Google Chrome Is Amazing

[Humodour]

Don't you mind googleupdate.exe being run in the background, the unique ID, the data gathering and the terms of use? Chrome's a clear no-go for me so far. Maybe when these things and the beta status have vanished.

 

What terms of usage? You mean these ones? "You retain copyright and any other rights you already hold in Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services."

 

Google update isn't spyware. I get that some people are paranoid about Google, but please, at least get your facts right before you start the conspiracy theories. Google update is exactly that - an updater. Firefox has a very similar mechanism. It is not secretly tracking your downloads and usage habits. There are ways to tell, and it has definitely been checked.

 

There are features of Chrome which Google could potentially abuse (but which we so far have zero reason to suspect they are). Features which also exist in Firefox and IE8. If you're one of those people who are overly paranoid about Google, just wait for the inevitable open source fork off its code (Chromium).

[samm]

What terms of usage? You mean these ones? "You retain copyright and any other rights you already hold in Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services."

So they've rephrased it then.

 

If google wouldn't be redirecting me to the german version, I'd link the english one, but well... here's the german one: http://www.google.de/chrome/intl/de/privacy.html. Google itself says among other things:

Urls or queries entered into the address bar are sent to google. Also, user statistics are sent, unless one deactivates it with some option. Each browser gets a unique id upon installation. This id is sent to google upon installation, during use and update. If one doesn't deactivate the option to send user statistics, the id is included as well. If reports are sent, informations about the programs, services and files open at the moment the report was created are sent as well.

Others may not care, I however don't feel paranoid when not liking such things. As long as FF works, I'll not use this, second choice would be Opera, though I might give Chromium a try *shrug*

[Humodour]

What terms of usage? You mean these ones? "You retain copyright and any other rights you already hold in Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services."

So they've rephrased it then.

 

Rephrase? They've completely inverted it's meaning. Before it was part of a generic EULA that said, basically, "All content sent belongs to Google". Now it says "All content sent belongs to you." The original wording was an accident.

 

If google wouldn't be redirecting me to the german version, I'd link the english one, but well... here's the german one: http://www.google.de/chrome/intl/de/privacy.html. Google itself says among other things:

Urls or queries entered into the address bar are sent to google. Also, user statistics are sent, unless one deactivates it with some option. Each browser gets a unique id upon installation. This id is sent to google upon installation, during use and update. If one doesn't deactivate the option to send user statistics, the id is included as well. If reports are sent, informations about the programs, services and files open at the moment the report was created are sent as well.

Others may not care, I however don't feel paranoid when not liking such things. As long as FF works, I'll not use this, second choice would be Opera, though I might give Chromium a try *shrug*

 

"Also, user statistics are sent, unless one deactivates it with some option."

 

That's wrong. I don't know if it's your translation or what, but user stats are not sent to Google unless you opt in (turn it on).

 

"Urls or queries entered into the address bar are sent to google."

 

They are sent to whatever your default search engine is, and this can be easily turned off.

 

"Each browser gets a unique id upon installation."

 

A cookie (unsure if it's stored as typical web cookie) used to help with debugging on Google's end. Even then, it's only used when installing or updating, unless you opt-in to sending user stats to Google. It's not a tracking cookie.

 

http://www.google.com/chrome/intl/en/privacy.html

 

Your concerns are valid, don't get me wrong. I just feel they're misplaced about Google. *shrug*

Edited September 5, 2008 by Krezack

[WILL THE ALMIGHTY]

It's nice and simplistic, the way I like it.

 

But I had some slow-downs with Zero Punctuation and I'm not sure if it was caused by Chrome or not.

[samm]

That's wrong. I don't know if it's your translation or what, but user stats are not sent to Google unless you opt in (turn it on).

Well, then they should rephrase again. It's ambiguously put: "Falls Sie Nutzerstatistiken an Google senden m Edited September 6, 2008 by samm

[Humodour]

I'm pretty certain that the majority of the user stats and unique ID stuff is opt-in rather than opt-out (but I'm going from memory since I run Linux Ubuntu here). I'll check again on monday.

 

Me, personally, I'm more concerned about my government than Google. Just look at the way America, Sweden, Britain (and now France) treat people's privacy and rights.

 

At least Google adheres to Safe Harbour. But can you really ask your government not to put you on its secret list?

[Bokishi]

uninstalled chrome and am sticking with FF3 for now

[Fionavar]

Don't you mind googleupdate.exe being run in the background, the unique ID, the data gathering and the terms of use? Chrome's a clear no-go for me so far. Maybe when these things and the beta status have vanished.

 

Yes! And, fwiiw, when I am updated The Tech Files, I have 30+ tabs in FF 3.0.1 and it does not slow down. I thought I would try that with Chrome ... don't - at least not yet!

 

It has the strength of Google and OpenSource behind it - but the 'Big Brother' fear in me is concerned. The EULA was changed not b/c it was wrong, but b/c of OpenSource/community response. I hope I am wrong - but for now at least, FF 3.0.1 still has the overall advantage for the enthusiast, imo

 

Regardless, all of the innovation is good - it serves to refine all of the options and that makes a Geckling happy

[Magister Lajciak]

Who actually opens up 20-30 tabs at a time? That is one of the stupidest things I've ever heard of.

 

I do it all the time, and I know for a fact I'm not the only one. It's very easy to do on news sites, Wikipedia, a Google search, etc.

 

 

I also use that many tabs regularly.

[LadyCrimson]

I hate tabs. No logical reason, I just do. But I love Firefox...I don't see much reason to switch to Chrome...not yet anyway.

 

And I often have 15-20 windows open during a session, because I prefer having the windows still open to view vs having to press "back" 20 times if I think "now what did that other page say?"...hubby's the one w/the 30-40 windows open. Work research and stuff.

[petta]

i guess it will be the leader soon! Firefox has to take serious action!

 

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[Humodour]

^ Eh. Firefox has a strong alternative community of 'free thinkers' (comparatively). Many of them do not want to be tied down to yet another corporation (however benign) like they were with IE and Microsoft. Not to mention that Firefox offers much in the way of plugins and addons which Chrome, Opera and IE cannot compete with simply because they don't have such a vibrant developer community.

 

Not only that, but Chrome isn't targetted at Firefox - it's targetted at IE. If it can't directly compete with IE, than invariably it'll spur innovation in Firefox and thus place pressure on IE by proxy (i.e. while one would gather that uptake of Chrome would be the most desirable outcome, you can bet Google isn't relying on it).

[Walsingham]

I hate tabs. No logical reason, I just do. But I love Firefox...I don't see much reason to switch to Chrome...not yet anyway.

 

And I often have 15-20 windows open during a session, because I prefer having the windows still open to view vs having to press "back" 20 times if I think "now what did that other page say?"...hubby's the one w/the 30-40 windows open. Work research and stuff.

 

Huh? Me no understandee. I like tabs precisely because of doing research. I very rarely follow any link as anything other than a new tab.

[WILL THE ALMIGHTY]

I have some problems with it when running videos and certain other pages.

 

Much nicer to use than Firefox though.