newegg911

June 14, 2011 at 10:59pm

I don't see why people gravitate towards Ubuntu. There much bitter distros like Fedora, Suze, and Debian.

It doesn't surprise me they might drop firefox. Firefox is still too slow, eats of system resourcess, and stills crashes way too much. Chrome is super fast and stable in my experience, it just doesn't have all the crazy plugins and whatnot, but if you are minimalist like me, it's Nirvana. In the Linux/Unix phisophy you are supposed to have programs that do one or a few different things very well that you can string together instead of having massive jack of all traids programs. Dropping Firefox for Chrome would be in line whith this phosoliphy.

Even it's not considered the main browser, there are enough Fifefox fanatics around that I'm sure it would be a secondary browser for quite some team. 

stevinp

June 14, 2011 at 10:32pm

If the developers of Ubuntu are worried about speed, maybe they should concentrate more on their own software.  The latest version takes longer to boot than the previous version did.  Never had crashes with FF on linux until the latest Ubuntu install.  Heck the latest Ubuntu even runs the laptop battery down faster.  I'll stick with FF which seems to be faster and more stable during my use.  I have used Chrome and Opera but still came back to FF for everyday use.  I think it may be time to ditch Ubuntu for another version of Linux anyway, not sure I like the direction they are taking it in. 

chop_slap

June 14, 2011 at 8:28pm

I keep trying Chrome. The misconception that Chrome is "faster" is a phat phalacy. Sure, the program opens up faster, but it does not load pages faster on Chrome than FF (testing side by side on different comps./connection.)

One thing that Chrome does better than Firefox is the way Extensions are installed. No reboot. Nice. The rest of the browser is mostly all from Firefox's idea bins anyway. Google integration is nice for people who need that on a daily basis, and are also unable to click on a simple Bookmark or type keywords to open addresses.

Firefox is much more configurable and the Add-ons have been around for longer. I have issues with alot of Chrome's extensions where they simply don't function like I want (Ad blocker for example) or they aren't as good as the FF equivalent. Chrome is also difficult to use for the partially computer illiterate customers of mine.

Most of the crashes people speak of are Flash errors on Linux. The bugs are ALL OVER THE PLACE, just google "flash ubuntu problems" and you'll see. I get them everyday on Chrome & FF  (so blame Flash).

After all is said and done, I use both Chrome and Firefox on Zorin OS 64-bit (Ubuntu derivative). I use Chrome for no particular reason other than testing it and just playing around. Firefox can be used easily by nearly everyone, like IE. Plus, everyone knows Google. FF is taking on the two greatest Giants this world has seen (Google and Microsoft). I say it's doing quite well. Just needs a little refresh again.

Brdn666

June 14, 2011 at 6:16pm

I'm a huge chrome fan and a linux user, so this is good news for me. I prefer chrome over any other browser mainly for it's google integration. I love chrome-to-phone and syncing between all of my various chrome browsers, wherever they may be. Sure you probably could get those features on other browsers but I just like how it's natural for chrome.

CTskifreak

June 14, 2011 at 3:17pm

In Linux Mint the Chrome build is so much faster than Firefox. I don't know if it's lack of updates or optimization for Linux, but Firefox is so much slower. I use them both equally in Windows 7, but on the Linux side Firefox needs a kick in the ass to get itself going.

ManRay

June 14, 2011 at 2:38pm

Ubuntu sucks. You have to download plug-ins for every thing you do. It's annoying.

pocosdad

June 14, 2011 at 2:03pm

It seems ironic to me that Ubuntu's money bags is favoring a product from what will be a direct competitor. Google is pushing their OS to be business oriented, not just another OS. I have both browsers and use Chrome occasionally, but for all the years I have used FF I have never considered switching to another browser with the exception of Opera which I use quite a bit. Chrome lags Opera for speed and usability in my opinion. In fact, I am writing this on Aurora right now and it has been very stable despite its beta status.

pocosdad

June 14, 2011 at 2:03pm

It seems ironic to me that Ubuntu's money bags is favoring a product from what will be a direct competitor. Google is pushing their OS to be business oriented, not just another OS. I have both browsers and use Chrome occasionally, but for all the years I have used FF I have never considered switching to another browser with the exception of Opera which I use quite a bit. Chrome lags Opera for speed and usability in my opinion. In fact, I am writing this on Aurora right now and it has been very stable despite its beta status.

Silencer

June 14, 2011 at 1:53pm

Ubuntu has a lot to do to compete with Windows 7, so lots of radical change on that platform isn't only acceptable, but expected.  Any Ubuntu user can roll with their older distro, or install Firefox alongside Chrome, or whatever.  And if they resist change, they'd only be hurting their platform, unless it's a bad change, which is why some debate is healthy.  I feel that older change you mentioned, had a lot of healthy debate.  And this is getting some too.

As far as Firefox vs. Chrome, well, hmm.  I roll with Firefox, but I agree with him.  Wait a year and re-evaluate.  Probably should dual-load browsers for a year maybe, that'd reduce the shell-shock factor.  People get religious about their browsers.  (I don't want to use no f'ing Chrome.  I don't want to use f'ing I.E.  So to speak.)  And frankly, Firefox is getting a little 'bloaty', has RAM leak issues, is a big security target, and feels more and more like I.E. did, which besides security, is why I left it.

Windows 8 is making radical changes, that are quite unwelcome, and it is a very bad move on their part. As they are screwing up Windows, I will be perfecting Ubuntu, for myself and probably about 300 others. I'll be turning it into Windows, a reliable Windows, by arduously working with Wine (which is an emulator,) legally downloadable Windows Updates, PlayOnLinux, and tons of programs.  When I'm done, I'll have a universal LiveDVD Ubuntu/Windows.  Oh, and I'll share it with the rest of the world, (real cheap!)  ;O)  Bye Microsoft Windows.

However, I'm also writing a computer program, so I may not have time for that.  But I probably will.  We'll see.

 

 

 

bloodgain

June 14, 2011 at 1:05pm

I don't understand why real Linux users would care.  It's easy to install and switch to Firefox, just like it's easy to ditch Unity for Gnome or even KDE (among several other GUIs).  My Windows installs don't come with Firefox or Chrome, and I use both.

Even if you're worried about "one more step" doing an install, big whoop.  How many power users don't come armed with a flash drive of ready-to-install programs when they're doing an OS install?  And with Linux, chances are you'll already have to crack open at least one config file to make something (usually the network connections) behave properly.

Rush12049

June 14, 2011 at 12:40pm

I dont see what the facinsation with Chrome is. I used it for a few months, and to tell you the truth, Firefox feels faster then Chrome does. Maybe it's just me. And the dev builds seem to crash alot more then the Firefox Nightly builds (Incredibly stable) ive been running for a year now.  Chrome just isn't for me I guess. Sad to see Firefox getting kicked to the curb for Chrome though.