Gmail For Linux Gets Browser Support For Voice and Video Chat

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Linux may not be getting any a version of Valve’s Steam digital video game distribution platform anytime soon but that doesn’t mean the operating system isn’t getting any love. In fact, the community surrounding the open source OS is alive and well with popular software making the jump just about every day.

Google is no stranger to the Linux OS  and have based their popular Android mobile operating system along with the forthcoming Google TV and Chrome OS off its kernel. Of course, as of late, there has been some controversy over whether or not modern Android releases are actually Linux based but that’s an entirely different discussion which we won’t get into here.

Apart from offering operating systems for a plethora of devices, Google also has a wide range of cloud based services which I’m sure you’re all very well aware of. Not only do they have their core search engine, but they also offer Gmail, Google Talk, Google Docs, Google Buzz and much more.

Most all of these services (besides Buzz) have proven themselves to be immensely popular but one really stands out from the pack and that is Gmail. Launched back in 2004 as a limited invite beta, Gmail has grown in popularity ever since, just recently graduating from beta in 2009.

Seeing how Gmail is a browser based service, it’s near impossible for it to run into compatibility issues meaning it runs just a well on Linux as it does on Windows or OS X. However, the Linux version of Gmail has trailed behind its brethren in features, but Google is doing everything they can to change that.

This past Thursday, in fact, Google has announced that Gmail for Linux has been updated to allow for both video and voice chat support right within the browser. All you need to do is head here and grab the plugin – happy chatting!