15 ms·

>My main issue with Chrome was the endless nags to sign in to a Google account, and just generally wanting less dependence on Google One thing they have been d

>My main issue with Chrome was the endless nags to sign in to a Google account, and just generally wanting less dependence on Google One thing they have been doing very well is allowing history to sync between multiple devices on different OSes. Right now I use Chrome everywhere because : - It feels pretty fast (I still have to try the new FF) - Any replacement needs to come with an extension covering this feature and working across all my OSes.

ared38 9y ago
Firefox has had syncing built in for a while: https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/features/sync/ https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/features/sync/ Haven't tried it on iOS yet, but it worked great on my Android.
- on_and_off 9y ago
  and this is where Chrome has a good hook on me. In order to switch, both FF desktop and mobile need to be better than Chrome. Does FF support a version of Chrome tabs too ? Damn, they have built themselves a good moat just with features I will miss.
  - inanutshellus 9y ago
    I don't know about iOS but the Firefox Android app is great and works with Firefox Sync, of course.
  - allenz 9y ago
    I prefer FF over Chrome on mobile. FF mobile allows extensions such as uBlock Origin and Google Link Fixer which I find essential. FF supports sending tabs to other devices, if that's what you mean by Chrome tabs.
    - jazoom 9y ago
      Firefox on Android has awful scrolling physics. I will never be able to use it while the scrolling is different to every other app on my phone.
      - mozoldie 9y ago
        Last I checked they were using the native Android scrolling physics. I could be mistaken though.
        jazoom 9y ago
        If so then I don't know why it has felt so different to every other app on all 3 of my Nexus devices (currently the 6P).
      - allenz 9y ago
        I guess it depends on the phone. Scrolling is smooth on my HTC One.
        jazoom 9y ago
        It's definitely smooth. Too smooth, in fact. It feels like my finger is slipping on the screen. No other app does this.
      - mcjiggerlog 9y ago
        Glad I'm not the only one - I love everything else about the app but, as you said, it scrolls differently to every other app on my phone. So frustrating. Sticking with Chrome for now.
    - NikolaeVarius 9y ago
      FF is insanely slow on mobile. Scrolling in janky and rendering seems to be about 50% slower than Chromium
      - Y_Y 9y ago
        Maybe it's your phone?
        NikolaeVarius 9y ago
        Nexus 6 and yet doesn't make sense that all my non Firefox browsers are perfect
  - Spivak 9y ago
    Yes it does. The feature is called Custom Tabs in FF but it's there.
    - on_and_off 9y ago
      Will it sync with another browser though. That's asking a lot (chrome does not do that AFAIK) but that's the only way to allow me to use multiple browsers on different devices fluidly (and also to continue using chrome where it has an edge, like on mobile with chrome tabs)
  - NoGravitas 9y ago
    The Firefox equivalent of Chrome Custom Tabs on Android is Firefox Focus, IMO. I use Focus for opening links from other apps, but full Firefox (beta) for actual browsing.
DiThi 9y ago
I've been using FF sync for at least 3 years now, probably more. And FF 57 is definitely on par with Chrome in browsing speed. Still not quite there with WebGL, though. The debugger is much better now, too, and surprisingly more responsive than Chrome's.
- kaycebasques 9y ago
  JS debugging in particular or do you mean the developer tools in general? (I'm the Chrome DevTools tech writer / advocate)
  - DiThi 9y ago
    Yes, mostly JS debugging.
- mintplant 9y ago
  With regard to WebGL, it depends. This demo, for example, runs at 30fps in Firefox for Android and 4fps in Chrome on my Nextbit Robin: https://www.shadertoy.com/view/Ms2SD1 https://www.shadertoy.com/view/Ms2SD1
  - DiThi 9y ago
    Shadertoy is just drawing a plane with a shader. Many less graphics calls than a regular WebGL app (which is where Chromium still shines). Even then, Chromium renders that link full screen a bit smoother than FF in Linux desktop.
bergheim 9y ago
Funny how you are replying to a comment about privacy and less reliance on google and you are saying chrome is good becuase you can send all your browser history to google.

ared38 9y ago

Firefox has had syncing built in for a while: https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/features/sync/ https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/features/sync/ Haven't tried it on iOS yet, but it worked great on my Android.

on_and_off 9y ago
and this is where Chrome has a good hook on me. In order to switch, both FF desktop and mobile need to be better than Chrome. Does FF support a version of Chrome tabs too ? Damn, they have built themselves a good moat just with features I will miss.
- inanutshellus 9y ago
  I don't know about iOS but the Firefox Android app is great and works with Firefox Sync, of course.
- allenz 9y ago
  I prefer FF over Chrome on mobile. FF mobile allows extensions such as uBlock Origin and Google Link Fixer which I find essential. FF supports sending tabs to other devices, if that's what you mean by Chrome tabs.
  - jazoom 9y ago
    Firefox on Android has awful scrolling physics. I will never be able to use it while the scrolling is different to every other app on my phone.
    - mozoldie 9y ago
      Last I checked they were using the native Android scrolling physics. I could be mistaken though.
      - jazoom 9y ago
        If so then I don't know why it has felt so different to every other app on all 3 of my Nexus devices (currently the 6P).
    - allenz 9y ago
      I guess it depends on the phone. Scrolling is smooth on my HTC One.
      - jazoom 9y ago
        It's definitely smooth. Too smooth, in fact. It feels like my finger is slipping on the screen. No other app does this.
    - mcjiggerlog 9y ago
      Glad I'm not the only one - I love everything else about the app but, as you said, it scrolls differently to every other app on my phone. So frustrating. Sticking with Chrome for now.
  - NikolaeVarius 9y ago
    FF is insanely slow on mobile. Scrolling in janky and rendering seems to be about 50% slower than Chromium
    - Y_Y 9y ago
      Maybe it's your phone?
      - NikolaeVarius 9y ago
        Nexus 6 and yet doesn't make sense that all my non Firefox browsers are perfect
- Spivak 9y ago
  Yes it does. The feature is called Custom Tabs in FF but it's there.
  - on_and_off 9y ago
    Will it sync with another browser though. That's asking a lot (chrome does not do that AFAIK) but that's the only way to allow me to use multiple browsers on different devices fluidly (and also to continue using chrome where it has an edge, like on mobile with chrome tabs)
- NoGravitas 9y ago
  The Firefox equivalent of Chrome Custom Tabs on Android is Firefox Focus, IMO. I use Focus for opening links from other apps, but full Firefox (beta) for actual browsing.

DiThi 9y ago

I've been using FF sync for at least 3 years now, probably more. And FF 57 is definitely on par with Chrome in browsing speed. Still not quite there with WebGL, though. The debugger is much better now, too, and surprisingly more responsive than Chrome's.

kaycebasques 9y ago
JS debugging in particular or do you mean the developer tools in general? (I'm the Chrome DevTools tech writer / advocate)
- DiThi 9y ago
  Yes, mostly JS debugging.
mintplant 9y ago
With regard to WebGL, it depends. This demo, for example, runs at 30fps in Firefox for Android and 4fps in Chrome on my Nextbit Robin: https://www.shadertoy.com/view/Ms2SD1 https://www.shadertoy.com/view/Ms2SD1
- DiThi 9y ago
  Shadertoy is just drawing a plane with a shader. Many less graphics calls than a regular WebGL app (which is where Chromium still shines). Even then, Chromium renders that link full screen a bit smoother than FF in Linux desktop.

bergheim 9y ago

Funny how you are replying to a comment about privacy and less reliance on google and you are saying chrome is good becuase you can send all your browser history to google.