#Chrome smoothscroll install#
#Chrome smoothscroll windows#

Indeed, another new policy, announced last month, requires all extensions for Chrome on Windows to be hosted in the Chrome Web Store. Nothing in the new policy prohibits sideloading, although that language appears to be a shot across the bow at developers who go outside the Chrome Web Store.

#Chrome smoothscroll install#

Hen extensions were sideloaded locally on their computer (perhaps bundled as part of another piece of software they installed) the user wouldn't have the benefit of the information in the Chrome Web Store at all, so they might not realize they were agreeing to install an extension with unwanted functionality or poor reviews. Google's blog post also briefly mentions the problem of вЂњsideloadingвЂќ: Needless to say, the ad revenue doesn't go to the owner of the website. In other words, images on the pages you visit, be they ads or content, can be replaced with ads from the Superfish network. Just use your add-on or toolbar to inject one line of javascript and our technology will handle the rest. Our visual search results generate revenue when your users click over to a store. The technology instantly analyzes images on the web and presents identical and similar product offers. SimilarProducts is a monetization platform that uses Superfish technology to help users find and discover products visually. It appears this app changed hands recently, and the new owners have decided to cash in.ДЄ quick look at uncovers more evidence for the theory that ad injectors are the real target: The first item on the associated terms of service is titled ' Business Model,' which should be a giveaway. We depend on your support, but we understand if you would prefer to withhold it. This extension is ad supported, you can disable your support by going to the options and making a one-time donation. When turned on from the options page, you can hover over the 'See Similar' icon on images to find better deals around the web. SmoothScroll has partnered with to let you instantly compare prices and see similar items while you shop. The product's listing, from a company called DemandMagic, LLC, acknowledges that it's ad-supported, using language remarkably similar to the generic example Google cites:

Then, there's a nearly two-year gap before the new, mostly 1-star reviews slam the product for injecting ads, apparently without permission. The extension had overwhelmingly positive reviews until mid-2011. The post doesnвЂ™t contain any specific examples of extensions that violate that original principle, only describing the problem in generic terms: Similarly, toolbars that provide a broad array of functionality or entry points into services are better delivered as separate extensions, so that users can select the services they want. For example, functionality that displays product ratings and reviews, but also injects ads into web pages, should not be bundled into a single extension.

If two pieces of functionality are clearly separate, they should be put into two different extensions, and users should have the ability to install and uninstall them separately. Do not create an extension that requires users to accept bundles of unrelated functionality, such as an email notifier and a news headline aggregator. The new developer guidelines, posted on theВ Chrome Web StoreвЂ™s Program Policies page, offer a hint of what the real reason might be:ДЄn extension should have a single purpose that is clear to users. We're making this policy change to fix these problems and give users more control over their browsing experience. These multi-purpose extensions can crowd your browser UI and slow down your web browsing - sometimes significantly.

While this has always been the intent of the Chrome extension system, not all extensions have lived up to this ideal. Xtensions in the Chrome Web Store must have a single purpose that is narrow and easy-to-understand. In a post on the Chromium Blog, Engineering Director Erik KayВ described the new вЂњkeep it simpleвЂќ policy as an expression of the original purpose of Chrome: Google announced today thatВ itВ would begin cracking down on makers of вЂњmulti-purposeвЂќ extensions.