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Ubuntu To Look At Replacing Firefox With Chromium

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  • #31
    Really?

    Doesn't make much sense to me. If they're going to replace the default browser they should do it with Chrome which has, by default, built-in pdf and current flash support. Chromium will use the same outdated flash player as firefox, and doesn't come with built-in pdf support, which the latest FF DOES come with. That's at least one major feature lost. So what are the benefits? It renders pages fractions of a second faster? It has better HTML5 support (debatable)? Also, chromium just doesn't theme well--it uses its own scrollbars, has some strage click-move areas, there's no default bookmarks menu, etc.

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    • #32
      Originally posted by Luke View Post
      You can disable the "on by default" spyware in chromium, but you can't totally disable auto-searching of misspelled URL's except by setting the default search engine to something you 127.0.0.1 'ed out in /etc/hosts. A bigger problem is this: in Panopticlick (panopticlick.eff.org , used to test browser uniqueness) it is almost impossible to keep Chromium from coming up as a "unique" browser configuration when enabling Javascript, while I can usually keep Firefox to about 1 in 200,000 with Javascript enabled ot 1 in 1,000 or less when Javascript is disabled.

      If you are concerned about cookieless tracking and the implications for privacy, you must use a browser that appears to webservers as something that is not only common, but which does not reportback too much information about itself in its useragent, etc. You can change some of these factors with some difficulty, but I've never been able to keep Panopticlick from reporting a Chromium install as "unique." That means you can't keep Google, Facebook, et all from doing so either if they start to use cookieless tracking to try and work out your identity. If they do, that information, once in their servers, is subject to subpeona, sale on bankruptcy of the company, all the usual stuff.

      This stuff is why I use NoScript and Ghostery, don't use Facebook at all, and use any Google product only through Torbrowser and without having an account. I still have Chromium installed, but only use it with sites I know and trust when a Firefox-specific site bug crops up.
      Hi Luke,

      That's good to know. My Firefox installation is reported as unique though. I think it has something to do with the fact that the browser is reporting the installed fonts (and their names) to the analyzing site. Why the hell do they allow that ? This makes cookieless tracking very easy as you said.

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      • #33
        Originally posted by Dukenukemx View Post
        Why not ask the user during installation what they would like? Maybe include both?
        Opera needs to take Canonical to the European court for that.

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        • #34
          Originally posted by chilek View Post
          Yes, more they're talking, then they are much better "linux developers"?
          For now, I think, they are only Ubuntu developers, and better would stay this ;-)
          I would say I agree with you. Hopefully they are not going to make a new kernel, to say the least

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          • #35
            I hope they don't throw out Firefox in favor of Chromium.
            I use both browsers, and like both, but I prefer Firefox.
            Because Firefox is backed by Mozilla which is non-profit and holds the interest of the users and the web, not big content media companies.
            Also, I think Firefox blends and integrates with the system better, it feels more native, I feel like Chromium feels more alien.
            Also, I really like the Firefox interface and its developer tools, and that it has so many great extensions like Firebug, Adblock, NoScript, etc
            Also Firefox has a better API that allows Adblock to prevent the fetching of ads, on Chromium it first fetches them then hides them, on Firefox it never fetches them at all in the first place.

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            • #36
              Originally posted by molecule-eye View Post
              Doesn't make much sense to me. If they're going to replace the default browser they should do it with Chrome which has, by default, built-in pdf and current flash support. Chromium will use the same outdated flash player as firefox, and doesn't come with built-in pdf support, which the latest FF DOES come with. That's at least one major feature lost. So what are the benefits? It renders pages fractions of a second faster? It has better HTML5 support (debatable)? Also, chromium just doesn't theme well--it uses its own scrollbars, has some strage click-move areas, there's no default bookmarks menu, etc.

              Molecule... what are you smoking? Share it, because its obviously good. Let's correct basically every sentence in your post...the PDF reader and flash support are just plugins. any PPAPI enabled browser could load them. Chromium all be default use the same flash plugin as firefox but its not mandatory. All you have to do to switch between old and new flash is a symlink, which Canonical could ship by default. Google chrome and chromium are the same codebase so your entire thing about the end about scrollbars, not theming well and not having bookmarks is a complete lie or at minimum laziness on your part for not changing settings.
              All opinions are my own not those of my employer if you know who they are.

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              • #37
                Originally posted by Calinou View Post
                Few desktops/laptops have less than 4GB today (and an upgrade to 8GB doesn't even cost $30), mobile devices are also getting more and more RAM (1 to 2GB currently, but I doubt these would run a "full" version of Chromium, on top of that you usually have less than 5 tabs around).

                Firefox will be slow on a Pentium 3, why don't you complain too?

                Any specific reason for the sarcasm, Calinou? The Pentium 3 line especially was uncalled for. I care about ram usage because my laptop has soldered on ram so I'm locked at 4GB so I do have to care a out ram usage. and no I'd you're anything like me you have more than 5 tabs open. maybe I'm the exception but I frequently have 10+
                All opinions are my own not those of my employer if you know who they are.

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                • #38
                  Originally posted by Ericg View Post
                  Any specific reason for the sarcasm, Calinou? The Pentium 3 line especially was uncalled for. I care about ram usage because my laptop has soldered on ram so I'm locked at 4GB so I do have to care a out ram usage. and no I'd you're anything like me you have more than 5 tabs open. maybe I'm the exception but I frequently have 10+
                  You have 4GB of ram? then what are you worrying about?

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                  • #39
                    Lol I thought it said they were going to consider replacing firefox with proprietary google chrome, instead of chromium.
                    Really had me worried there for a moment. Phew..

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                    • #40
                      It's OK

                      It's alright I guess. I use both but spend 90% of my time in Firefox. But I guess that goes back to the same reason I used Windows for 15 years until I jumped into Linux head first and realized how good it felt. At least it's Chromium and not Google Chrome. I'm sure the decision didn't help Firefox much since they are more devoted to the Windows version than it's nix counterpart. Version 20 and 21, to me, have been the worst versions of Firefox with the odd Download Manager and idiotic decision to group Download History and Web History together so clearing one also clears the other.

                      I wish version 3x of Firefox was still developed, it was fast and had a clean UI. Midori is nice and fast with WebKit, but pretty feature-less compared to Firefox. I just don't see a lot of options or people whom care enough to make the changes necessary to make everyone happy. If I know how to code, I would back-port security updates to FF3x or try to help out with Midori so we can have something really nice, clean and fast.

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