Is Google-Chrome a totally CRAP browser?

[DaveS]

I guess if you are a beginner, the answer has to be an unequivocal YES. Why? As a standard install, Google-Chrome has the WORST bookmarking access of any browser I have encountered, EVER! And as everyone knows, browsers are all about bookmarks! EPIC FAIL!
For the initiated, its not so bad.... just install something like Neat bookmarks https://chrome.google.com/webstore/deta ... bijifaainp, but why should you have to?
But everyone says Google-Chrome is so FAST.. and I have to agree. Why is this so? Forget all the crap about javascript speed etc., most of us are limited way more by the speed of our internet connection. Who gives a sh*t if a javascript comes out quicker in some totally irrelevant benchmark by a millisecond or two when the real limitation is the time it takes to download graphics etc.?
Yet Google-Chrome still feels fast.. Why? OK, I will tell you... When you visit a web site, the graphics etc get saved to your hard drive so that next time, it can load these locally instead of relying on your connection speed. Problem is, this 'cache' grows and grows, just like Topsy! There are reports all over the net of google-chrome caches growing to in excess of 2GB! Great with a 500MB save file, no?
If you MUST use Google-Chrome, (and presumably its various derivatives), for Heavens sake, regularly empty the cache. This is accessed via the little spanner icon on the toolbar, 'Preferences' 'under the bonnet' 'clear browsing data'

What do I think of Google-Chrome, Ha ha, posting from it now.. what a creep!

[rokytnji]

I don't run Google Chrome in my Puppy Installs. SeaMonkey or firefox suffices for me.

In my AntiX installs. I have Iron Browser as a backup for Iceape. No save file to worry about in AntiX.

One things that irks me. I have to install user agent switcher addon in Iceape or SeaMonkey because of crappy website setups. Like screenr when it comes to logging in or some banks
also. It's not SeaMonkeys or Iceapes Fault. I find them more feature rich than most other faster browsers. So I guess personal preferences as usual come into play on what wants on a browser.

Good tips there, DaveS.

[alienjeff]

The OP asked, "Is Google-Chrome a totally CRAP browser?"

Hrm. I see the Google name. Yep. It's definitely crap.

[DaveS]

The OP asked, "Is Google-Chrome a totally CRAP browser?"

Hrm. I see the Google name. Yep. It's definitely crap.

LOL....
Not exactly definitive though

[rokytnji]

Wanna try something weird?

Just extracted the 32bit tar.gz into /home and in AntiX opened it with

Code: Select all

harry@Biker:~/Webian Shell$ ./Webian*Shell

Can be found at

http://webian.org/shell/download/

Just playing around. Did this after last post here just a few minutes ago. Don''t know yet if I'll keep it though.

[Bert]

Dave,

Chrome IS fast. Even with an empty cache.
Why do you think it is the default browser in more and more 'light weight' distros?

Using bookmarks is a little different, but super easy, if you know how to use your home page.

Biggest problem with recent Chromium is it no longer allows running as root.
There's a solution for that somewhere in the forum, but it is not user friendly.

I like the Chromium interface, now more or less copied by Mozilla and Opera.
I am not saying I like Google

[Bert]

Wanna try something weird?

Just extracted the 32bit tar.gz into /home and in AntiX opened it with

Code: Select all

harry@Biker:~/Webian Shell$ ./Webian*Shell

Can be found at

http://webian.org/shell/download/

Just playing around. Did this after last post here just a few minutes ago. Don''t know yet if I'll keep it though.

Thanks rokytnji,

Just downloaded it and been trying it in Lubuntu. Yes, it is certainly weird
I can see where they are aiming to go, but at the moment it feels more like a proof of concept doesn't it?
I think Peppermint already achieved this last year and in a more convincing way.
(not that I would recommend Peppermint. The developer is a great guy, but the forum leaders are frustrated egos, ruining the project, imho)

[DaveS]

Dave,

Chrome IS fast. Even with an empty cache.
Why do you think it is the default browser in more and more 'light weight' distros?

Using bookmarks is a little different, but super easy, if you know how to use your home page.

Biggest problem with recent Chromium is it no longer allows running as root.
There's a solution for that somewhere in the forum, but it is not user friendly.

I like the Chromium interface, now more or less copied by Mozilla and Opera.
I am not saying I like Google

Funny thing that Root issue.. I have 12.0.742.91 running happy as can be as root, but I dont know why! This in Spup. But I cant seem to make a .pet that reproduces this behaviour.

[nooby]

Dave I surely agree on how them treat bookmarks. Have them explained why them chose to be that different to how other browser do it?

Them must have talked about it for months internally in their own forums?

I am a true computer challenged noob. I spent most likely 30 minutes or more before I found where them have bookmarks and I am not sure if I know how to use bookmarks again or even how to find where them did hide it again next time I boot up so I got back to using Firefox again.

What I like about C is that them claim this Sandbox way of containing things so potentially that would make them safer to use?

[disciple]

Is Google-Chrome a totally CRAP browser?

No. That is internet explorer.

I like the Chromium interface, now more or less copied by Mozilla and Opera.

Eh? Opera has barely changed from how it always was. And Chromium mimics the others in most ways. Most innovation in browser design actually comes from Opera

[DaveS]

Dave I surely agree on how them treat bookmarks.

After reading the post from Bert I am having another shot at the homepage way of doing things, but the main thrust of my original post is that it is not newby friendly, and the cache is a REAL issue, especially for Puppy with save files.
I mainly just wanted to point up how to clear it and say why it is so important

[stu90]

I no longer use google chrome / chromium partly because of the cache size issue - if i recall there is some switch you can use to limit cache size. But why don't google just implement it in the options like pretty much every other web browser going i dont know.

The other reason i no longer use it is size vs functionality - opera with is torrent client, chat , mail, contacts simply packs more punch in a lighter packages.

don't dislike chrome / chromium - its just not my first choice any more when it comes to web browsers.

[geo_c]

~

just switched back to Opera yesterday as a matter of fact

for me it was the idea that Iron would put a Singleton Cookie and socket in my temp dir, and since I don't know what they are doing, and I instinctively don't trust google/facebook/etc. it was time for Chrome to go.

Opera was my first experience with a fast browser, and I think I will stick with it.

Chrome is not a crap browser though. It's easy to use and fast.


~

[DaveS]

I no longer use google chrome / chromium partly because of the cache size issue - if i recall there is some switch you can use to limit cache size. But why don't google just implement it in the options like pretty much every other web browser going i dont know.

The other reason i no longer use it is size vs functionality - opera with is torrent client, chat , mail, contacts simply packs more punch in a lighter packages.

don't dislike chrome / chromium - its just not my first choice any more when it comes to web browsers.

Been experimenting with the command line switch Stu... it does not seem to work. Maybe just me.

[Bert]

Been experimenting with the command line switch Stu... it does not seem to work. Maybe just me.

Hi Dave,

Maybe this postcan help?

(Don't ask me more, for it's all I know about this:lol: )

[Bert]

Eh? Opera has barely changed from how it always was. And Chromium mimics the others in most ways. Most innovation in browser design actually comes from Opera

You're right disciple. I spoke too soon...
Opera is the real pioneer when it comes to browser development. They are even the inventors of tabbed browsing!
I was talking about my personal experience, which mainly was with Chromium/Iron and Firefox. It became very obvious to me that Firefox was taking over elements from Chromium. But maybe Opera was the first with a lot of these innovations.

Just today found this chart on Wikipedia. Sigh..is it still nearly impossible to remove IE from windows?

[Stripe]

Hi all

I think that chrome is a fast easy to use browser but for me personally it has a few problems.

With it being produced by google and with no source code provided, makes me wonder what is actually in there (web tracking etc)

It is not as customizable as the Mozilla offerings with not as many useful add-ons

speed wise I am having great success with Firefox 7 (but again not the add-ons I want)

So its back to Firefox 4 which seems to have the speed and the ability to be customized to my needs.

Thanks for a great thread

Stripe (aka captain paranoia lol)

[DaveS]

Been experimenting with the command line switch Stu... it does not seem to work. Maybe just me.

Hi Dave,

Maybe this postcan help?

(Don't ask me more, for it's all I know about this:lol: )

Thanks.. I will give it a shot.

[DaveS]

Ended up rowing back to version 10 something or other. The 'wont run as root' thing put me off later versions, though disabling sandboxing seems to fix it.

[xman]

...and the cache is a REAL issue, especially for Puppy with save files. I mainly just wanted to point up how to clear it and say why it is so important

Chrome saves nothing to the cache if you use incognito mode (private browsing):
"Webpages that you open and files downloaded while you are incognito aren't recorded in your browsing and download histories. All new cookies are deleted after you close all incognito windows that you've opened."

From: https://www.google.com/support/chrome/b ... 4&hl=en-US