Google issued an early preview release of its Chrome browser for Linux and Mac OS X on Thursday, but Google warned that the browser may crash and is still lacking some features.

Google emphasized that both new versions are very much rough drafts intended for developers, not consumers looking for a smooth browsing experience.

Unless, of course, you are a developer or take great pleasure in incomplete, unpredictable and potentially crashing software, said product managers Mike Smith and Karen Grunberg. Among other things, you won't yet be able to view YouTube videos, change your privacy settings, set your default search provider, or even print.

Google has been promising to deliver browser releases for Mac OS X and Linux machines since the company unveiled Chrome last September. Google coders have been working to rebuild some Chrome components, such as its graphical interface and its sandbox that isolates different processes from each other, to move beyond just Windows.

We are working hard on adding functionality to the Mac and Linux builds of Google Chrome and promoting them to the beta and stable channels soon, but we have nothing to announce at this time, a Google spokesperson said Friday in an e-mail. Since Google Chrome is open source and all the development is done in the open, you can track our progress on these versions in our developer site.

Google did not reveal any official dates as to when Chrome for Linux and Mac OS X will be available for consumers.

Watch a clip below of Google's chrome for Mac OS X and Linux:

Google Google chrome Chrome Software