Why, Google?
Google Chrome, Google’s foray into the browser market, started on Windows, leaving Mac OS and Linux users wondering what happened to them. Luckily, about a year later, the first beta versions of Chrome for Mac started to appear. However, one feature that had been in the Windows version since the beginning was missing — the ability to create desktop shortcuts to open your favorite web applications in their own window. Even more strangely, the “File” menu still contaned a menu item for “Create Application Shortcut…”, but it was grayed out. One would think that this implied an eventual implementation of this feature…
Fast forward to the present day — about two years have passed, and Chrome for Mac OS has progressed from version “5.0″ (the first Mac version) to version “15″. However, that menu item remains as grayed-out as it ever was! This, of course, makes one wonder if Google has any plans to enable the feature. Luckily, even if they don’t, there is now a way to create Chrome web application shortcuts on your mac! These shortcuts act just like “real” applications, can run alongside Chrome without interference and are even compatible with Mission Control/Exposé and Spaces!
The Procedure
- Grab the tool from this page – the download link is where is says “(download the updated version from here)”
- Run the tool, specify the name and URL of the web app, and select a square PNG file as an icon
- The application will be created in your Applications folder. Drag it to your dock, if you’d like.
- …and you’re done!
Google Chrome, running alongside apps for Remember the Milk, Gmail, and Google Calendar!
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