what's the significance of making Google Chrome my browser?

[Pookeysgirl]

Originally Posted by GlenBarrington

As an Android/Google user, it made sense for me to do so on my PC. It really makes working with Google applications easier in my mind. No regrets so far! (Though I prefer a non Google browser called Dolphin for my android phone - go figure! I'm a complex guy!)

Same here, except the guy part . I love Chrome. Over the past year that I've been using it, not once has it crashed on me. I couldn't go a week without IE closing and sometimes refusing to restart. So far I haven't come across a website that forced me to use IE...probably because I visit mostly the same sites every day.

[taustin]

Originally Posted by Fluribus

You will be a slave to the Googlemonster. It will swallow your life. Your privacy will be gone. You will be a mere husk of your former self. Lost for eternity.

Privacy on the internet is a chimera. It has never exited, never weill, and cannot exist. When the electrons leave your network, and your control, they enter someone else's. Network and control.

There has never been privcay on the internet, any more than there is on a public street, or on someone else's property.

[pidgeon92]

I really love Chrome. I was a Firefox user for many years on my Macs, but sometime last year it just became as slow as molasses in January. I've had few problems with Chrome, except for the Shockwave plugin, which crashes constantly.

[teh603]

I've been using either Chromium or Chrome for at least nine months, since Firefox started turning into a CPU hog. Then again, I've been on Linux for a couple of years and haven't had any reason to use IE.

Plus you can set some Linux browsers to send IE credentials to get the few remaining "use a modern browser like IE 6" websites to function properly. That's always fun.

[JSWolf]

I just found that if you want any of the features, you have to go with the developer build of Chrome.

The downside to making Chrome your default browser is that it's Chrome. Go with Firefox. Blows away Chrome.

[DiapDealer]

Go with Right. Right blows Left away.

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by Billi

a) You are perfectly okay. If Chrome is the browser you like best, make him your default one and get rid of these messages.
b) The many times when you actively open a browser to use the internet, it's not important which one is your default browser. The purport only shows in the situations when another application tries to open the browser. Then it will look into an internal list and choose the default browser.
c) If you decide otherwise in the future: the next time you open the Internet Explorer or Firefox or something else - they all will prompt up a question to be made the default browser. So you lose nothing and you're not bound to Chrome till the end of times.

As HarryT advised you in another thread: try posting in the right subforum. This is a lounge question.

Thanks Billi. I can't figure out these forums though. I tried to ask this in the right one. (I'll keep working on it!)

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by cromag

I made Firefox my default years ago.

Unfortunately, Microsoft does make it necessary to use Internet Explorer for manually installing updates, etc., so just don't uninstall it. You'll always be able to call it up manually when you need it.

Thanks cromag. But with the installing updates, how is Microsoft going to contact me that I need to install updates? (I'm just so used to the updates happening basically automatically when I shut the computer down.) (I just don't want to screw anything up.) And really, I use Chrome all the time, even though IE is my default browser, so what's the big advantage to making Chrome the default browser? Maybe I should just leave well enough alone.

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by Ripplinger

Or just use a plugin like IETab in Firefox that emulates IE and let's you do anything within Firefox that would normally require IE.

Thanks Ripp. Going to give Chrome a try first.

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by BWinmill

Changing the default browser doesn't change anything outside of which browser starts when you double click on an HTML document or when another program tries to start the web browser externally. Programs that use IE internally will continue to use IE to render HTML internally, so nothing will break. It's even safe to remove IE from Windows 7 or 8, provided that you use Microsoft's add and remove features tool, since it only removes the web browser and leaves the bits that programs use internally installed.

Thanks BW. I've got XP and IE8. I'm just concerned about the updates thing at this point. Thanks for the good explanation.

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by GlenBarrington

As an Android/Google user, it made sense for me to do so on my PC. It really makes working with Google applications easier in my mind. No regrets so far! (Though I prefer a non Google browser called Dolphin for my android phone - go figure! I'm a complex guy!)

Occasionally I will still run into a website that simply won't run on anything but Internet explorer. Since I haven't deleted ie, I just manually launch it. Once I get a 'stubborn' web site launched successfully in ie, I bookmark it for easy retrieval in ie. I would guess I have only about 5 or 6 stubborn sites bookmarked at this point and I have decided to use them as little as possible.

These stubborn web sites seem to be financial web sites mostly. Which is odd to me considering IE's historical vulnerability to security exploits. I think financial institutions are just slower to change than most. I have noticed that these sites are decreasing in number and many former stubborn sites will now work with other browsers. I noticed this shift happening after Chrome went mainstream.

I don't know if it was a coincidence of timing, or if Chrome 'validated' the alternative browser idea for the managers of these sites in some way. But I applaud the steady decline in 'stubborn' web sites.

Thanks Glen

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by Fluribus

The replies have been generally accurate regarding how Windows will react. However, none have discussed the consequences for you.

You will be a slave to the Googlemonster. It will swallow your life. Your privacy will be gone. You will be a mere husk of your former self. Lost for eternity.

So, basically no changes.

...in my life in general, so why not on-line. At least I will go into it with my eyes open! (Thanks for the consciousness.)
Husk

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by pidgeon92

I really love Chrome. I was a Firefox user for many years on my Macs, but sometime last year it just became as slow as molasses in January. I've had few problems with Chrome, except for the Shockwave plugin, which crashes constantly.

My Shockwave plugin crashes on the rare occasion. But slow (Firefox) is no good at all. Rather have the occasional crash. Thanks.

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by teh603

I've been using either Chromium or Chrome for at least nine months, since Firefox started turning into a CPU hog. Then again, I've been on Linux for a couple of years and haven't had any reason to use IE.

Plus you can set some Linux browsers to send IE credentials to get the few remaining "use a modern browser like IE 6" websites to function properly. That's always fun.

thanks teh. Don't want any CPU hog.

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I just found that if you want any of the features, you have to go with the developer build of Chrome.

The downside to making Chrome your default browser is that it's Chrome. Go with Firefox. Blows away Chrome.

How so JS?