Six Things to Expect From Google Chrome Extensions

Since Google's Chrome web browser launched last September, it has garnered a small market share (roughly one percent, depending on the study you read). Chrome has embraced a lot of principles that has made the Mozilla Firefox browser so popular: It's fast and open to web developers to improve it.

But Chrome has yet to replicate the extension of "add-on" features that allow normal users to embed more functionality on top of their browser, as Firefox has done so famously. Created by third-party developers, a typical add-on (or extension) might help you preview web-pages or view how many messages you have in your Gmail, for example.

Today, at the Google I/O conference in San Francisco, Aaron Boodman, a Google developer, confirmed to attendees that Google has accelerated its efforts to create an ecosystem of add-ons that customize the Chrome browser. Boodman says that Google is adamant about maintaining Chrome's minimalist and elegant design, while allowing add-ons to streamline the ability for users to access their favorite apps and web-pages more quickly.
While the presentation was very developer-based, I picked out some things to expect for the first iteration of Google Chrome extensions, which remain in pre-alpha (a tech term for "awhile" if you're a normal end-user).

1. Extensions Will Help Keep Chrome Minimal.

Mozilla built out an incredible amount of add-ons for its browser, but it has at times crowded the browser's look and feel. Google wants extensions to compliment Chrome's elegant design by not capturing too much screen real-estate. Extensions will allow Chrome users to customize their browser if they want, but such features will likely never be added as default to Chrome.

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