Though Google has released the test versions of its Chrome browser for Mac OS X and Linux, the company has alongside also cautioned that the builds are basically developers-specific and not stable enough for use on a daily basis.

While the Mac version is designed for Intel-based system and OS X 10.5.6 or later, the Linux version requires Ubuntu 8.04 or Debian version 5 and above.

Revealing the release versions on the Google Chromium blog, the company urged users to refrain from downloading them, "unless, of course, you are a developer or take great pleasure in incomplete, unpredictable, and potentially crashing software."

The release of the Chrome test versions underline the fulfillment of Google Chrome team's promises to deliver a native version of the company's browser for Mac users, with the slight hitch that the latest prerelease edition is somewhat incomplete.

The installation procedure of the new Chrome browser is essentially uncomplicated, similar to any other Mac application. The 29.7MB .dmg file needs to be downloaded, and the Chrome app icon has to be dragged onto the Applications folder. A warning message at the opening of the browser clearly indicates that it is merely an early development version.

The early version does not support features like Chrome's privacy settings, a default search provider setting, or the Flash video content viewing ability.