Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) has released a significant update for its Chrome Frame plug-in that the company says includes more than 200 bug fixes. Chrome Frame makes it possible for Internet Explorer (IE) (NASDAQ: MSFT) to display content using Chrome's rendering engine. Despite improvements in IE, Google had complained that the various versions of IE are unable to handle the new web-based applications that it is developing. Chrome Frame represents a way for companies to continue supporting legacy IE-specific applications while leveraging the performance and features in the Chrome browser.

The new beta addresses some of the criticism levied when it was first released in September as a developer preview last year. At that time, Mozilla highlighted how the use of Chrome Frame essentially turns IE into a black box where things such as security settings and treatment of passwords become unknown to users; Microsoft itself argued that the use of plug-ins such as Chrome Frame effectively doubled the attack area for hackers.

This time, users in Internet Explorer's private browsing mode who switch to Chrome Frame will see a similar mode being turned on in the embedded browser. As reported by The Register, Chrome Frame will also work with IE cache-clearing and cookie-blocking tools now.

Google engineers Amit Joshi and Alex Russel elaborated on the focus of the latest release in a blog entry: "Since our initial launch, we've been listening to developers: Instead of adding new bells and whistles, we've fixed more than 200 bugs to make integration with Internet Explorer seamless while improving security, stability and performance."

While not out of beta yet, users stuck on IE can head over to download the latest version of Chrome Frame here.

For more on this story:
- check out this article at Wired
- check out this article at The Register
- check out this article at Ars Technica

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