Google Gets Greasemonkey, Sort Of

Greasemonkey, the oh-so-handy customization tool for Firefox, is now coming to Google’s Chrome browser, too.

The expanded extension, first revealed on the Google Operating System blog, is becoming available before Chrome’s official extension API has even hit the masses. In what’s sure not to be a coincidence, Greasemonkey’s creator — Aaron Boodman — happens to work at Google as a Gears engineer.

As of now, the Greasemonkey Chrome version functions only on the developer edition of Chrome. It also has to be launched by adding “–enable-greasemonkey” on to the end of a target. One wonders, though, whether the support will eventually become integrated into a future Chrome build, given Boodman’s Google connection.

The news may serve as a comfort to any Chrome users who are also frustrated with the recent iGoogle change. A Greasemonkey script is already floating around to let you remove the new left-of-screen sidebar implemented into the portal page. While developed for Firefox, the function will presumably now carry over into Chrome as well.