Chrome Drops Safari Into Fourth Place Among Browsers

[*LTD*]

Every single person in the world could log in here and ooze on and on about "Google" this or "Google" that but I would not touch it.

The tipping point for me was Eric Schmidt's comments on privacy. Google has been removed from my life. This past weekend my extended family got together at my mom's house and I helped them removed anything Google and set all searches to ixquick.com.

I can't get over everyone ripping on Microsoft and then standing in line to take it from Google.

So Google records my IP address?

Really, once and for all I'd like to know . . . what is the REAL risk to privacy when it comes to Google? Perhaps I'm woefully ignorant about this issue as it relates to Google, but how bad could it be? What nefarious purposes are my searches and IP addy being used for? Am I being tracked for something other than custom-tailored ads thrown at me now and then (which I have noticed) or customized search results? Or is THAT the heart of the problem?

Will an employer in the future have access to my search records? Do current emplyer have any special rights in this area? How do state/provincial privacy acts play into this? Do governments use my search records? Do they have a right to without just cause? Morevoer, what would just cause be?

Again, forgive my ignorance, but Google is pervasive and is used by everyone. If there was a real threat, would not official action have been taken already at perhaps the Federal level?

What am I missing here? "Privacy" seems to be a very nebulous and broad term. What does and doesn't consitute privacy violations seems rather imprecise these days.

I'm looking for some education here, people.

 

[ChazUK]

If you can't see the obvious, then your the blind one around here. Do you really think if they didn't have a monopoly in search they would be able to push Chrome this quickly?

They're leveraging a monopoly in one sector to get a monopoly in another just like MS. I am suprised they haven't been hit with anti trust suit yet.

WTF? Google have no monopoly in "OS, Phone, Browser".
Where is this fabricated monopoly?

BTW, where do you get this notion that Google are copying Apple with their entries into the "OS, Phone, Browser" markets? It's not as if Apple were the first ever company with an operating system, smartphone OS or web browser.

 

[slffl]

What's the point of this. OSX also has low marketshare yet is the best OS. Are you telling me that IE is the best browser because it has most of the marketshare.

This is just fodder for anti-apple zealots on a slow news day.

 

[stylewriter]

Two features still missing for me.

Everyone does different stuff in a browser, but the two biggest features that are missing from Chrome that Safari has are

• Awesome PDF integration. I used to have PDF plugins, but Safari's is really well done.
• Good rich-text copy/paste. In Safari I can copy/paste tables from websites directly into numbers with no fuss.

 

[*LTD*]

4th is where it should be - behind Chrome, Firefox, and I'm afraid to say, IE. IE + Flash on Windows is great compared to Safari+Fash/ The moment you're browsing modern flash rich websites, Safari is a mess.

At this point, the usual 'oh - but flash is dreadful' apologists come in. Tough - Flash IS a massive massive part of the modern browsing experience, and it being a complete mess under OS X and Safari is why Safari has dropped to 4th.

Actually Safari isn't that bad with Flash, at least not with YouTube videos. On certain occasions the fan kicks up, but even then it doesn't really affect watchability or usability. Is it that it's using up a lot of system resources?

I currently see no reason to stop using Safari. It doesn't crash or grind to a halt when playing Flash content, I can still do other things reasonably smoothly at the same time, Safari is the fastest browser on OS X (even faster than Chrome), it has good copy-paste functionality, good pdf integration, sports an elegant look, runs on WebKit, and is 100% Acid3 compliant, is HTML5 capable (i think), and is under regular development. And Safari is absolutely wonderful with GlimmerBlocker, for instance.

 

[maxfan1]

WTF? Google have no monopoly in "OS, Phone, Browser".
Where is this fabricated monopoly?

BTW, where do you get this notion that Google are copying Apple with their entries into the "OS, Phone, Browser" markets? It's not as if Apple were the first ever company with an operating system, smartphone OS or web browser.

You must be pretty stupid to deny they don't have a monopoly on search engine or online video streaming. They've been pushing chrome on google and youtube pretty hard. That should be illegal.

And of course they're copying Apple to get into the OS, smartphone and browser sector. They're seeing how much money Apple is making and are jealous. They're also Afraid because Apple will dominate Google in the future.

 

[ChazUK]

You must be pretty stupid to deny they don't have a monopoly on search engine or online video streaming. They've been pushing chrome on google and youtube pretty hard. That should be illegal.

And of course they're copying Apple to get into the OS, smartphone and browser sector. They're seeing how much money Apple is making and are jealous. They're also Afraid because Apple will dominate Google in the future.

you said:

They're leveraging a monopoly in one sector to get a monopoly in another just like MS. I am suprised they haven't been hit with anti trust suit yet.

What proof do you have that Google are intent in creating a monopoly in these other sectors?

With Google being an internet based company isn't it only logical they move into sectors that interact with their own services?
What do you suggest they develop? Microwave ovens?

 

[aucl]

I know where the money comes from for the search engine. It worries me that Google is just using that money to develop all of this other stuff in order to route us all back to that search engine from EVERYTHING we do.

did you hear about that already:
Google actually puts a lot of money into brain research and related spheres, ... it says years from now, they wanna be able to redirect your brain to googles search result each time a person does not remember something by himself. And also that the chip that they wanna put into our head for that would also be possible to make us think of various products/services/companies; it will bring the Google Ad business to a whole new level.

 

[kresh]

So Google records my IP address?

Really, once and for all I'd like to know . . . what is the REAL risk to privacy when it comes to Google? Perhaps I'm woefully ignorant about this issue as it relates to Google, but how bad could it be? What nefarious purposes are my searches and IP addy being used for? Am I being tracked for something other than custom-tailored ads thrown at me now and then (which I have noticed) or customized search results? Or is THAT the heart of the problem?

Will an employer in the future have access to my search records? Do current emplyer have any special rights in this area? How do state/provincial privacy acts play into this? Do governments use my search records? Do they have a right to without just cause? Morevoer, what would just cause be?

Again, forgive my ignorance, but Google is pervasive and is used by everyone. If there was a real threat, would not official action have been taken already at perhaps the Federal level?

What am I missing here? "Privacy" seems to be a very nebulous and broad term. What does and doesn't consitute privacy violations seems rather imprecise these days.

I'm looking for some education here, people.

http://www.thegeekprofessor.com/privacy/nothing-to-hide/

http://www.wikileaks.org/wiki/Internet_Anonymity:_Why_It_Really_Does_Matter

If one monolithic organisation knowing everything about you and tracking your every move on-line does not bother you, then nothing anyone could say would change your mind.

Why does Google need anyone's real life info from GMail or Google Docs account linked with everything from Google Search plus Google Analytics and now add to that every site one visit's with Google DNS? If there is nothing wrong with it, then what is right with it?

 

[maxfan1]

you said:



What proof do you have that Google are intent in creating a monopoly in these other sectors?

Because Google is a business? Look at how ruthlessly they dominate the online search sector.

 

[jonnysods]

Chrome is pretty sweet on the Mac. It has a little ways to go, but it's much faster for me than Safari. I get a lot of beachballing right across my machine lineup.

 

[AidenShaw]

Interesting.

According to Net Apps Mac OS market share has dropped from 5.27% to 5.12% and Windows 7 is already up to 4%.

Mind you, these stats are questionable at the best of times I suppose.

On the daily stats, Win7 has hit above 6% share.

To see the daily stats, go to http://marketshare.hitslink.com/operating-system-market-share.aspx?qprid=8, then in the left nav pane open "Featured Reports" and the "Win7 hits 5%" article. The new page shows the latest stats. (Normally, you need a subscription to see daily stats.)

 

[fox10078]

Googles not forcing you to use their search engine only with their browser and both are free, + there are many alternatives. So comparing them to MS And IE is quite foolish

 

[maxfan1]

Googles not forcing you to use their search engine only with their browser and both are free, + there are many alternatives. So comparing them to MS And IE is quite foolish

google is the default search engine for chrome. of course most people wouldn't know better and will just stick to the default like how many people in windows stick with IE.

At least they could have given us a choice of search engines when it starts up first time. But of course Google and it's monopolistic behaviour means we don't get that stuff.

 

[nagromme]

Wow, impressive.

As long as WebKit keeps thriving, I as a Web developer am happy

 

[mattster16]

I use Safari almost exclusively on Mac and on Windows at work. (Occasional Firefox and IE use.) I tried using Chrome on Windows and I didn't like it - I thought it was kind of ugly looking like a cartoon little kid browser. Just started using Chrome beta on my mac though and I have to say I really like it a lot!

I am a little surprised Safari has been eclipsed by Chrome already though.

 

[fox10078]

google is the default search engine for chrome. of course most people wouldn't know better and will just stick to the default like how many people in windows stick with IE.

At least they could have given us a choice of search engines when it starts up first time. But of course Google and it's monopolistic behaviour means we don't get that stuff.

Yeah but MS wouldn't let OEMs install anything BUT IE. Shouldn't apple get in trouble for making apple.com safaris default aswell?

 

[maxfan1]

Yeah but MS wouldn't let OEMs install anything BUT IE.

MS is bad but in EU they're allowing OEMS to decide and retail users will get a ballot box for browsers when it first starts up.

Google is so much worse. They like to control everything. They want all your data and give you no options.

 

[*LTD*]

On the daily stats, Win7 has hit above 6% share.

To see the daily stats, go to http://marketshare.hitslink.com/operating-system-market-share.aspx?qprid=8, then in the left nav pane open "Featured Reports" and the "Win7 hits 5%" article. The new page shows the latest stats. (Normally, you need a subscription to see daily stats.)

Now, on the same webpage, click the backward arrow beside "timeframe", and keep clicking back into 2008.

It really puts things into perspective.

(This is more of a response to Bongo, actually . . .)

I do agree, however, that Windows 7 seems to be helping MS here.

 

[ChazUK]

google is the default search engine for chrome. of course most people wouldn't know better and will just stick to the default like how many people in windows stick with IE.

At least they could have given us a choice of search engines when it starts up first time. But of course Google and it's monopolistic behaviour means we don't get that stuff.

CRAZY LOGIC!

"Most people wouldn't know better and will just stick to the default"

In that case, wouldn't these people you care for so valiantly stick with Safari for Mac and IE in windows and wouldn't even bother installing Chrome, amirite?

I can't believe you are honestly saying that these same lazy/uneducated people who stick to the default would go through the hassle of installing the Chrome browser or even changing their whole OS to chrome OS to create this huge monopoly you have envisioned.

 

[ArrowSmith]

If you can't see the obvious, then your the blind one around here. Do you really think if they didn't have a monopoly in search they would be able to push Chrome this quickly?

They're leveraging a monopoly in one sector to get a monopoly in another just like MS. I am suprised they haven't been hit with anti trust suit yet.

Google has a monopoly in search because it's the most kick-ass search algorithm out there. Sergey Brin is a genius and you have to give him mad props.

 

[mustang_dvs]

It lets you open up a new google-search tab from selected text.

So does Safari.

(If you hold down the ⌘ key while you right click and select 'Search with Google' in the contextual menu.)

 

[OllyW]

google is the default search engine for chrome. of course most people wouldn't know better and will just stick to the default like how many people in windows stick with IE.

At least they could have given us a choice of search engines when it starts up first time. But of course Google and it's monopolistic behaviour means we don't get that stuff.

Google is also the default search engine for Safari and I've never seen a choice of search engines offered when it's installed.

 

[objc]

The world needs to drop I.E. It's frustrating that some companies still use I.E. with Active X controls activated to create their websites which virtually tells other browsers to "Get lost, you have no power here without Active X". This same experience is on the Windows side, forcing you to stop using FF, Safari or any other browser that's not I.E.

Die IE DIE!!!! My solution is that if it's a company selling something, I'm not buying if I have to go to IE.

 

[ski1ski1]

the thing that comes into my mind is the Multi process, multi thread approach, so tabs are better separated.
and that's the only reason i will give it a try.
Another thing i start to miss in Safari 4 was the tabs on the top, but ok, it was never a stable feature.

I like the Chrome built-in feature of reopening a closed tab. To me, this is a big feature Safari lacks. Of course Safari can reopen a closed window. But to me that is not nearly as useful as reopening a closed tab.