Google Chrome Extensions

[Rhinox]

Any of you guys have a chance to play with them? Just started using them tonight so far I must say I'm impressed.

Thoughts?

[Zosi]

The plugin architecture isn't as capable as Firefox's yet, which means no NoScript or AdBlock right now. The Chrome devs say that's coming, but who knows, it wouldn't entirely surprise me if that got "delayed indefinitely" because they don't want you blocking Google ads.

Here's my list of "Won't use as main browser without" plugins:

1) AdBlock Plus - There are Chrome-based ad "blockers", but they don't actually block the ads, they just hide them with CSS. This has upsides and downsides, but the major downsides are that they still waste your bandwidth, and that it's possible to completely bypass them. They also aren't ABP-compatible, which is important for using the same *very good* filter list that ABP uses. Won't see a proper ad blocker for Chrome until they add the extra support necessary on the browser side.

2) NoScript. Same deal as AdBlock, can't be done without suitable support from the browser.

3) Delicious Bookmarks integration. Yes, there's bookmarklets for Delicious (which I use), but that still means I have to rely on a web page for my bookmarks rather than the built-in bookmarking system. The Firefox addon has a killer feature for me, and that's the "favorite tags" toolbar, which makes dynamic folders for whichever tags you select and puts them on the toolbar. This is the main way I use my bookmarks, so I doubt I'll switch until I can get it in Chrome. I think this is possible right now, so it's probably just a matter of time until Yahoo makes an official plugin to go alongside the FF/IE ones.

4) Greasemonkey. This is definitely possible, but as far as I know, it just hasn't been done to the level of polish that Firefox has.

On the more general subject, I've played with a few Chrome addons. The official Google Speed Tracer plugin (part of Google Web Tools) is pretty slick, but I haven't had much luck getting many of the unofficial ones to work. They'll install, but won't actually do anything. I'm hoping that that's just because of the lack of firm versions right now in the dev channel, and that it will work better when the 4.x series is closer to release. On the bright side, it's nice to be able to install stuff without restarting the browser, and it looks like the addons themselves aren't too complicated to write.