In a move intended to benefit developers and users alike, Google will drastically reduce the time between each stable release of its Chrome web browser, committing to deliver an updated build every six weeks - or about twice as often as today. Sharing its logic behind the decision, the company says shifting to a shorter release cycle will allow it to introduce new features soon after they're finished instead of months later.
By having fixed durations for development, Google can better determine how much work will fit in a given cycle. This will lighten the load on the company's software engineers, who face a difficult decision when features are incomplete at the end of a deadline: they can work overtime, delay the browser build, or launch the update but disable the feature until the next release, which used to be three months away with the old schedule.
Mozilla announced plans to adopt a similar development strategy back in January, saying it would be "a huge advantage to users" while allowing the organization to bypass time-consuming beta periods.