Google will be opening up its Chrome Extensions Gallery to the public sometime in the next week according to two sources and TechCrunch, possibly during the Add-On-Conference where Google Chrome is a sponsor of the event. Google Chrome had opened up its Extensions Gallery to developers in November, and the gallery seems to almost be ready for prime time.
The addition of extensions to Google Chrome will not just make many casual users of Google Chrome happier, but also lead to customization of the browser which will lead to expanded usage and more user loyalty. Essentially, Extensions are to Chrome what Addons are to Firefox.
Apparently, the Extensions Gallery will be much like the Chrome Themes Gallery. It will be a page that lists a bunch of extensions and has a button to one-click download the ones you want. Presumably there will also be a link to learn more about what each extension actually does.
Initially, Extension support will only be for the Windows-based version of Chrome. Even though the launch of the beta version of Chrome for Mac is imminent, that version will not have extension support built-in. However, the latest builds of Chromium (the open-source browser that Chrome is built off of) for Mac does support extensions, and even has an extension manager that works. It would appear that the Linux build of Chrome will support extensions whenever that beta is available.
Personally, I’m incredibly excited to see the collection of Chrome extensions which make my job easier roll out, including SEO and search marketing oriented extensions. One such extension which has been Shareaholic, one of my favorite social media extensions which assists in the sharing of sites to cross pollinate social media networks. Here’s a preview of their Chrome extension (also from TechCrunch).
If you have an extension for Chrome, you can upload it to the Google Chrome Extension Developer Dashboard.
What Extensions or current Firefox Add-ons do you want to see added to Chrome?
