Google steps up Chrome release schedule

Google Chrome

Google is to reduce the time between Chrome browser updates by half, delivering a new stable version every six weeks.

Anthony Laforge, a programme manager at Google, said that the move will give developers greater flexibility to get new features into an update, while maintaining a set schedule and allowing new components to reach consumers in a shorter time.

"If a given feature is not complete, it will simply ride on the next release train when it's ready," Laforge wrote in a posting on the Chromium Blog. "Since those trains come every six weeks there is less stress."

Laforge noted that the faster release schedule will mean less of a distinction between the browser's version numbers.

New updates will progress at faster version rates, so differences in version numbers will not necessarily indicate major changes in the browser.