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Google Releases Google Browser Sync Extension
Pneuma ROCKS writes "Google has just released the Google Browser Sync extension for Firefox. This extension allows you to save your bookmarks, history and passwords on Google servers, effectively giving you a 'roaming profile,' which you can sync on any computer running Firefox (and the extension, of course)."
BookmarkRank to augment PageRank?
Hmmm.....
-- @rjamestaylor on Ello
Nice idea, but too late. I keep all my bookmarks on del.icio.us now. It would be nice if they offered a better way to make off-line backups, though.
"Somebody has to do something. It's just incredibly pathetic it has to be us."
--- Jerry Garcia
it seems a lot like del.ici.ou.us for the bookmarking, but sorry google, i love you, but you're not going to be getting my passwords for anything besides my google account
The difference between Google and most big spyware companies is that the Spyware makers promise a valuable service, while Google delivers unobtrusively
I have no problem answering surveys for those mall clipboard guys as long as I'm not in a hurry. I have no problem allowing Google tracking my web habits, as long as I'm getting something valuable, Gmail, Maps, Earth, Search, et. al. in return. When I quit finding their apps useful, I'll rescind my offer to be profiled.
Really why woud you care? If your keeping sensitive information in your bookmarks list then your a fool. Personally I have been copying my bookmarks.html to ~/publcic_html for years. Its very handy when using someone elses computer and trying to remeber a URL. (Actually it was more useful in the pre-google days. These days I mostly find the URL via goodle anyhow).
Google is the only search engine I've used in the past, what, four or five years now, and I have a Gmail account that I check constantly. I use the translator to give me ahead start on my translating work. I know about the calculator feature. I use Google Maps all the time. I've checked the spreadsheet out and look forward to GoogleWritely. I look for jobs on Base (anyone need a bilingual CSS coder?). I use the personalized homepage to keep track of the three blogs I run and the 762 that I read every day. I'd use the Page Creator if I wasn't pretty good with Drupal. I've followed the Web Clip links and even a few GoogleAdWords links. At any given time, I have between three and seven tabs open to Google services.
I have just one question. When is it too much of a good thing, privacy or no privacy?
What if I do the same thing, and I do get different results?
I've long wished that Firefox would support LDAP+TLS or WebDAV+TLS (with client certificates) for storing at least bookmarks, if not history. It's amusing that Google seems to have done it for them - the downside being that I can't use my own servers, I have to use Google. I'll still bite.
To be honest, though, what'd be REALLY exciting would be a similar tool for Thunderbird that enabled a secure writeable server side (pref. LDAP) address book, not just the limited read-only LDAP address book support it currently has. If their calendar app added WebDAV+TLS or HTTPs WebDAV remote calendar storage, it'd start to feel like an app made for people who (*gasp*) use more than one computer.
Maybe Google's move here will show the mozilla folks that people are interested in these features.
Now, imagine if riaasearch turned evil...
You're right. It's not a dirty word; it's a weasel word...
Like those cat parasite things; Toxoplasma. Supposedly makes some people feel good, more outgoing and warmhearted. But a parasite is still a parasite...
What part of "a well regulated militia" do you not understand?
No.
Foxmarks does nothing to protect your privacy, but that won't prevent the tinfoil hats from citing privacy when offering alternatives to Google. Google, on the other hand, does support encryption, to the effect that your data is stored on their servers in encrypted form and is only decrypted locally using your key.
ENDUT! HOCH HECH!
is the ability to synchronize about:config and the extensions. By the way, i have a great idea (hope so). Why not create WebDav Folders for config - files, user directories and such?
Mozilla took great strides to make Firefox start up quickly, Google ended all that with one simple plug in.
I tried out Google Sync for a few hours, and had to uninstall it. The problem is that I don't want Firefox to take 30 seconds to launch like back in the pre 1.0 days. I also don't want to wait MINUTES for FireFox to exit. Honestly, not once did Google Sync actually finish syncing to its servers as I had to cancel the operation due to lack of patience.
Also, the stupid pop up tool tip that is displayed every time I launch FireFox is annoying. Windows has too many stupid popups, I kind of liked FireFox for being less stupid and annoying with popups.
I don't really need Google Sync either because I use Google homepage. I have all my bookmarks on Google's homepage, and FireFox on all my computers at work and home links to this home page, so technically, its all the SYNC that I need.
Its kind of a neat tool, but unless Google can dramatically improve performance (instant syncing and minimize in browser annoyances), this will be one of those tools from Google I will avoid like the plague (like Google Desktop).
I also have to question the "privacy" of having your history saved on Google Servers and passed around on the Internet between computers. I know its technically encrypted and you can turn it off, but really.
I haven't thought of anything clever to put here, but then again most of you haven't either.