Google finally addresses years-old issues related to Chrome browser

[Shawn Knight]

Google is finally getting around to addressing a couple of nagging issues related to its Chrome web browser that have been plaguing users for years.

Chrome 37 Beta now uses the DirectWrite API from Microsoft which supports high-quality text rendering, resolution-independent outline fonts and full unicode text and layout support. Up to this point, Google had been tapping into the Graphics Device Interface API to render text.

Or in layman's terms, text rendering will now be on par with Firefox and newer versions of Internet Explorer.

Note that you'll need to be running Windows Vista or newer to reap the benefits of DirectWrite. If all goes smoothly, the feature will likely find its way into the final public release in the near future.

Elsewhere, Google is also working on a notebook battery drain issue. According to a recent report from Forbes, Chrome sets the Windows system clock tick rate at 1.000ms as soon as it opens and leaves it at that rate.

Internet Explorer, on the other hand, only sets the tick rate at 1.000ms to handle processor-intensive tasks. Microsoft notes that setting the tick rate at a constant 1.000ms could increase power consumption by as much as 25 percent.

The issue was first reported way back in 2010 but went unaddressed until just recently when Forbes ran a story on the matter. That prompted Google to get to work on the issue and the bug has since been made a top priority for the Chrome team. With any luck, it'll be fixed soon. 

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/57460-google-finally-addresses-years-old-issues-related-to-chrome-browser.html

 

[Jad Chaar]

This is why I hate the Chrome team sometimes, they put off priority issues...

 

[amstech]

On a side note, the new Waterfox (64bit only browser) is lovely.
It's now my official secondary browser.

 

[Bl00dyMinded]

They should add the option to RUN programs instead of having to save EVERYTHING!

 

[Guest]

I can see the difference of text clarity in chrome on my 1440p display. Great improvement.

 

[Guest]

Chrome has always been unstable whenever I tried to run it. It crashed, or locked up my systems. I used Firefox with no problems instead.
It would be nice if Chrome was fixed so that it would run stable, I might use it then. So far, it looks like a Beta version to me.

 

[Guest]

Quite honestly, I don't know why I have to log into Techspot using Twitter or Facebook.
I would rather not use Twitter or Facebook at all, thank you.

Please arrange this so I can log in with my Goggle ID instead. I would rather avoid Facebook, and have no reason to join it..

 

[cliffordcooley]

You wouldn't need a social network account, if you created an account with TechSpot. Then you would have the pleasure of differentiating yourself from the other guest.

 

[ypsylon]

Fixed some bugs and created 50 new loopholes for spying on users, it's Google after all.

 

[Guest]

Oh, but Chrome is SOOO much better than IE...

NOT!

 

[Per Hansson]

So this means Chrome _finally_ works with DPI settings above the Windows default without creating a blurry mess of everything?

 

[Nima304]

Oh, but Chrome is SOOO much better than IE...

NOT!

Chrome is far superior to IE. Look at how many security bugs they patched just in this month's Patch Tuesday. IE still has a ton of unaddresses zero-day vulnerabilities associated with it as well. Look up the Use After Free exploit for an example of one of them.

Anyway, here are the notes for Microsoft's July Patch Tuesday for Windows. And I quote:

This security update resolves one publicly disclosed vulnerability and twenty-three privately reported vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer. The most severe of these vulnerabilities could allow remote code execution if a user views a specially crafted webpage using Internet Explorer. An attacker who successfully exploited these vulnerabilities could gain the same user rights as the current user.

Source: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/security/ms14-jul.aspx

 

[cliffordcooley]

IE still has a ton of unaddresses zero-day vulnerabilities associated with it as well.

That just means Chrome has that many zero-day vulnerabilities which have yet to be discovered.

 

[Nero7]

Since Opera went full nuts with their next... I dunno which browser to choose. Techspot could seriously make a comparision test whatever I'd be interested into it. Using anything related to Google or Apple... nah I chose my devil... M$.

 

[tipstir]

I've been using the latest Chrome Browser 64-bit DEV no really issues but it's much faster than *32 Chrome which was plague with issues.

 

[Guest]

What about the CTRL+Mouse Wheel zoom issue? Did they address that as well?

 

[captaincranky]

Quite honestly, I don't know why I have to log into Techspot using Twitter or Facebook.
I would rather not use Twitter or Facebook at all, thank you.

Please arrange this so I can log in with my Goggle ID instead. I would rather avoid Facebook, and have no reason to join it..

To the best of my knowledge, you have to do no such thing. And since I have neither a Facebook or Twitter account, yet here I am. I'd say my knowledge is spot on.

You can join, and simply log in, or you can go through the Captcha. You can do a captcha, can't you? Er, maybe?