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October 8, 2009 10:45 AM PDT

Web of Trust extension comes to Chrome

by Stephen Shankland

Google's browser now has an extension to use the Web of Trust, a project that lets people rate the trustworthiness of Web sites and see how others have rated them.

The open-source plug-in previously worked only with Firefox and Internet Explorer, but now a version is available for the new developer preview version of Chrome, according to a blog post.

The Web of Trust extension lets people rate Web pages. Clicking an icon in the lower left corner of Chrome pops up this interface.

The Web of Trust extension lets people rate Web pages. Clicking an icon in the lower left corner of Chrome pops up this interface.

(Credit: Screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET

It's one of a host of relatively widely used extensions available on other browsers but now on their way to Chrome, whose extensions framework is just getting off the ground. There also are extensions (called add-ons in the Firefox realm) for Delicious and Xmarks, for example.

The extension takes advantage of the newer "mole" feature that lets windows pop up from the bottom of the screen. (The "mole" term originated with the work Google's Gmail team on instant-message windows; closing a number of them is like playing Whack-a-Mole.) However, Web of Trust programmers are considering using a newer extensions possibility called browser actions, which builds an extension interface into a button that appears along the top of the Chrome window.

"Browser Actions look promising though and we're looking forward to using them in future," said programmer Sami Tolvanen in a mailing list announcement. He also offered a list of suggestions for the Chrome extensions interface.

Separately, Google announced a new developer preview version, Chrome 4.0.221.6 for Windows, 4.0.221.8 for Mac OS X, and 4.0.221.8 for Linux. In the Windows version is a new browser action feature, pop-up windows.

Stephen Shankland writes about a wide range of technology and products, but has a particular focus on browsers and digital photography. He joined CNET News in 1998 and since then also has covered Google, Yahoo, servers, supercomputing, Linux and open-source software, and science. E-mail Stephen, or follow him on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/stshank.
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Add a Comment (Log in or register) (20 Comments)
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by timba October 8, 2009 11:53 AM PDT
Chrome and IE 8 are two great things to avoid. Both are bad junk and need to go away.
Reply to this comment
by biostyx October 8, 2009 12:40 PM PDT
Chrome is amazing!! idk what timba is smoking..
by censorshipblows October 8, 2009 1:35 PM PDT
...another totally clueless wonder. [rolls eyes]
by 0zSpit October 9, 2009 5:46 PM PDT
i agree, anything google is possibly the worst thing anyone can put on their computer. one of the worst trojan-ware companies to date. now they want to build the first linux o/s that's infected out of the box. let the suckers use this junk
by thestrange71 October 10, 2009 9:57 PM PDT
Whaddya say? Chrome is great!!!!!!!!!!! but i agree to avoid IE8
by exactlyy October 8, 2009 4:09 PM PDT
yes, chrome sucks, its been out for a year and its still so naked, they cant figure out the top secret behind a master password science, they completly depend on IE's proxy ..

been a year and they have maybe less than 5 addons..and they are completly unusefull ,

add to that some really ugly themes , and so many lies about it ultra speed which is just a complete BS

..why w'd i use chrome and have google's ads in my inbox, my messenger , my desktop, and maybe if i check my ***** i'll find one or two of their ads !
Reply to this comment
by Chris Kerrigan October 9, 2009 10:04 AM PDT
Although I do believe Chrome was intended to be simple and elegant, if I wanted a browser with basically zero add ons and nothing notable other than it's web surfing ability, I'd still be using IE 5 :P
by modson11 October 8, 2009 9:33 PM PDT
interesting and practical while you surf the web
Reply to this comment
by mr.sms October 9, 2009 10:19 AM PDT
Best browser ever created, I can't go back to IE now I fall in love with Chrome.

Elegant, fast, safe and sexy!
Reply to this comment
by Anonymous220 October 9, 2009 11:16 AM PDT
Chrome i love it dearly lolz
Reply to this comment
by steve l October 9, 2009 11:56 AM PDT
As anyone tried Opera you may be surprised.
Reply to this comment
by kunbiswas October 9, 2009 12:06 PM PDT
It is the best browser I ever seen..
The download speed is GOOD that I think...
Reply to this comment
by mightybutton October 9, 2009 1:55 PM PDT
Yes, Chrome has advantages over IE and FF, but I have to agree with the comment by exactlyy. Chrome has been out a year and I cannot customize it. I do prefer simple, but that doesn't mean my simple is the same as Google's. I still use Chrome, but only because my FF keeps getting buggy on me. If I could figure out the bugs, I wouldn't touch Chrome (and IE isn't even a consideration to me - I look forward to the day we consider IE the same way we do Netscape now, a forgotten headache)!
Reply to this comment
by AlienDK October 9, 2009 3:27 PM PDT
Well.. Chrome is a great browser. However, I still use Firefox as my primary browser and I use SRWare Iron instead of Google Chrome. The developers of Iron took the Chromium source code and took out the privacy violating "features" like the uniqueID and other stuff. See more at http://www.srware.net/en/software_srware_iron_chrome_vs_iron.php
Reply to this comment
by 0zSpit October 9, 2009 5:48 PM PDT
still 100% useless without adblock plus and noscript. you need something to defend yourself against google spyware. best advice is stay as far away from anything google as possible, unless you don't know any better...
Reply to this comment
by queticomn October 9, 2009 8:46 PM PDT
One huge article for one add-on? The google fanboy writer is at it again. Most people should realize allot if not most web ideas IMO have come from Mozilla FireFox, FireFox add-on writers and Opera, Opera-widgets.

As 0zSpit says google is a monopoly now trying to control the web as just as M$ is, using their spy-ware. Chrome will never see ad-block or No-script.
Reply to this comment
by grafitti123 October 9, 2009 11:32 PM PDT
It doesn't work. Keeps giving me some error about permissions[0]. Doesnt matter, i use FF anyway. Making addons for chrome must be really difficult.
Reply to this comment
by Lambert John October 10, 2009 3:34 PM PDT
Chrome blows! It's the biggest compilation of spyware known to the Internet. Do you think Google wants you to install Chrome without giving them something back. Absolutely not. They get plenty from you the minute you install their software. Koolaid anyone?
Reply to this comment
by vickymiller October 12, 2009 7:30 AM PDT
How to use Google Chrome:
1. Install
2. Go to the Wrench, Options, Under the Hood
3. Clear out all of the lovely tracking cookies it comes installed with
4. Change cookie options to only save cookies from sites you visit
5. Run Malwarebytes, SUPERAntiSpyware, and Iobit Security 360 to make sure all tracking cookies are gone.
6. Install Privoxy to block ads
7. Change Internet Options to run through a proxy
8. Install WOT to surf safely
9. Use Chrome for about an hour
10. Uninstall
Reply to this comment
by rogerpack2005 October 12, 2009 11:35 AM PDT
I'm not so sure that WoT is open source though.
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About Deep Tech

Stephen Shankland, who's covered the computing industry since 1998 and was a science reporter before that, here delves into a wide range of technology trends and offers hands-on tests. His particular interests include Web browsers, cameras, standards, research, science, and start-ups.

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