3 ms·

Just last week I started using Firefox as my main browser (after three years of using Chrome), mostly due to "Sign in to Chrome" annoyances. At one point I ina

by macNchz 13y ago

Just last week I started using Firefox as my main browser (after three years of using Chrome), mostly due to "Sign in to Chrome" annoyances. At one point I inadvertently signed into Chrome with my Google apps account, which then stored a lot more personal data in the cloud than I'd ever intended. When I noticed this sometime later, I tried to disconnect my account from Chrome—which is apparently not possible for a Google apps account—so the only fix was to delete the Chrome account and to lose my browser history and saved passwords...which I did, right before opening Firefox.

xauronx 13y ago
I love being signed into Chrome. If I looked something up on my phone while I was walking into work, I can quickly open it in a tab on my desktop. If I searched for a specific coffee shop on my desktop and only remember a couple of letters in the name later, chrome on my phone auto-completes. Among many other sweet features, I think it's worth just... signing in.
- kibwen 13y ago
  Firefox does this as well, and it doesn't require an account to do so. It also encrypts your personal data in the client, and allows you to set up your own sync server so that even your encrypted data never touches their servers if you don't want it to.
- macNchz 13y ago
  Hey, if it works for you then go for it, I just didn't like the way it seemed to be foisted on me. Perhaps it was an easier break for me as I've never cared too much about having my stuff—aside from email and calendar—perfectly synchronized between my phone and computer.
magicalist 13y ago
Huh? When you click the big "disconnect your google account" button in settings, it explicitly says you won't lose anything stored locally (including browser history and saved passwords), and you get a host of checkboxes allowing you to decide what to connect with your google account (including nothing), as well as an option to use a passphrase that encrypts everything locally before leaving your machine, ensuring that google couldn't read it even if it tried. Honestly I can't understand how you reached any of the conclusions in your post -- they simply aren't true. There are plenty of things to complain about with how google in "unifying" their accounts, but Chrome sync isn't one of them. The only thing I'd want them to add is the ability to sync to your own sync server like Firefox (essentially no does it, but the option is important), but encrypting everything locally is equivalent enough for me.

by macNchz 13y ago

xauronx 13y ago

I love being signed into Chrome. If I looked something up on my phone while I was walking into work, I can quickly open it in a tab on my desktop. If I searched for a specific coffee shop on my desktop and only remember a couple of letters in the name later, chrome on my phone auto-completes. Among many other sweet features, I think it's worth just... signing in.

kibwen 13y ago
Firefox does this as well, and it doesn't require an account to do so. It also encrypts your personal data in the client, and allows you to set up your own sync server so that even your encrypted data never touches their servers if you don't want it to.
macNchz 13y ago
Hey, if it works for you then go for it, I just didn't like the way it seemed to be foisted on me. Perhaps it was an easier break for me as I've never cared too much about having my stuff—aside from email and calendar—perfectly synchronized between my phone and computer.

magicalist 13y ago

Huh? When you click the big "disconnect your google account" button in settings, it explicitly says you won't lose anything stored locally (including browser history and saved passwords), and you get a host of checkboxes allowing you to decide what to connect with your google account (including nothing), as well as an option to use a passphrase that encrypts everything locally before leaving your machine, ensuring that google couldn't read it even if it tried. Honestly I can't understand how you reached any of the conclusions in your post -- they simply aren't true. There are plenty of things to complain about with how google in "unifying" their accounts, but Chrome sync isn't one of them. The only thing I'd want them to add is the ability to sync to your own sync server like Firefox (essentially no does it, but the option is important), but encrypting everything locally is equivalent enough for me.