why does everybody use Chrome?
May 15, 2020, 4:22 pm
#31
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: RDU
Programs: DL DM+(segs)/MM, UA Ag, Hilton DM, Marriott Ti (life Pt), TSA Opt-out Platinum
Posts: 3,227
Aug 27, 2020, 8:42 am
#32
Join Date: Oct 2017
Posts: 151
I love Firefox and have for years, but I've been seeing issues lately with pictures and tweets not appearing properly. It's been tempting me to jump to Chrome, but I have Firefox sync'ed EVERYWHERE and I hate to have to redo all of it. That and also I'm stubborn. 
Aug 30, 2020, 11:29 am
#33
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Denver, CO, USA
Programs: Sometimes known as [ARG:6 UNDEFINED]
Posts: 26,704
Sep 11, 2020, 1:32 am
#36
Ambassador: Emirates Airlines
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Manchester, UK
Posts: 18,618
Sep 11, 2020, 10:06 am
#37
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 602
Chrome got popular because a while ago it was much faster than Firefox, so it gained momentum among power users as early adopters, and was also heavily promoted by Google (for example if you visited their homepage in another browser you'd be prompted to switch). It hasn't been great for some time already but Firefox also suffered from some poor design decisions and stagnated. Even though Chrome has been progressively getting more and more awful in terms of privacy, some of Mozilla's (the organization behind Firefox) practices in this area were also dubious, so they can't really claim the moral high ground here either.
The choice now is basically between Chromium-based browsers (Chrome, Brave, Vivaldi, Microsoft Edge), and Firefox. Apple devices use a separate engine (by no means better).
Overall, Firefox is still the better choice among the two but not with the default settings. Best way to change these is through a special settings file in the profile folder (a good template is at https://github.com/pyllyukko/user.js but should be manually edited). To most people, this can prove a bit complicated.
Among the Chromium-based browsers, Brave includes ad blocking and alternative monetization features, which have been controversial. Vivaldi removes some of the Google connectivity and adds their own, alongside a couple of other features. There isn't any compelling reason to use MS Edge, which includes Microsoft's garbage on top of Google's: even the regular Chrome is a better choice over this. Another option if you want a Chrome-like browser but disconnected from Google, are some of the community Chromium builds listed here and updated regularly: https://chromium.woolyss.com/ Among these, there's in particular https://github.com/Eloston/ungoogled-chromium.
Whichever browser you choose, it's worth it to use some privacy-enhacing extensions but that's a wholly different topic. Firefox's strength is that it allows the user more ability with regard to this.
Either way, a browser should never freeze or crash your computer. This can happen for a number of reasons but most likely is due to a malfunctioning extension. If you can't pinpoint the exact issue, starting with a fresh profile should fix it.
The choice now is basically between Chromium-based browsers (Chrome, Brave, Vivaldi, Microsoft Edge), and Firefox. Apple devices use a separate engine (by no means better).
Overall, Firefox is still the better choice among the two but not with the default settings. Best way to change these is through a special settings file in the profile folder (a good template is at https://github.com/pyllyukko/user.js but should be manually edited). To most people, this can prove a bit complicated.
Among the Chromium-based browsers, Brave includes ad blocking and alternative monetization features, which have been controversial. Vivaldi removes some of the Google connectivity and adds their own, alongside a couple of other features. There isn't any compelling reason to use MS Edge, which includes Microsoft's garbage on top of Google's: even the regular Chrome is a better choice over this. Another option if you want a Chrome-like browser but disconnected from Google, are some of the community Chromium builds listed here and updated regularly: https://chromium.woolyss.com/ Among these, there's in particular https://github.com/Eloston/ungoogled-chromium.
Whichever browser you choose, it's worth it to use some privacy-enhacing extensions but that's a wholly different topic. Firefox's strength is that it allows the user more ability with regard to this.
Either way, a browser should never freeze or crash your computer. This can happen for a number of reasons but most likely is due to a malfunctioning extension. If you can't pinpoint the exact issue, starting with a fresh profile should fix it.
Sep 11, 2020, 3:30 pm
#38
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Pittsburgh
Programs: MR/SPG LT Titanium, AA LT PLT, UA SLV, Avis PreferredPlus
Posts: 31,009
Sep 11, 2020, 6:48 pm
#39
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 42,041
The main reasons I continue to use Chrome are:
1. I'm used to it
2. I have 100+ passwords stored there
Firefox is my backup there are some cases when it's beneficial to use two browsers at the same time.
1. I'm used to it
2. I have 100+ passwords stored there
Firefox is my backup there are some cases when it's beneficial to use two browsers at the same time.
Sep 14, 2020, 6:08 am
#40
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: RDU
Programs: DL DM+(segs)/MM, UA Ag, Hilton DM, Marriott Ti (life Pt), TSA Opt-out Platinum
Posts: 3,227
Storing passwords in a browser is not a good security practice. You should look into something like LastPass (which is free) or OnePass. Lastpass works across all browsers and ios apps which is very handy in this "app" World.
Sep 14, 2020, 7:38 am
#41
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 42,041
I don't save any passwords in Chrome that could allow people to steal money from me (I don't care so much about miles any more), but most other stuff is fair game insofar as my personal security threshold is concerned. I like the fact that it's really easy to switch between devices.
Sep 14, 2020, 2:26 pm
#42
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: RDU
Programs: DL DM+(segs)/MM, UA Ag, Hilton DM, Marriott Ti (life Pt), TSA Opt-out Platinum
Posts: 3,227
I don't save any passwords in Chrome that could allow people to steal money from me (I don't care so much about miles any more), but most other stuff is fair game insofar as my personal security threshold is concerned. I like the fact that it's really easy to switch between devices.
