of course, Google recommends users to switch to this new release as soon as possible, explaining that the number of security improvements it brings is quite critical in order to make sure that no exploits and hacks could be used against them. For example, market researcher StatCounter claims that in September Google Chrome was installed on Firefox is third with As a result, all these new released that Google provides users with on a regular basis are really important for everyone running Chrome, especially because they bring performance and stability improvements.

Internet Explorer, on the other hand, is becoming a fiercer rival for Google Chrome, as Microsoft is working on a revamped version of the browser which could come with a new UI, but also with extension support to improve functionality on all platforms. Others, such as the extension manager, are hidden away under a Tools submenu.

Hiding essentials like that remains an odd design choice to make. As is true about every aspect of this operating system, updates are much more likely to tweak the layout and design of the interface. Chrome's extensions are fairly limited in how they can alter the browser's interface.

Unlike Firefox, which gives add-on makers a lot of leeway to change the browser's look, Chrome mandates that extensions appear only as icons to the right of the location bar.

The benefit maintains a uniform look in the browser, but it definitely restricts how much the browser can be customized. Even with its limitations, the browser interface design has remained a contemporary exemplar of how to minimize the browser's screen footprint while remaining easy to use and versatile. The new desktop, on the other hand, finally brings to Chrome OS a sense of familiarity that is essential for any new PC experience.

Features Chrome OS isn't quite as reliant on the Internet as it was before, but it's still reasonably crippled without it. This is a vehicle, first and foremost, for leading a Web-based existence. As such, what Chrome OS does is create a space where Web-based applications can function and thrive. The operating system itself doesn't do much -- it's a browser. However, it's a heavily modded browser, and it achieves its main goal of getting you on the Web as fast as possible.

This comes from both the solid-state drive SSD on your Chromebook or Chromebox, and the various optimizations that Google has been building into Chrome. This is where the second bit of genius in the Chrome OS comes in: because everything is Web-based, you can log in to any installation of the operating system and instantly have all of your apps, settings, and other personalizations at your fingertips. That's still an incredible feat. It's an important one, too, as Chrome OS improves with each regular iteration of the operating system.

In Chrome OS's first year, it updated eight times. Things that were buggy originally, such as touch pad support on the demo hardware Cr, started to work properly. It's currently on a six-week update cycle. Google has also leveraged its successes in other departments to benefit the Chrome OS. Google's notorious for not always having good integration between its services, so this -- and solid Google Play integration for Books, Movies, and Music -- are welcome improvements.

Also welcome is Google's decision to expand everybody's Google Drive to GB when it detects a Chromebook associated with your account.

When you take a screenshot using the Ctrl-Next Window button, for example, you'll find it saved locally via the File Browser. Famously, Google has killed the Caps Lock key and replaced it with a dedicated Search key. Tap it and a new tab will open, with the cursor ready in the location bar.

What's less well-known is that you can remap the Search key to Caps Lock, and that Google makes it easy to do through the Settings menu under System, then Modifier keys. Here you can modify the bindings of the Control and Alt keys as well. But also missing is a dedicated Delete key to remove characters to the right of the cursor. The default settings for the hot keys are among the best things about the Chrome OS. Hold down Ctrl and Alt with the question mark key to bring up a color-coded map of combinations that you can use.

The map and colors change depending on which key -- Shift, Control, or Alt -- you're pressing. Google is to be commended for building an operating system that goes from sleep to fully functional in what feels like a second. There's simply no lag time, and the updates have fixed previous lagginess in logging in and out.

Your Chromebook or Chromebox may just be the fastest PC you've used when it comes to booting, shutting down, and logging in and out. Two other low-profile but well-executed features in Chrome are autoupdating and translation. Chrome automatically updates when a new version comes out. This makes it harder to revert back to an older version, but it's highly unlikely that you'll want to downgrade this build of Chrome since this is the stable build and not the beta or developer's version.

You can toggle the build among the three under About Chrome. The second feature, automatic translation of Web pages, is available to other browsers as a Google add-on, but because it comes from Google, it's baked directly into Chrome. Already mentioned a little bit, the biggest OS hang-up in the operating system is offline support despite the improvements.

Chrome OS will support the core Google apps of Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Docs offline, but for most of your other apps, you'll be left in the dark. That might not be an issue on the Chromebox, Google's answer to the Mac Mini, but for the portable Chromebooks, prepare for a severely hamstrung experience.

Anyone outside of the cloud crowd likely won't be comfortable with it. You can print with Google Cloud Print, accessible via the common printing hot-key combo of Control-P. Google has anticipated the problems that still plague cloud printing, and so it offers instructions on how to do it.

Still, most people will probably find the process way too fiddly because what's simple to print off a basic Windows 7 Netbook will take effort to set up properly from a Chromebook. Cloud Print does now come with access to FedEx stores in the United States, which is a nice improvement for remote printing. Google says that security will not be a big concern in Chrome OS and that it's the most secure operating system ever shipped.

There are some toggles via about:flags and the Settings menu that will allow you to restrict content that requires plug-ins. Cookies, image management, JavaScript, plug-ins, pop-ups, location information, and notifications can be adjusted from the Content Settings button. Google is basing most of its claim of a secure operating system on a new feature in Chrome OS called "verified boot. Performance The following benchmarks are of the original version of the Chrome OS that shipped on the Cr There have been significant improvements since then, and CNET will update the results below as soon as possible.

Benchmarking the first beta of the Chrome OS proved to be a bit tricky. It's hard to measure the impact of various essential programs, such as a productivity suite or media player, on the operating system because they exist largely in the cloud. Google Chrome is a browser that combines a minimal design with sophisticated technology to make the web faster, safer, and easier.

Use one box for everything--type in the address bar and get suggestions for both search and Web pages. Thumbnails of your top sites let you access your favorite pages instantly with lightning speed from any new tab.

Desktop shortcuts allow you to launch your favorite Web apps straight from your desktop. Google Chrome also uses a brand new JavaScript engine V8 , which is much faster than existing javascript interpreters. This means you can create more complex and more intensive AJAX applications with fewer speed and processing constraints. Chrome has many useful features built in, including automatic full-page translation and access to thousands of apps, extensions, and themes from the Chrome Web Store.

Google Chrome is one of the best solutions for Internet browsing giving you high level of security, speed and great features. Download: Google Chrome