The so-called "reading modes" in browsers represent an interesting agreement between readers and content developers. Some companies incorporated this feature much earlier than the rest, but now it's Google Chrome's turn, after being mentioned for the first time in the last days of February. All you need is a simple modification to the execution command in a shortcut.
When it comes to reading, we all want a good experience. The dynamics of the Web and the design of some sites can harm that experience, which is a real pity, especially if we're talking about solid content. When Apple introduced reading mode in Safari almost half a decade ago, the most pessimistic minds saw it as the end of the advertising-funded Web. In reality, the opposite happened: The Safari user can let a site load its advertising to serve its purpose, and then access the text in a simpler format. If you still have doubts, consider this: Google is working on an experimental reading mode for Google Chrome. What was once available through extensions is now an official part of the browser, and anyone can enable it.
How to enable reading mode in Google Chrome
Although I'd like to pretend there is some kind of strange science behind the feature, the truth is there isn't. To enable reading mode in Google Chrome, you just need to right-click, go to shortcut properties, and add the --enable-dom-distiller line after the command. With just a browser restart, you'll find an option called "Distill page" in Chrome's main menu, and the effect will be immediate.
Still, we must emphasize the word "experimental". Reading mode in Google Chrome also removes multimedia components, including YouTube videos, which harms the article content and Google itself in several ways. I imagine it will be a matter of time before reading mode becomes a stable feature. In the case of Firefox, the first traces of its existence appeared in the nightly of version 38, so we have a long wait ahead. As always, don't forget to use the latest Chrome for this.
