Author Topic: Why do people use Google Chrome? (Read 8137 times)

Slysoft · « **on:** March 07, 2010, 11:38:05 PM »

When there is a perfectly good open-source version called Chromium, which in fact was taken by google, renamed, made closed source, and had tracking software added to it. Chromium even supports all of the extentions produced for google chrome.

I don't get it.

Pzc · « **Reply #1 on:** March 07, 2010, 11:48:04 PM »

I guess having an enormous company marketing
a product has its merits ? I for one have heard
a lot about Chrome but nothing about Chromium.
It's the first time now, actually.

I still like ol' FireFox, a faithful friend in the
tubes of them internets.

nstgc · « **Reply #2 on:** March 07, 2010, 11:53:03 PM »

It probably has a lot to do with the requirement of building the program. I use linux for just about everything that isn't gaming or watching videos that are more than stereo. As a result I have little problem installing a program that way. in fact ./configure make and sudo make install (followed by my password) are in muscle memory. However, if I'm in linux, I'll just stick with FF. If I'm in windows, the last thing I want to have to deal with is building a program. Windows isn't exactly made for that. Its designed with the idea that people will be using binary installers.

DaggerLite · « **Reply #3 on:** March 08, 2010, 12:07:16 AM »

I don't use it, but I have SRW Iron installed for my "Chrome" needs. Actually, I don't really have it installed either - just got the portable version in a program folder.

Chromium is essentially the dev version of Chrome. Thus, Chrome is not closed source, and Chromium also has some tracking features in it, if I'm not entirely mistaken.

Scudworth · « **Reply #4 on:** March 08, 2010, 12:08:43 AM »

I don't know people use anything other than fire fox actually.

relic2279 · « **Reply #5 on:** March 08, 2010, 12:45:32 AM »

Firefox is the only web browser that has an adblock program which actually stops the ads from being downloaded to your pc. The other browsers have similar programs, but they only hide them after the fact. Still consuming bandwidth and time. If this has changed, please let me know. I doubt an ad based company like google would every allow a program like adblock plus to be integrated into their browser.

DaggerLite · « **Reply #6 on:** March 08, 2010, 12:51:57 AM »

Quote from: relic2279 on March 08, 2010, 12:45:32 AM

Firefox is the only web browser that has an adblock program which actually stops the ads from being downloaded to your pc.

I can't speak for all browsers, but Opera blocks ads too. You just add generic stuff like */ads/* to your url filter list to block content from these sites. It's a bit of a pain when a site detects that you block their ads though.

As for Chrome running adblocks, I don't know. I pretty much doubt they will endorse it too, but I wouldn't say that it won't appear eventually. SRWare Iron does at least include the option, but I'm not so sure whether it hides or blocks.

relic2279 · « **Reply #7 on:** March 08, 2010, 12:58:25 AM »

Quote from: DaggerLite on March 08, 2010, 12:51:57 AM

I can't speak for all browsers, but Opera blocks ads too. You just add generic stuff like */ads/* to your url filter list to block content from these sites.

You might be correct, as I don't use opera, but firefox is the only browser that I'm currently aware of that actually does not download the ads to your PC. Every other blocker program downloads them, and hides them. Firefox doesn't even download them, saving you time and bandwidth.

Also, firefox's Adblock plus is the only adblocker which skips/ignores flash ads in videos, like in youtube etc... I don't believe Opera can do that.

AceHigh · « **Reply #8 on:** March 09, 2010, 04:33:37 AM »

I tried Chrome once, it is horrible. It actually makes more ads than IE. Basically you get all the ads already on the site and then you get some extra from google, especially in sites like youtube. I don't know if it is still true because I tried a long time ago, so if this is no longer true, feel free to correct me.

fohfoh · « **Reply #9 on:** March 09, 2010, 07:00:37 PM »

You know... I didn't know there was a difference between Chrome and Chromium. I assumed that Chromium was a Google funded project. I didn't know they were separate entities.

Slysoft · « **Reply #10 on:** March 10, 2010, 02:04:50 AM »

I think google bought them out but the older versions of chromium were a indie project. Now it's basically an open-source version of chrome.

Daiz · « **Reply #11 on:** March 11, 2010, 08:35:42 AM »

Well, you're wrong. Chrome was built by Google from the ground up. It wasn't an indie project at any point. Chromium is just the development name of it, while Chrome is the stable release name. There's nothing more to it.

kureshii · « **Reply #12 on:** March 11, 2010, 09:33:55 AM »

http://blog.chromium.org/2008/09/welcome-to-chromium_02.html

Quote

Today, Google launched a new web browser called Google Chrome. At the same time, we are releasing all of the code as open source under a permissive BSD license. The open source project is called Chromium - after the metal used to make chrome.

tl;dr Chromium is (BSD-licensed) source code of Google Chrome, not an indie project.

Tatsujin · « **Reply #13 on:** March 12, 2010, 08:18:43 PM »

Quote from: Pzc on March 07, 2010, 11:48:04 PM

I guess having an enormous company marketing
a product has its merits ? I for one have heard
a lot about Chrome but nothing about Chromium.
It's the first time now, actually.

I still like ol' FireFox, a faithful friend in the
tubes of them internets.

+1
IE is my backup.

Uninstalled Chrome a while ago.

surdumil · « **Reply #14 on:** March 12, 2010, 08:48:28 PM »

I use Chrome because it is much faster, much less resource-intensive, much less bloated, and has a much simpler and cleaner user interface than Internet Explorer or Firefox.
With Chrome, I encounter none of the nonsense and troubles I experience with IE or FF.

On my ancient laptop, I also use Chrome. IE and FF take absolute forever start up and to load pages on that thing, while Chrome loads quickly and browses nicely.

sapsa · « **Reply #15 on:** March 19, 2010, 08:52:30 AM »

Want Chrome "send" to google information about what you doing on internet, and Chromium have removed that function ?

I remamber that "Chromium" was the "CLEAN Chrome"

Thats my 2 cents

~ Peace

Tiffanys · « **Reply #16 on:** March 19, 2010, 09:48:21 AM »

I use Firefox as my primary and secondary browser (you can set up and run multiple profiles with multiple shortcuts if you're wanting to keep cookies and log into the same sites as different users, etc.). 3rd browser in the line is Opera, and I have some ad blocking list on it too.

Firefox is definitely the best though.

I tried Chrome on my old computer and it wouldn't even install, I've had a bad opinion of it ever since. I tried it on my new one and, all I can say is... It's really super underwhelming, at least to me. I like all of my add-ons and extensions and just how Firefox is, and it's the browser that gets the most add-ons made for it, so it's kinda silly to even bother with others, at least for me. I have everything just the way I like it, just as it is. I have so many add-ons that it'd be ridiculous to try to get any other browser to match it.

kyanwan · « **Reply #17 on:** March 20, 2010, 01:16:26 PM »

Firefox is my main browser. I hate it at times. They claim it's nice and smooth, but it sucks and is clunky. Not the best in my opinion, but it's the best we have at the moment.
( the ideal for me, at the moment, is how browsers handled from around the IE4 / Netscape Gold time. Oh yeah, they were fairly smooth back then. Sure, they're more complex ... more fucking useless add-on shit ... but - I got spoiled with stability & speed. Any damn company want to step the hell up & make a decent browser again? )

Ah. Almost forgot - I refer to it as "firefuck" here. LoL!

IE sucks about 100 times more. IE is barf in a bag. I use this for intranet shit & fully trusted applications only (i.e.: anything I write myself, and use internally. It has decent API shit. Anyone know if Firefox has the same crap? I'd use firefox instead - I never bothered to look if Firefox has equivalent stuff.)

Chrome was ... worse than Firefox. Just barely. I would use it - but I have considerations: a- security b- stability. Firefox has been tested enough by me, and I am unable to switch without a headache. Oh. And google is behind chrome. That's a big negative for me.

Opera was annoying.

Safari - I liked the speed, and I liked the feel ... but I figured it was apple - apple is untested shit ( just look how popular mac is ) - and probably full of security holes. So, I didn't run it. http://gizmodo.com/5175246/safari-cracked-in-seconds-at-pwn2own-hacking-competition Yeah. ( In other words - Apple isn't real world computing. Sorry! Everything everyone says in the security field about apple - is correct. With the real world market share that Apple has, it's no wonder Apple has "security" - nobody writes virii for Apple because there are no lame Apple systems to take over. Now, iPhone on the other hand >

I can't wait - it's going to be epic. Yes, that's already being discussed. IMO, the only question is: how do you compromise [in most people's worlds: "infect"] an iphone? BWAHAHAHAHAH! )

Are there other browsers? If so I don't care.

surdumil · « **Reply #18 on:** March 21, 2010, 02:29:09 AM »

^ Lol. I commiserate!

Stsin · « **Reply #19 on:** March 21, 2010, 11:27:45 AM »

Long user of FireFox and didn't think I'd ever change with all it's addons. Really stable compared to IE...but that's not saying much. Crashes often with one of the latest flash updates, which doesn't bother Chrome.

Since version 4.0 supporting Greasemonkey scripts and other plugins, I tried Chrome and it's just not a bit faster, but noticeably much faster. Opens instantly and is more intuitive to me. I enjoy the simpler design.

But the Google tracking does bother me. So looked at the alternatives suggested by this thread:

Chromium is the source without the Google tracking additions...other than what you can opt. And since it's open source, if there's some bad tracking, couldn't it be easily removed?
Anyways, not an option for me since I don't have the apps to compile it.

So took a look at the SRWare Iron. Also using the Chromium source, but with some privacy additions. Trying it now, using all the same addons, extensions, plugins that I was using with Chrome. Also trying the one based off of the newer version of Chromium than Chrome is using. It's great.

So if want Chrome performance, without the Google tracking. SRWare Iron would be a wise choice.

Tried changing the user directory similar to Chrome, and it works by changing the shortcut's target directory like so:
"C:\Program Files (x86)\SRWare Iron\iron.exe" --enable-extensions --user-data-dir="S:\cache\Chromium"