about:labs
Google Chrome's about:labs becoming about:flags, kill switch added
Today, the change has landed in Chromium and will no doubt be pushed to Canary shortly. Now called about:flags, the page sports the trefoil (internationally recognized as a warning against radiation) and a bigger, scarier warning. "Please proceed with caution," the intro concludes.
In addition to the name change and new cautionary text, a command line switch has been added to allow users to launch Chrome with all previously-enabled experimental features disabled: --no-experiments. Should you happen to encounter problems browsing after enabling a feature or two, simply add the switch to your launch command and you're back to the stock set of Chrome features.
More experimental features (and DANGER!) on the way to Chrome's about:labs page
Bleeding-edge Chrome users -- especially those using Macs -- have at least one very good reason to like Chrome's recently-added about:labs page. First and foremost, it provides an easier way to enable and disable features that were previously buried behind command line switches.
In a posting on the Chromium-dev board, Google's Ben Goodger has some encouraging news for about:labs fans. Goodger wants Chrome developers to get their experimental features added to Labs, so expect to see plenty of future additions as Googlers tinker.
At the same time, Goodger wants to make it more clear that Labs features are experiments -- meaning users could very well mix the "chemicals" improperly and have Chrome blow up in their faces. That's certainly the case with Chrome's accelerated 2D canvas switch in the current Dev channel build.
As such, there's a re-name coming so that the page sounds a bit less friendly. Perhaps about:danger? about:itsatrap? Maybe they should also change the background color to red or slap a sign on the page...
Google Chrome For Linux Now Comes With About:Labs Features
For Linux users who have been using the dev build of Google Chrome, you can now head over to the “about:labs” page and enjoy some Labs feature.
The “about:labs” page has been around for the Linux build for quite some time, but unlike the Windows version, nothing was available. In the latest update of Google Chrome, the “about:labs” now comes with several features like Tabbed Settings, Remoting, Page Info Bubble, Disable outdated plug-ins, XSS Auditor and Background WebApps.
Here’s a short breakdown of what each feature does:
Tabbed Settings
Instead of a new window, the Chrome Settings is now opened in a new tab.
Remoting
Allows Remoting Client support.
Page Info Bubble
The page info is now shown as an info bubble instead of a dialog window.
Disable outdated plug-ins
As its name implies, disable outdated plugins to reduce security vulnerability
XSS Auditor
Enables WebKit’s XSS Auditor (cross-site scripting protection). This feature aims to protect you from certain attacks of malicious web sites. It improves your security, but it might not be compatible with all web sites.
Background WebApps
Run installed web apps in the background at system startup and even after all windows are closed.
Activating about:labs features
1. Ensure that you are using a dev build of Google Chrome (you can get the deb file here)
2. Open a new tab and type “about:labs” (without the quotes) in the URL bar.
3. Choose the feature you want and click the “Enable” link.
4. Restart Google Chrome
That’s it.