About a year after it first appeared as a Windows application, Google's Chrome browser is finally available in beta for Linux. Google had to limit its compatible distro list to a handful of popular Linux versions, but those who can use it will likely enjoy its speed, features and the hundreds of extensions Google has made available.
Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) finally released a beta version of its Chrome Web browser for Linux on Dec. 8, slightly more than one year after releasing its Chrome browser for Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) Windows. The wait was worth it, especially given the more than 300 extensions already available to customize the new browser.

Because Linux distributions are numerous, Google ported the Chrome code to a select handful of the most popular distros. Chrome for Linux is so far only available for the Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora and OpenSuse distros.

Similar to Google Chrome for Windows and Mac (also just released), Google focused on speed, stability Take the worry out of managing your enterprise applications. Click to learn how. and security in building the Linux version. However, Google also wanted a high-performance browser that integrated well with the Linux ecosystem, according to Brian Rakowski, product manager.

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