Not all browsers are created equal

How do you decide which browser to use? Do you use Internet Explorer because it’s what you’ve always used? How about Firefox? Do you use it because it’s potentially the most common and your contacts have recommended it? Or, do you use Chrome because it’s new and fresh? There are other browsers, but these are some of the main ones. The truth is that all browsers are not created equal. Which browser you choose ultimately depends on what you want out of it.

Let’s take a quick look at Chrome, namely its speed. According to the Google Chrome Blog, one of Chrome’s core principles is speed. As such, Google tests and improves Chrome’s speed regularly. And regularly for Google means every six weeks. They liken it to a car mechanic who comes to replace your engine every six weeks. However, it seems as though Chrome is simply enhanced every six weeks, not completely replaced.

How Chrome is increasing its speed

One way that Chrome continues to increase speed is to diminish and severely lessen wait times, including waiting for the browser to start up and waiting for a dialog box to completely open and load. Chrome has also enabled tests to automatically detect when there is a code issue that slows or may slow it down, both in the long term and in the short term.

Chrome measures speed and overall performance through Octane scores, which “is a JavaScript benchmark [they] designed to measure performance of real-world applications on the modern web.” Compared to last year, Chrome reports seeing a 26% increase from last year’s score. And they promise to continue increasing the speed and maintaining and improving stability, as both are key to Chrome’s success.

When it comes to browsers, you definitely have options. But, if you want speed and precision, it looks like Chrome might be a great option. They’ve already made great progress and improvements, but the best part is that they promise to continue making progress. Just because they are fast today doesn’t mean they aren’t striving to be even faster tomorrow, making Chrome a great browser for both your professional and personal lives.

Do you really know who is tracking you online?

Online privacy. It’s a major issue that can be confusing, frustrating, and very violating. You already know that you can adjust your privacy settings on sites like Google, Twitter, and Facebook, but do you know which changes will affect which information on your account? The more concerning question is do you know which sites are tracking you and storing your information? Well, there’s a free solution – Privacyfix, a Chrome and Firefox extension.

In order to keep yourself and your private information protected and secure and still be able to use your favorite sites, it’s crucial that you understand every site’s privacy settings. Just a few tweaks here and there can fortify your browsing experience and give you peace of mind. The truth is, most of the sites you probably visit track you one way or another. Some want to see what you’re searching for and which sites you’re visiting and others will use targeted ads based on content in your sent and received emails. These sites make ample money off of your information, and it’s time to take back the control.

Privacyfix goes one step further

Privacyfix will show you what information is being tracked and which site is doing the tracking. But Privacyfix takes it one step further. It will actually provide you with a detailed list of which privacy settings you need to update to protect certain types of information. Privacyfix gives you the information you need to make the right privacy changes. These sites shouldn’t be given access and permission to track you by default. But, unfortunately, that’s how it usually works. You can put an immediate stop to it by simply using this free extension for either Firefox or Chrome.

Our modern times have shown us that some people are unworried and completely open to sharing every detail of their private lives with a world of strangers. And, let’s be honest; this is incredibly dangerous, no matter if you’re using it for personal or professional purposes. Information is king, but there should be some separation between your professional life and your home life with your loved ones. Too much of your information out in the open can lead to more trouble than it’s worth.

When JavaScript makes you want to scream

Ever run into some nuisances on the web caused by JavaScript? It’s a great programming language but it can cause some headaches – for instance, when a website won’t let users copy and paste text or right click. These annoyances occur due to the scripts written by the sites’ developers; although some scripts are helpful, there is a way to enjoy the merits of beneficial scripting while doing away with the kind that make you crush your mouse in frustration.

Kill Evil, an extension in Chrome, provides workarounds for unwanted scripting all across the web by disabling instances when sites:

• Restrict the right click menu.
• Don’t allow the user to resize windows.
• Force users to open up all links in a new tab.
• Prevent users from copying text, or if they allow copying, automatically include a citation link along with the text.
• Take users to a print dialogue box whenever they click “view print version” of a page or document.

The ups and down of the tool

The extension is a great solution and can be turned on and off in Chrome thereby providing users the flexibility to enable as they wish. At times, it can misinterpret some scripting and cause pages to work incorrectly, so it’s best for users to whitelist pages they visit regularly and denote their acceptance of scripting on the site, especially Google sites and services.

This way, Kill Evil can provide a more enjoyable user experience where site visitors can freely browse and interact on the web without being inhibited by Java scripting.

The Kill Evil extension is available in the Google Chrome Web Store and has a 4-star rating with upwards of 10,000 users. The extension puts the power back into the hands of the site visitors, preventing web pages from interfering with user clipboards, window sizing and impeding user actions while on the site.