Wednesday, December 18, 2013

This Chromium experiment takes the URL out of the address bar, because why not?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/12/18/chromium-experiment-takes-the-url-out-of-the-omnibox/

This Chromium experiment takes the URL out of the address bar, because why not?

Chromium, Google's open-source Chrome project, isn't for the average Joe (or Jane); it's for open-source fanatics. So today's two Chromium experiments, announced by Product Evangelist François Beaufort, should give that subset of users something curious and something useful to play with, in that order.

First up is a Chrome OS experiment that mixes up the traditional URL-in-omnibox setup by removing the host URL altogether and placing it within the toolbar, just off to the right side (as pictured above). You can still click on that "origin chip" to display the full URL, as well as permissions data, if you'd like, but the the omnibox will remain empty for -- we're not sure -- a cleaner search experience, perhaps? Again, the reasoning behind this odd switch up is unclear, but knowing Google, it likely has to do with reducing clutter in the user interface as much as possible.

The other, much more sensible experiment involves a bit of code that allows you to make any site of your choosing (presumably a favorite) into a Chrome App. The option, once enabled, will appear under Tools in Chrome's dropdown menu. All it requires is one click and you're done. And no, you wouldn't be wrong for thinking of this as a new way to bookmark sites... it is and it's simple to do.

Just hit up the source below to get cracking on this Chrome customization and that other, weird one if you're so inclined.

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Comments

Source: Francois Beaufort (G+), (2)