The latest version of Google's web browser, Chrome 47, just entered the stable channel for Windows, Linux and Mac and it brought quite a few improvements.
Regardless of whether you are a developer or a regular user, you will find value in the cooperative multitasking, new developer features, security fixes and automatic dismissal of desktop notifications.
The impressive Google Chrome user base of over one million makes any developer tool for the browser extremely useful, and Chrome 47 brings quite a few.
First off, Google ditched the desktop notification center from Chrome, an action which was communicated publicly last month. Most users simply did not want to be bothered with info from the browser's app when they were doing something other than browsing, so Google pulled the plug on the notification center.
The tech giant company also enables developers to configure automatic dismissal of desktop notifications.
For example, coders can use "NotificationOptions.requireInteraction" so that the the notification stays onscreen until the user eliminates it. Taking down push notifications (present since Chrome 42) means that the handsets that use the mobile version of Chrome 47 will get a much more airy feeling in their display.
In conclusion, the notification center stays in the Chrome OS, but no longer appears in taskbars.
Chrome chooses web push notifications instead, which permit users to customize Chrome to their liking. Push notifications can be in effect for specific web pages, and they will show on Android devices alongside regular app alerts.
Until recently, a white screen appeared when Android apps were loading. To make the process of loading apps smoother and better looking, Chrome 47 brings splash screens.
To use hardware resources efficiently, developers can now explicitly program processes to run at idle times, due to the requestIdleCallback(). When a function uses requestIdleCallback(), it receives a deadline and can return before that limit is reached. Then, it can register again for another requestIdleCallback(), allowing it to work for the the next idle period.
This allows for a better planning of time and resources, and performance-critical tasks such as rendering can be optimized and scheduled better. However, some human-dependent action times are hard to predict, such as the scrolling intervals.
A consistent number of security issues also get solutions in the latest browser edition from Google, and the company listed them all on its blog. Simple math shows that the Mountain View-based company spent over $100,000 in bug bounties, thus making the Chrome 47 one really safe way to browse the web.
The video below explains, using code examples, the detailed functions of all the improvements and how developers and users can benefit from them.
