Firefox vs Google Chrome...which is better?

[Heddi]

I've used Mozilla for years...I think I heard about it on DU when it first came out and have been using it since and love it.

Have heard some, but not tons of stuff about Google Chrome. Is there anything better or worse than Mozilla? Anything that would push you to choose one over the other?

If I did switch from Firefox to Chrome, how difficult would it be to import my bookmarks?

[GOPisEvil]

1. The new Firefox kept crashing, so I went to Chrome.

I don't use a lot of add-ons, and I keep things fairly simple. Chrome just works. It never crashes. Easy to import all bookmarks from all other browsers.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

9. The new Firefox is also a memory sponge...

...there is debate on the Web, especially in the Mozilla community, regarding the truth (or lack of truth) behind that statement.

All I know is that I have my PC on 24/7, and if I go to bed with Firefox open, everything is slow as a snail or locked up in the morning. If I have NO browser open, or if I have Maxthon (a front-end GUI for IE) open, no problem.

Because part of what I do is design Websites for a living, I have a "browser collection." Chrome, Safari, Opera...the only thing that keeps me tied to Firefox is the add-on capacity and the ad blocking capability. I tried Google Chrome and it was just too damned vanilla for me.

:toast:

[tXr]

11. Try this in order to reduce FF memory usage:

By default, Firefox does not use a fixed size memory cache. It uses a percentage of memory and this means more memory on your system=more memory usage of Firefox. So, this could cause your browser to use more memory cache. But you can apply the settings below to have a fixed size of memory usage.

Follow these steps:

Type about:config in the address bar and hit Enter. Then in the appeared window click on the button which is labeled “I’ll be careful, I promise”.

Create a new Boolean value by right-clicking anywhere in the window and clicking New > Boolean, then in the pop-up box entering: browser.cache.memory.enable

Then check the Boolean value under the Value category. It should be “true.” If it is not, change it by double clicking on it.

Right click anywhere in the about:config window and select:
New > Integer

In the pop-up box enter: browser.cache.memory.capacity

Then you need a number to type into the “Enter integer value” pop-up window. The number depends on how much memory your computer has. Here I have provided a list and you can enter the number according to this list:
- 256MB of RAM or less: Enter 4096 as the value
- 512MB of RAM: Enter 8192 as the value
- 1GB of RAM: Enter 16384 as the value
- 2GB of RAM: Enter 32768 as the value
- 3GB of RAM: Enter 65536 as the value
- 4GB of RAM: Enter 131072 as the value
and so forth. Just double the number as the RAM doubles.

If you wish to restore the value to the default, just change the browser.cache.memory.capacity to -1 (negative one).

To reduce Firefox memory use upon minimization:

1. Open Firefox and go to the Address Bar. Type in about:config and then press Enter.
2. Right Click in the page and select New -> Boolean.
3. In the box that pops up enter config.trim_on_minimize. Press Enter.
4. Now select True and then press Enter.
5. Restart Firefox.

When you minimize Firefox it releases RAM that is normally used for the cache.

Edit: Since I did this I no longer have problems with Firefox freezing, crashing, or using an increasing amount of memory as time goes by.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

13. I will definitely try that...thank you very much.

:patriot:

[Mojambo]

2. Apparently Chrome is kinda aggressive about collecting info on your browsing history

Or so I'm told.

The real sticking point for me is that I can block ads and flash with Firefox and can't with Chrome, yet.

The extensions are really what is keeping me with Firefox.

Chrome was awfully fast and slick though...

[Heddi]

3. well I went ahead and downloaded it

figured I'd try it out. Still getting used to it, tho....I don't like where the Bookmarks link is, and I have too many bookmarks to fit on the bar at the top...hmmmm...

[Mollis]

8. You can just drag and drop them

into the bookmark folder. That's what I did. Just have my main websites up top.

[Sebastian Doyle]

4. Chrome is fast

But given all the problem I have blocking Google ads and google analytics crap, even on Firefox, the last thing I want to do is use a browser where that shit is built in. If they come up with AdBlockPlus for Chrome, and it even blocks Google's own bad shit, I'll give their browser another shot.

Until then, it's Firefox for me. Or maybe SeaMonkey 2 when they finish it. (Which is basically the overhauled Mozilla browser/email suite, based on what Netscape once was, but now running on the Firefox Toolkit. It's in beta right now)

[Heddi]

5. well it certainly does seem fast compared to Firefox

I've never really had a problem with google ads...or at least hadn't installed anything on Firefox to block them. I am a donating DU'er so I don't see them on here...where else would I come across them where that might become a problem? (iGoogle is my default browser, and aside from the text ads on the side I dont' think I've ever seen a google ad before...)

[Captain Hilts]

15. I don't have a Google ads problem either. So fast I wear a hairnet for that extra margin of safety.

[TreasonousBastard]

6. I use Chrome for some things, but I would NEVER...

use it for anything secure, like banking or shopping. It's security just hasn't been proven yet, and I don't trust Google not to snoop more than they admit they do. And they do admit they snoop into your browsing habits.

I use Opera for most things. Opera was one of the first alternative browsers back in the Netscape days, long before Mozilla, and was the first with things like tabbed browsing, popup blockers, and other things we consider normal today, and which Firefox insists you add extensions to get.

It's fast, secure, and includes an excellent mail program, a newsreader for Usenet, RSS capability, and imports Firefox bookmarks.

www.opera.com

[kentauros]

7. Which is better?

Opera 10! :D

[ThomCat]

10. Google makes too much of their money from tracking your online browsing

and people are going to use their browser so that they will inherently know everything you do online? That is a cash cow for Google, and there is no way to block it to protect your privacy. Google is already trying to hard to track and sell our browsing information. I don't think I would use a Google browser that feeds them all my inline info to sell.

[armyowalgreens]

12. Chrome.

[qb]

14. I like Chrome for its speed & features, Firefox for its compatibility.

I like Chrome's stealth mode and the fact that the address bar is an automatic search engine if you don't type a web address. However, some pages and applications don't work properly in Chrome. For those I use Firefox, which is annoyingly slow to start up.