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Firefox tops Microsoft browser market share for first time

arstechnica.com

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Re: Firefox tops Microsoft browser market share for first time

#41

Post by zobzu »

tdkl wrote: post #38
larrik wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Every time I try to switch to Firefox, it just doesn't work as well, and I switch back. I'd rather Firefox over Chrome for philosophical reasons, but I feel like Firefox just isn't there technologically. It's getting better, but they really let it stagnate back in the day.

The same and also Chrome Sync is basically the most reliable piece of software I ever saw, specially when connected to the mobile Chrome. FF (or anyone else) doesn't do that.

firefox uses firefox sync (which predates chrome sync) to sync your bookmarks, passwords, addons, etc. it also syncs with firefox for android and firefox for iOS...

Re: Firefox tops Microsoft browser market share for first time

#42

Post by zobzu »

wazoox wrote: post #27
mtgx wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It did. It dropped off a cliff when Google made Chrome default on Android, though.

BTW I'm using FF on Android too (and it's way better than Chrome, with a true adblocker which is even more important than on the desktop), but since the upgrade to Android 6 applications revert to the stock Android browser without any option to select FF instead, grrrr...

IMO..

FF on android is a great browser. Much better than anything else - yet has like 1% marketshare. Go figure.

FF on the desktop is an average browser. Chrome and Edge are slightly better.

Re: Firefox tops Microsoft browser market share for first time

#43

Post by nickpsecurity »

TazeTSchnitzel wrote: post #23
kpcyrd wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Chrome really took the ball and ran with it I'm still kind of bitter with the way they did that. A lot of windows installers, which usually installed you toolbars if you forgot to uncheck a box, started installing chrome as your default browser if you forgot to uncheck a box. I've seen a lot of non-technical people using chrome who have no idea what chrome is or remembering giving consent to installing chrome.

Chrome also had the advantage of being advertised on Google.com.

Reminds me of the Microsoft OEM deals and IE. Shows just how much like their opponent Google really is. :)

Re: Firefox tops Microsoft browser market share for first time

#44

Post by dudus »

mtgx wrote: post #20
wodenokoto wrote: post #11

Didn't Firefox use to have almost 30% ? Or was that only in select markets?

It did. It dropped off a cliff when Google made Chrome default on Android, though.

This data is only on Desktop. So Chrome on Android is really irrelevant here.

Re: Firefox tops Microsoft browser market share for first time

#45

Post by Aldo_MX »

distances wrote: post #26
larrik wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Every time I try to switch to Firefox, it just doesn't work as well, and I switch back. I'd rather Firefox over Chrome for philosophical reasons, but I feel like Firefox just isn't there technologically. It's getting better, but they really let it stagnate back in the day.

Can you elaborate on this? I've tried Chromium once and again, but always fall back to Firefox as it feels better to me. Direct reasons are the address bar functionality and better privacy support out of the box, but also some generic feel is somehow just more familiar to me. Firefox does have global freezes on particularly heavy pages due to the single process model. It's rare enough not to bother me much though. As…

> Firefox does have global freezes

That's precisely the issue, it doesn't matter if Firefox just freezes for 250ms, it's enough to be perceptible and annoy me.

Re: Firefox tops Microsoft browser market share for first time

#47

Post by k__ »

JohnTHaller wrote: post #30
mmastrac wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Interesting. I didn't see that - I assumed it was just a result of advertising it to everyone who searched on Google. Do you have any specific examples?

Adobe Flash - When you download and installed Flash for Opera or Firefox, it would trick you into installing Chrome as your default browser unless you noticed and unchecked a box: http://i.imgur.com/Uldw6X3.png Java - When updating, Java on Windows would often trick you into installing Chrome as your default browser unless you noticed and unchecked a box Avast, AntiVir, etc - Nearly every free antivirus on Windows wa…

Growth hacking at large.

Impressive :)

Re: Firefox tops Microsoft browser market share for first time

#48

Post by VT_Drew »

ljk wrote: post #19
dukenuke wrote: post #2

Firefox also sends enormous amounts of metadata about your browsing to the cloud and it's very difficult for non-savvy users to turn this off. They call it telemetry and 'safe browsing', but users overlook that every URL is checked against a database of URLs already in Google's 'safe browsing' repository. Firefox is not actually private and their business model can't allow for privacy, because they're in bed with Goo…

if you really want to talk about lack of privacy you should go after Chrome...

seriously, this is the very reason I use FF over Chrome.

Re: Firefox tops Microsoft browser market share for first time

#49

Post by jcranmer »

JohnTHaller wrote: post #30
mmastrac wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Interesting. I didn't see that - I assumed it was just a result of advertising it to everyone who searched on Google. Do you have any specific examples?

Adobe Flash - When you download and installed Flash for Opera or Firefox, it would trick you into installing Chrome as your default browser unless you noticed and unchecked a box: http://i.imgur.com/Uldw6X3.png Java - When updating, Java on Windows would often trick you into installing Chrome as your default browser unless you noticed and unchecked a box Avast, AntiVir, etc - Nearly every free antivirus on Windows wa…

Last time I checked was last week, and still at it.

Oh, and the text for disabling the Google Chrome install-and-make-default was tiny... on a low-DPI screen.

Re: Firefox tops Microsoft browser market share for first time

#50

Post by xaqfox »

tdkl wrote: post #38
larrik wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Every time I try to switch to Firefox, it just doesn't work as well, and I switch back. I'd rather Firefox over Chrome for philosophical reasons, but I feel like Firefox just isn't there technologically. It's getting better, but they really let it stagnate back in the day.

The same and also Chrome Sync is basically the most reliable piece of software I ever saw, specially when connected to the mobile Chrome. FF (or anyone else) doesn't do that.

What does Chrome sync offer that Firefox sync lacks? FF syncs to the mobile version quite reliably for me (though, it does not sync to mobile Chrome if that is the feature that's lacking).
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