Had to switch browsers again - hello Google Chrome

Sparky6string

Sparky6string

Bench
#1
#1
I haven't used IE in a long time, been using Firefox for several years. Well that finally became less safe that IE and slower than dial up so I switched. Chrome is very bare bones- after all the bells and whistles Firefox had this is difficult to get used to but it's been great. No more Firefox slowness for me!! :D
 
Sparky6string

Sparky6string

Bench
#3
#3
Looks like they have something called extensions which is kinda like the add ons from Firefox. I haven't really added anything too cool yet but there are some cool apps there.
 
VF21

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#5
#5
Sparky6string said:
I haven't used IE in a long time, been using Firefox for several years. Well that finally became less safe that IE and slower than dial up so I switched. Chrome is very bare bones- after all the bells and whistles Firefox had this is difficult to get used to but it's been great. No more Firefox slowness for me!! :D
Click to expand...
Could one of the reasons Firefox slowed down been because of "all the bells and whistles"? Just askin'...

;)
 
pdxKingsFan

pdxKingsFan

So Ordinary That It's Truly Quite Extraordinary
Staff member
#6
#6
Firefox definitely has some major memory leak issues that seem to only get worse the more they update. I still prefer it to Chrome but I've started using Chrome exclusively on my netbook and about 25% of the time on my desktop.
 
VF21

VF21

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#7
#7
What's a memory leak issue and how would I know if it's happening? And, as a follow-up question, what's the download size of the Chrome install? (Still on dialup here, but with once a week access for a couple of hours to high-speed wireless...)
 
Sparky6string

Sparky6string

Bench
#8
#8
VF21 said:
Could one of the reasons Firefox slowed down been because of "all the bells and whistles"? Just askin'...

;)
Click to expand...
Anything is statistically possible. I never really added anything though to Firefox beyond their Spyware prog. Not too long ago I reformatted and Firefox was still slow. It didn't actually occur slowly, it happened suddenly after one of their big updates, then got a little worse.

I run several spyware/virus progs and defrag often. My computer is clean and should run smoothly at every turn. That was the case with the exception of my browser, Chrome fixed that.
 
Warhawk

Warhawk

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#9
#9
VF21 said:
What's a memory leak issue and how would I know if it's happening? And, as a follow-up question, what's the download size of the Chrome install? (Still on dialup here, but with once a week access for a couple of hours to high-speed wireless...)
Click to expand...
Don't know, but here is the site:

http://www.google.com/chrome

It is by all accounts the fastest browser. I still use IE because the difference on broadband isn't all that great. Like Chrome better than Firefox though. Used Chrome on my super-slow notebook and it was almost speedy. :D Don't see the point in having multiple browsers installed when IE works just fine for my uses.
 
Sparky6string

Sparky6string

Bench
#10
#10
VF21 said:
What's a memory leak issue and how would I know if it's happening? And, as a follow-up question, what's the download size of the Chrome install? (Still on dialup here, but with once a week access for a couple of hours to high-speed wireless...)
Click to expand...
It was short for me but I have DSL. I can't think it's too big though. It's a sort of bare bones stripped down browser so it should be a short DL.
 
pdxKingsFan

pdxKingsFan

So Ordinary That It's Truly Quite Extraordinary
Staff member
#11
#11
VF21 said:
What's a memory leak issue and how would I know if it's happening? And, as a follow-up question, what's the download size of the Chrome install? (Still on dialup here, but with once a week access for a couple of hours to high-speed wireless...)
Click to expand...
Essentially instead of releasing the memory its not using it keeps hanging onto it and just uses up more and more of your resources the more you use it. If you go into your task manager and check the firefox.exe process you will find that its's memory usage rockets into space the more windows and tabs you open. Flash is also part of the culprit. Mine's at 376,104k right now. At some point it will get up to 500,000k plus at which point my computer slows to a crawl and I will have to close all my Firefox windows and possibly kill the process if it doesn't close on its own and my computer will act like I just rebooted it.

One of the things I believe Chrome does differently is it runs each tab/window as a separate process so if a window or tab locks up you don't have to nuke the whole browser.

Not sure the size, it is listed as 550kb on the first site I checked so I suspect it actually downloads more as it is installed.
 
VF21

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
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#12
#12
Warhawk said:
Don't know, but here is the site:

http://www.google.com/chrome

It is by all accounts the fastest browser. I still use IE because the difference on broadband isn't all that great. Like Chrome better than Firefox though. Used Chrome on my super-slow notebook and it was almost speedy. :D Don't see the point in having multiple browsers installed when IE works just fine for my uses.
Click to expand...
I run both Firefox and IE so I can play against myself in some online games. :p
 
VF21

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#15
#15
pdxKingsFan said:
Essentially instead of releasing the memory its not using it keeps hanging onto it and just uses up more and more of your resources the more you use it. If you go into your task manager and check the firefox.exe process you will find that its's memory usage rockets into space the more windows and tabs you open. Flash is also part of the culprit. Mine's at 376,104k right now. At some point it will get up to 500,000k plus at which point my computer slows to a crawl and I will have to close all my Firefox windows and possibly kill the process if it doesn't close on its own and my computer will act like I just rebooted it.
Click to expand...
Ohhhhhhhhhhhh.... Thanks, pdx. You've actually answered a question I've had about my Firefox performance for quite a while. That has happened several times to me in the past, generally when I'm hard at work harvesting and fertilizing and feeding the chickens on Farmville.

Hrm... I just might have to see how Chrome works. I don't need my browser to make coffee, or run my house, or detect alien radio signals ... I just want access to about 8 of my favorite sites.
 
uolj

uolj

Starter
#18
#18
I remember starting a thread about firefox five years ago (here it is). :D

I still use firefox because I don't usually have much issue with memory or speed on my work machines (which is all I use lately), but I wouldn't fault anybody for switching over to Chrome.
 
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