Google Chrome - whats the reason to have it

lonestarfan

For some reason Google Chrome has appeared on my pc. Not sure if I put it there or the grandkids! Whats the benefit of having it? Whats the problem if I remove the program. TIA.

penrhyn

Some people say its a much better browser than Internet Explorer and that it gives Firefox a run for its money.
All we know is that it will do no harm to your computer if you ignore it, use it or remove it.

Farway

I use Chrome mostly, it is faster than Firefox for me, and seems bug free

I never use IE on principle

jungle_jane

i prefer Chrome too - less buggy than IE (which i loathe) and it takes up less room on the screen. Firefox is similar to Chrome IMO.

Nothing bad will happen if you remove it but I am not sure that there is any point in doing so if others use it in your household. Give it a try - you may like it!

GeoffX

You might not be aware that Google uses Chrome to gather information about every site you visit. When it is started it establishes a connection to Google's servers and transmits the URLs home. By any reasonable definition it is spyware. The connection is now encryted making it difficult to know what information is sent.

Personally, I'd say you're better off with Opera or Firefox.

Zeitgeist

GeoffX wrote: »

You might not be aware that Google uses Chrome to gather information about every site you visit. When it is started it establishes a connection to Google's servers and transmits the URLs home. By any reasonable definition it is spyware. The connection is now encryted making it difficult to know what information is sent.

Personally, I'd say you're better off with Opera or Firefox.

If you like Chrome but dislike the privacy issues as described above, there are alternatives like SRWare Iron.

Mrs_Arcanum

I use Chrome for speed & Firefox for security.

Missli

I've switched back to Opera. Although fast, I dislike Chromes policies, although was aware it. I hated the last version of Opera as was buggy, and kept crashing, but this thread was a reminder of how good Opera used to be. The new version is excellent. Very fast.

I have re-installed, and changed the default search engine from Bing to a different, less intrusive one from Google which I've used for many years.

Missli

Zeitgeist wrote: »

If you like Chrome but dislike the privacy issues as described above, there are alternatives like SRWare Iron.

Or Ixquick

https://www.ixquick.com/uk/download-ixquick-plugin.html

Andrew1472

lonestarfan wrote: »

For some reason Google Chrome has appeared on my pc. Not sure if I put it there

You could have installed it without realising.
It's a pet hate of mine that Chrome, and other software, is often bundled with installers for other programmes. CCleaner, iirc, installs Chrome as well as itself by default. It is up to you to uncheck the box if you don't want it.
Adobe flash tries to install a Mcafee scanner unless you spot it and tell it not to.
I'm sure there are plenty more, worse, examples.
It pays to be very careful when installing anything and look for any options, not just click the next button in a hurry.

martinthebandit

Missli wrote: »

Or Ixquick

https://www.ixquick.com/uk/download-ixquick-plugin.html

I used to use ixquick but have now moved on to duckduckgo, it reminds of how google used to be when it was good.

http://duckduckgo.com/