Personal Learning

Mozilla Firefox is becoming a household name. While it still may not hold the market share of internet browsers, a title still owned by Internet Explorer, many people are beginning to install it on their home and work computers. I was one of the early Firefox users over 5 years ago when it was still in its initial release. Today, Firefox can be found on nearly every computer, even if its not used. However, the new kid on th block has taken some of Firefox’s thunder. Google Chrome has only been out for a couple of years now, yet it is already taking a market share, and it seems to be coming from the expense of Firefox (not more leaving Internet Explorer.)  So why are people leaving Firefox for Chrome? Here are just a few reasons why I am one of those who have left Firefox for Chrome:

1. Google Chrome is faster: Speed tests have proven that Google Chrome is faster than Mozilla Firefox. In fact many tests have claimed Chrome is the fastest overall browser out there (see Lifehackers Speed Tests and overall winners).
2. Google Chrome’s Omnibar: While this is a simple feature, it is one I love. The omnibar in Chrome is essentially the address bar and search bar combined. Chrome, much like Firefox, can search through browser bookmarks and history as you type in the address bar, but the one thing Firefox cannot do is provide search results in that same bar. Also, searching has always been what Google does best. What if you prefer Bing? Believe it or not, Chrome will let you change your default search engine from Google, even to its rival engine Bing.
3. Adobe Flash is built into Chrome: Again, Flash built into the latest Chrome builds is a simple feature, but it’s one that makes life so much easier. Flash is updated by itself. It does not have to be installed, and if it crashes, only the page fails, not the entire browser. One of the pet peeves I always had with Firefox was the fact installing Flash to work with the browser. With Chrome it’s a non-issue since it is built in.
4. Chrome handles extensions better: Firefox’s biggest strength is its wide variety of extensions. This allows Firefox users to customize the browser however they want. If they are a social butterfly, they can install loads of Facebook & Twitter extensions. If they are a college professor, there are plenty of research tools available as add-ons. Chrome realized this from the start, and very early on in their development, welcomed the extension community. In fact, Chrome has some extensions that are far better than the Firefox versions (take the Google Voice extension for example). However, for the most part many extensions Firefox version is stronger than its Chrome cousins since the development has been in place longer. So why does Chrome handle extensions better? Because if one extension doesn’t work, then the one extension can be disabled instead of crippling and slowing down the browser. In fact, you can install, disable, and remove extensions in Chrome without restarting the browser. This makes life far easier to explore and experiment with add-ons you may not mess with on Firefox.
5. Chrome has many builds and versions for the brave souls to the safety users: Chrome comes in 4 versions: 1) Stable which is not updated often but the most reliable. 2) The beta which is updated monthly but not as reliable. 3) The dev channel which is updated at least once a week, but is not reliable and contains bugs. 4) The Canary build which is updated almost daily, but with lots of bugs. This means if you just can’t wait for the rumored new features out there, and you’re willing to deal with bugs, just change your version (or what Chrome calls channels) to the Dev or Canary build. If you want to see detailed differences of the versions, or install a specific version, you can visit here.
6. Chrome’s Experimental Web Apps and impending Web App Store: In the latest Dev Channel version of Chrome there is a hidden feature enabling three experimental web apps (which Read Write Web details here). Currently the only three apps you can install are Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Docs. While this too is a simple change (and in fact in the Firefox 4 beta, Mozilla has added the app tabs feature), there is something comforting having three tools I use often in small tabs on the left side. This saves a lot of valueable tab real estate, and saves me from opening and closing those tabs over and over. Chrome’s web app store offers even more of these possibilities. Apps is one of the reason why iPhone’s and Andriod has taken over the smart phone market. With Chrome creating its own version of Apple’s App Store, Firefox’s extensions may no longer be the status quo.
7. Chrome has Extension Sync: Extension sync is still in its infancy in Chrome. Currently all versions have extension sync except the stable channel. However, Google itself admits the extension sync is far from perfect. Extension sync does not sync uninstalled or disabled extesnions, only if you add a new one. Also, sometimes I have had instances of only half of my extensions syncing. The reason this is a strength in my opinion is because Chrome is at leasting making an attempt and offering it to users. Firefox has yet to do this, even though it has been requested since extensions were introduced.
8. Chrome has a cleaner design: The simplicity of Chrome’s design helps put the focus of the browser where it should be: on the internet content. While I love Firefox’s themes, it can be distracting. There is just something comforting knowing all my tools and needs are right in the open, in only one tab menu. For those who have seen Firefox 4 beta, it is beginning to shift to a Chrome like design, but there are still bugs in it.