Google Brings Chrome OS User Management To Chrome

An anonymous reader writes "Google is toying with a complete revamp of the user account system in its browser. Google is essentially pulling the user management system from Chrome OS back into Chrome. The company's thinking is likely two-layered. First, it wants users to stay in the browser for as long as possible, and thus it wants the switching process to be part of Chrome as opposed to Windows, Mac, or Linux. Second, if it can teach users to have accounts in Chrome (as well as use incognito and guest modes), the learning curve will have been flattened for when they encounter Chrome OS."

Re:I have read the title 5 times, I still dont get

[Anonymous Coward]

I think you're failing to understand the difference between "Chrome OS" (the operating system for Chrome Books) and "Chrome" (the browser).

Re:Just stop already

[jrumney]

Google Chrome has become as bad as IE in terms of hidden settings, or settings that are just not there. In Opera and Firefox, I have no issues accessing numerous networks. I can change network settings on the fly and have different settings for different browsers. With Chrome and IE I need a new browser installation everywhere, because Chrome either uses no settings or IE settings. Being able to set proxies and network settings in an add on browser is an important feature for testing.

IE at least has proxy support that works. Chrome is singularly terrible in this respect. Try using a proxy script with a file URL, pointing to an authenticated proxy and move between networks without closing the browser (Chrome now keeps a process running in the background even if you closed all your Windows, so difficult to avoid), and you'll see what I mean.

Re:Just stop already

[s.petry]

I'm not sure I was clear enough with the problem. IE has proxy settings that work, sure. I launch Firefox and Opera to access Dev and QA environments with different settings than I need for normal browsing. I often need to change this on the fly to access other networks, so can keep multiple settings handy for either Firefox or Opera. Chrome has no settings to change, it uses the same exact settings as IE. If I set Windows to access a proxy there is no separation either, so all of my other connections drop.

A proxy script does not help, because I can't point different browsers to different proxies on the fly. I could always point Firefox at QA and always point Opera to Dev, but I'm screwed when I need to access something else. Working at a good sized ISP I have at least 4 different environments to access regularly.

Re: I care, because Firefox is going to copy this.

[corychristison]

I'm not certain when, but it was in there long before Firefox/Phoenix was an idea.

I recall using profiles with Netscape Navigator in the late 90's.