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Check out SRWare's Iron...they basically took the Chrome source code, stripped out all the features that report back to google (including the GoogleUpdate.exe service), and actually added an AdBlock clone, something every firefox user has been missing from Chrome! I'm not sure why this hasn't gotten more press, I know every time there's a slashdot story about Chrome, a bunch of people pop up to whine about the lack of an ad blocker.

...I use SRWare Iron, which is a derivative that includes an adblocker...

I've been all over what is apparently its page, and while it talks alot about privacy (good), I see nothing about an adblocker. Does it require some 3rd-party proxy or something?

Even so, I imagine it would still be missing the functionality of NoScript and CookieSafe.

Use the modified one, SRWare. If you don't want to, there's always privoxy.

Or, if you don't want to maintain a HOSTS file yourself, but still don't want any other software, there's this excellent ad-server list which can be downloaded in all kinds of formats (yes, even as a HOSTS file). If you're REALLY lazy, you can use this link along with a 1 line shell script and a crontab entry (or windows scheduler or whatever it's called) to automate updating your HOSTS file.

I've posted it before and I'll post it again (seems most people still don't know about it): there is a fork from the Chromium project that not only does away with all the "phoning home features" including the annoying background-lurking installer, it also allows for an ad-blocker (looking at the forums, several different ones are available apparently, though I'm using the hosts file myself): Get it here

They also got a "portable" version that requires no installation and stores all settings in the Iron folder (which I'm using).

The source code is also available.

Use SRWare Iron ... it has what you're asking for.

It's based on Chromium, but without all the bad stuff plus AdBlock and more ...

http://www.srware.net/en/software_srware_iron_news.php

http://www.srware.net/en/software_srware_iron_chrome_vs_iron.php

11.10.2008: Adblocker integrated in Iron

The wish of many users comes true: We integrated an Adblocker in Iron!

With a filterlist so nearly all online-advertising can be blocked. A working list can be downloaded here and just has to be copied to the Iron folder (e.g: C:\Program Files\SRWare Iron\). Note: You must first get the latest version of Iron you can find under "Downloads".

So Iron is the first Chromium based webbrowser worldwide which has an adblocker included.

And ... SRWare Iron has a proper installer - per default it installs in "C:\Program Files", which is where applications belong.

Unlike Chrome - which installs itself in "C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\...." - argh - duh.

Wow, this is very promising! Thanks for the tip! Trying it out now!

Use SRWare Iron ... it has what you're asking for.

It's based on Chromium, but without all the bad stuff plus AdBlock and more ...

http://www.srware.net/en/software_srware_iron_news.php

http://www.srware.net/en/software_srware_iron_chrome_vs_iron.php

11.10.2008: Adblocker integrated in Iron

The wish of many users comes true: We integrated an Adblocker in Iron!

With a filterlist so nearly all online-advertising can be blocked. A working list can be downloaded here and just has to be copied to the Iron folder (e.g: C:\Program Files\SRWare Iron\). Note: You must first get the latest version of Iron you can find under "Downloads".

So Iron is the first Chromium based webbrowser worldwide which has an adblocker included.

And ... SRWare Iron has a proper installer - per default it installs in "C:\Program Files", which is where applications belong.

Unlike Chrome - which installs itself in "C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\...." - argh - duh.

Wow, this is very promising! Thanks for the tip! Trying it out now!

11.10.2008: Adblocker integrated in Iron

The wish of many users comes true: We integrated an Adblocker in Iron!
With a filterlist so nearly all online-advertising can be blocked. A working list can be downloaded here and just has to be copied to the Iron folder (e.g: C:\Program Files\SRWare Iron\). Note: You must first get the latest version of Iron you can find under "Downloads".
So Iron is the first Chromium based webbrowser worldwide which has an adblocker included.

And ... SRWare Iron has a proper installer - per default it installs in "C:\Program Files", which is where applications belong.

Unlike Chrome - which installs itself in "C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\...." - argh - duh.

11.10.2008: Adblocker integrated in Iron

The wish of many users comes true: We integrated an Adblocker in Iron!
With a filterlist so nearly all online-advertising can be blocked. A working list can be downloaded here and just has to be copied to the Iron folder (e.g: C:\Program Files\SRWare Iron\). Note: You must first get the latest version of Iron you can find under "Downloads".
So Iron is the first Chromium based webbrowser worldwide which has an adblocker included.

And ... SRWare Iron has a proper installer - per default it installs in "C:\Program Files", which is where applications belong.

Unlike Chrome - which installs itself in "C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\...." - argh - duh.

chrome is the best thing out there, and the only thing that has actually been done. of couse it kinda defeats the point when you are sending everything back to the mothership The Google, but if you use srware iron (a recompiled version with all the privacy stuff taken out) you a bit better off. (of course this is still sans inportant features non-existing in chromium like cookie permissions, script permissions, etc, that exist much better in firefox.)

First microsoft is saying that their own OS is not secure and that using the OS user sandbox is not secure, which it may be for Windows but isnt for other OS's

Second, Microsoft is saying that they have to put this in the kernel which is to everybodies disadvantage. from a security standpoint 1)It makes bugs in the application kernel bugs, 2)it makes it where you cant turn it off, and go to say a more secure browser 3)it means more kernel bloat. Then from a user standpoint it just means more incompatibilities between Microsoft's browser and a complete losing of choice.

Microsoft can go ahead and say its user model is broken, but that doesn't mean it doesn't work in other operating systems. Chromium is a quite decent model, and its only weakness is 1)it offers no protection from cookies, and actively gives information to The Google, 2) it cant work with plugins, for the same reason firefox cant control the permission of Flash cookies, chromium cant control plugins either, its the way they are designed. hopefully the element and HTML5 element are adopted and it becomes possible again to browse without ugly plugins.

SRWare Iron (A modified version of Chrome) has built in adblocking, but it's nowhere near as good as what Adblock provides.

If you otherwise like Google Chrome, then SRWare Iron is the browser you should be checking out: http://www.srware.net/en/software_srware_iron.php

I'm sorry, but if they can't take the time to capitalize the word "I" on their FAQ page, I can't be bothered to take them seriously. It makes me feel like the prince of Nigeria...

If you otherwise like Google Chrome, then SRWare Iron is the browser you should be checking out: http://www.srware.net/en/software_srware_iron.php

I don't use IE, unless when I have to. At home its Safari or Firefox (less since I have been getting the _JS_FloorLog2 issue, which nobody wants to fix), on my Mac and then at the office, with Windows XP, it is generally Firefox and SR Iron. Since I do work in web development I do have to check stuff with IE7 (we have just been given the green light to drop IE6 :) ), since like it or not the market share is still too large.

...for the next update of SRWare Iron. :D

Does Firefox add threading for tabs yet?

I still use SRWare Iron (the phone-home-free version of Chrome) because it runs each tab/window in a separate process, so I can load many tabs in the background while the foreground tab is unaffected and I'm able to use it.

The fact that Firefox still lacks this usability feature (the ability to do things in one window while another is busy) blows my mind. Even IE does it.

I mean, it's nice to see them steal - and expound on! - a feature from Chrome, but they're still missing one of the best ones: process isolation.

like sr-ware iron which recompiles chrome so you dont have to agree to any licence and dont have google tracking you so they can sell your data secretely to the cia someone will come out with a recompiled android (hopefully) that has unlikable stuff removed, thats the beauty of open source.

The dudes over at the Iron project (aka "tinfoil fork" :p) developed an ad blocker for Chromium - their forum announcement translated to English here.

For those who don't know about Iron - apart from disabling all phoning home features, this version is also based on more recent Chromium (the open source project behind the browser) builds than Chrome itself. They also have a "portable" version which requires no installation at all.

Download the browser here.

The dudes over at the Iron project (aka "tinfoil fork" :p) developed an ad blocker for Chromium - their forum announcement translated to English here.

For those who don't know about Iron - apart from disabling all phoning home features, this version is also based on more recent Chromium (the open source project behind the browser) builds than Chrome itself. They also have a "portable" version which requires no installation at all.

Download the browser here.

As for your points 4 and 5: there is a "privacy enabled" fork called iron, use that instead. And in regard to a *quite* release, it was all over the tech news and even popped up in mainstream media.

There is a group in Europe that is distributing Chrome minus all of the ills and Google junk. It's vastly better.

http://www.srware.net/en/software_srware_iron.php

Chrome Vs Iron
http://www.srware.net/en/software_srware_iron_chrome_vs_iron.php

Clear win, IMO. Open source made this possible - and in only a couple of months.

There is a group in Europe that is distributing Chrome minus all of the ills and Google junk. It's vastly better.

http://www.srware.net/en/software_srware_iron.php

Chrome Vs Iron
http://www.srware.net/en/software_srware_iron_chrome_vs_iron.php

Clear win, IMO. Open source made this possible - and in only a couple of months.

A better link for downloading Iron is:

http://www.srware.net/en/software_srware_iron.php

This doesn't even seem to be a fork. All they did was rebrand some recent Chromium build (with current Webkit) and change the defaults for some prefs. You can easily do that for yourself without any code hacking. No need to trust the Huns :)

What they changed (site is German only, how professional is that?!):
current Webkit
already in Chromium
no UID
don't use the installer
install timestamp
don't use the installer
no addressbar suggest
user pref
no alternate error pages
user pref
error reporting
user pref
"RLZ" tracking (I didn't know Chrome is the warez)
don't use the installer
Google Update
don't use the installer
URL tracker
user pref

Just noticed that the source code is hosted on rapidshare - so hammer away and compile ;)

Um, isn't the source code also downloadable from their site?
http://www.srware.net/software_srware_iron_download.php

Look at the bottom - the source is available in 4 parts, it seems.

* unlike the current Chrome beta it uses the newest Webkit version of the current Chromium build

* it does not generate a unique ID of every client for use by Google

* no installation timestamp ill be generated for google

* no "suggest feature" that phones home to google (for help) what you type into the address bar

* will not phone home to google in case you mistyped a URL

* no phoning home for error reporting

* does not send RLZ tracking info to google, e.g. about when and where Chrome was downloaded

* NO frickin updater that installs itself as a startup app to run in the background

* does not load google homepage in background when the browser is loaded

Of course they provide the source code for your own tinkering as well, just don't hammer the poor fellas (more than they already get hammered right now ;)) as according to their page their current revenue only comes from the ads on the page and hopefully some donations by people showing their appreciation of their work.