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"Change my mind: Samsung Internet blows Chrome out of the water"

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  "Change my mind: Samsung Internet blows Chrome out of the water" sms <scharf.steven@geemail.com> - 2021-01-24 14:50 -0800
    Re: "Change my mind: Samsung Internet blows Chrome out of the water" VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> - 2021-01-24 17:38 -0600
      Re: "Change my mind: Samsung Internet blows Chrome out of the water" paul <nospam@nospam.invalid> - 2021-01-25 01:03 +0100
        Re: "Change my mind: Samsung Internet blows Chrome out of the water" Joerg Lorenz <hugybear@gmx.ch> - 2021-01-27 08:46 +0100
          Re: "Change my mind: Samsung Internet blows Chrome out of the water" sms <scharf.steven@geemail.com> - 2021-01-27 00:43 -0800
    Re: "Change my mind: Samsung Internet blows Chrome out of the water" Jim S <jim@jimXscott.co.uk> - 2021-01-24 23:54 +0000
      Re: "Change my mind: Samsung Internet blows Chrome out of the water" Ken Blake <ken@invalidemail.com> - 2021-01-25 07:07 -0700
    Re: "Change my mind: Samsung Internet blows Chrome out of the water" Ken Blake <ken@invalidemail.com> - 2021-01-25 06:57 -0700
      Re: "Change my mind: Samsung Internet blows Chrome out of the water" Ken Blake <ken@invalidemail.com> - 2021-01-25 11:42 -0700
        Re: "Change my mind: Samsung Internet blows Chrome out of the water" VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> - 2021-01-25 13:03 -0600
        Re: "Change my mind: Samsung Internet blows Chrome out of the water" Jim S <jim@jimXscott.co.uk> - 2021-01-25 19:11 +0000
          Re: "Change my mind: Samsung Internet blows Chrome out of the water" Ken Blake <ken@invalidemail.com> - 2021-01-25 16:49 -0700
        Re: "Change my mind: Samsung Internet blows Chrome out of the water" Anssi Saari <as@sci.fi> - 2021-01-25 22:40 +0200

#74069 — "Change my mind: Samsung Internet blows Chrome out of the water"

<https://www.androidauthority.com/samsung-internet-vs-google-chrome-1194877/>

I began using the Samsung browser recently. Very nicely done. 
"Disconnect" works with the Samsung browser to prevent tracking, while 
Chrome doesn't allow it. 
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.disconnect.samsungcontentblocker>.

I have eleven browsers on my Android phone, I like the Samsung browser 
the best.

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#74071

sms <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:

> <https://www.androidauthority.com/samsung-internet-vs-google-chrome-1194877/>
> 
> I began using the Samsung browser recently. Very nicely done. 
> "Disconnect" works with the Samsung browser to prevent tracking, while 
> Chrome doesn't allow it. 
> <https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.disconnect.samsungcontentblocker>.
> 
> I have eleven browsers on my Android phone, I like the Samsung browser 
> the best.

Mobile Chrome doesn't allow the installation of extensions, but Mobile
Firefox does as well as some other mobile web browsers.  I use uBlock
Origin.  Not only does it allow you to select to which blacklists it
subscribes, but it has additional security/privacy options, like
disabling of pre-fetching (retrieving page content for pages that you
have not visited, but are linked to in the page you have loaded, which
can obviate some of the anti-tracking ability).  It also lets you
disable hyperlink auditing: sites can track to where you navigate away
from their site by seeing on what hyperlink you click on.

Disconnect is just one blacklist, and a very small one.  I don't
remember its size, but it was dismal compared to other blacklists.  You
can also get an Disconnect.me extensions for Firefox, but it's redundant
because Firefox already incorporates the Disconnect.me blacklist (part
of their Enhanced Tracking Protection config).

uBlock Origin and others allow you to subscribe to which ones you want,
and those have much larger blacklists.  I use its Expert Mode not
because I'm an expert but that a matrix is shown that lets me decide if
a temp/perm block is per-site or global across all sites (I almost
exclusively use per-site filters since a filter at one site may not be
appropriate at another).  I would recommend NOT using the HOSTS
blacklists (they're usable by any program that can subscribe to the
blacklists, but can also be substituted for the HOSTS file), because
they tend to be overly aggressive and not updated as often.  When using
uBlock Origin (uBO), and subscribing to multiple blacklists, uBO will
remove duplicates from multiple overlapping blacklists to reduce its
memory footprint.

A nice feature of Mobile Firefox is it has a Quit option in its menu.
Under Android, apps stay loaded in background when you "exit" their GUI
and are not actually unloaded until the memory is needed for another
newly loaded app.  With Quit in Firefox, you can ensure the web browser
really has exited.  I don't have a Samsung smartphone anymore to know if
their web browser has a real exit function.  Chrome definitely does not.

With Mobile Firefox, an option prevents it from opening hyperlinks in
apps.  With Chrome, if you go to a site or click on a hyperlink for
which an installed app applies, the web browser automatically switches
to using the app.  With Firefox's option, you stay in the web browser,
and it's up to you if you want to use a separate app to view the site.

Unlike Chrome, Firefox has the option to purge its locally cached data
on exit.  That helps to eliminate other methods of tracking, like using
DOM Storage in the web browser.  With Chrome, you have to manually elect
to flush the locally cached data, and then only some of it.  With
Firefox's "Delete browsing data on quit" option, you can have that local
data deleted when you quit Firefox.

There are better web browsers than Chrome for security and privacy.  The
add-on you mention only adds a very small blacklist.  There are better
anti-tracking pro-privacy adblock add-ons available as long as your
choice of web browser allows installing extensions into it.  That last
criteria disqualifies Mobile Chrome (not Desktop Chrome).

Since the Samsung web browser supports extensions for Desktop Chrome
(from Google's Play Store), why not get a better blocker extension?

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#74073

VanguardLH wrote:

> Since the Samsung web browser supports extensions for Desktop Chrome
> (from Google's Play Store), why not get a better blocker extension?

I really do not understand this blocking extension in the web browser.

(If rooted), why wouldn't a good hosts file work far better?

https://someonewhocares.org/hosts/
https://github.com/StevenBlack/hosts
http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/hosts.htm

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#74086

Am 25.01.21 um 01:03 schrieb paul:
> VanguardLH wrote:
> 
>> Since the Samsung web browser supports extensions for Desktop Chrome
>> (from Google's Play Store), why not get a better blocker extension?
> 
> I really do not understand this blocking extension in the web browser.

That doesn't surprise me.

> (If rooted), why wouldn't a good hosts file work far better?

A good hosts file is only a good hosts file for a short period of time.
Blocker Extensions are maintained.

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#74087

On 1/26/2021 11:46 PM, Joerg Lorenz wrote:
> Am 25.01.21 um 01:03 schrieb paul:
>> VanguardLH wrote:
>>
>>> Since the Samsung web browser supports extensions for Desktop Chrome
>>> (from Google's Play Store), why not get a better blocker extension?
>>
>> I really do not understand this blocking extension in the web browser.
> 
> That doesn't surprise me.
> 
>> (If rooted), why wouldn't a good hosts file work far better?
> 
> A good hosts file is only a good hosts file for a short period of time.
> Blocker Extensions are maintained.


You don't need to root to modify your hosts file.

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#74072

In article <ruktk1$ars$1@dont-email.me>, scharf.steven@geemail.com 
says...
> 
> <https://www.androidauthority.com/samsung-internet-vs-google-chrome-1194877/>
> 
> I began using the Samsung browser recently. Very nicely done. 
> "Disconnect" works with the Samsung browser to prevent tracking, while 
> Chrome doesn't allow it. 
> <https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.disconnect.samsungcontentblocker>.
> 
> I have eleven browsers on my Android phone, I like the Samsung browser 
> the best.

Me too, but it's a close run thing with MS Edge, which has a slightly 
less tidy toolbar, but works in much the same way.

-- 
Jim S

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#74077

On 1/24/2021 4:54 PM, Jim S wrote:
> In article <ruktk1$ars$1@dont-email.me>, scharf.steven@geemail.com
> says...
>> 
>> <https://www.androidauthority.com/samsung-internet-vs-google-chrome-1194877/>
>> 
>> I began using the Samsung browser recently. Very nicely done. 
>> "Disconnect" works with the Samsung browser to prevent tracking, while 
>> Chrome doesn't allow it. 
>> <https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.disconnect.samsungcontentblocker>.
>> 
>> I have eleven browsers on my Android phone, I like the Samsung browser 
>> the best.
> 
> Me too, but it's a close run thing with MS Edge, which has a slightly
> less tidy toolbar, but works in much the same way.


If any browser is anything like Microsoft Edge, I'm immediately turned off.

-- 
Ken

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#74076

On 1/24/2021 3:50 PM, sms wrote:
> <https://www.androidauthority.com/samsung-internet-vs-google-chrome-1194877/>
> 
> I began using the Samsung browser recently. Very nicely done.
> "Disconnect" works with the Samsung browser to prevent tracking, while
> Chrome doesn't allow it.
> <https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.disconnect.samsungcontentblocker>.
> 
> I have eleven browsers on my Android phone, I like the Samsung browser
> the best.


I've never tried the Samsung browser and I know nothing about it. Does 
it work on non-Android phones? On desktop computers? What's better about 
it than the other ten?


-- 
Ken

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#74080

On 1/25/2021 6:57 AM, Ken Blake wrote:
> On 1/24/2021 3:50 PM, sms wrote:
>> <https://www.androidauthority.com/samsung-internet-vs-google-chrome-1194877/>
>> 
>> I began using the Samsung browser recently. Very nicely done.
>> "Disconnect" works with the Samsung browser to prevent tracking, while
>> Chrome doesn't allow it.
>> <https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.disconnect.samsungcontentblocker>.
>> 
>> I have eleven browsers on my Android phone, I like the Samsung browser
>> the best.
> 
> 
> I've never tried the Samsung browser and I know nothing about it. Does
> it work on non-Android phones? 


Sorry. I meant on non-Samsung phones.



> On desktop computers? What's better about
> it than the other ten?
> 
> 


-- 
Ken

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#74081

Ken Blake <ken@invalidemail.com> wrote:

> Ken Blake wrote:
>
>> sms wrote:
>>
>>> <https://www.androidauthority.com/samsung-internet-vs-google-chrome-1194877/>
>>> I began using the Samsung browser recently. Very nicely done.
>> 
>> I've never tried the Samsung browser and I know nothing about it.
>> Does it work on non-Android phones? 
> 
> Sorry. I meant on non-Samsung phones.
> 
>> On desktop computers? What's better about it than the other ten?

There's an app for it at:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sec.android.app.sbrowser&hl=en_US&gl=US

When I used the Play Store app on my LG V20 smartphone, the app page did
NOT say it was incompatible with my phone.  Looks like you could trial
it on whatever phone you have.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsung_Internet
"It is based on the open-source Chromium project."

Yet another Chromium variant just with a different chrome (small "c").
The non-Google variants often have more user-configurable options than
Google's variant.

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#74082

In article <i78hp8F5c4pU1@mid.individual.net>, ken@invalidemail.com 
says...
> 
> On 1/25/2021 6:57 AM, Ken Blake wrote:
> > On 1/24/2021 3:50 PM, sms wrote:
> >> <https://www.androidauthority.com/samsung-internet-vs-google-chrome-1194877/>
> >> 
> >> I began using the Samsung browser recently. Very nicely done.
> >> "Disconnect" works with the Samsung browser to prevent tracking, while
> >> Chrome doesn't allow it.
> >> <https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.disconnect.samsungcontentblocker>.
> >> 
> >> I have eleven browsers on my Android phone, I like the Samsung browser
> >> the best.
> > 
> > 
> > I've never tried the Samsung browser and I know nothing about it. Does
> > it work on non-Android phones? 
> 
> 
> Sorry. I meant on non-Samsung phones.
> > 
> > On desktop computers? What's better about
> > it than the other ten?
> > 
> > 
Yes it works on non-samsung phones.
No it does not work on Windows desktop without an emulator and it isn't 
that good that you would bother. It does sync bookmarks to Chrome with 
an add-to Chrome.
Edge on android looks and works in very much the same way although the 
toolbar is not quite as 'slick'
(Chrome) Edge on my desktop is as fast as I can find and of course syncs 
by default to Edge on android. All three take ad-blockers.

-- 
Jim S

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#74085

On 1/25/2021 12:11 PM, Jim S wrote:
> In article <i78hp8F5c4pU1@mid.individual.net>, ken@invalidemail.com
> says...
>> 
>> On 1/25/2021 6:57 AM, Ken Blake wrote:
>> > On 1/24/2021 3:50 PM, sms wrote:
>> >> <https://www.androidauthority.com/samsung-internet-vs-google-chrome-1194877/>
>> >> 
>> >> I began using the Samsung browser recently. Very nicely done.
>> >> "Disconnect" works with the Samsung browser to prevent tracking, while
>> >> Chrome doesn't allow it.
>> >> <https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.disconnect.samsungcontentblocker>.
>> >> 
>> >> I have eleven browsers on my Android phone, I like the Samsung browser
>> >> the best.
>> > 
>> > 
>> > I've never tried the Samsung browser and I know nothing about it. Does
>> > it work on non-Android phones? 
>> 
>> 
>> Sorry. I meant on non-Samsung phones.
>> > 
>> > On desktop computers? What's better about
>> > it than the other ten?
>> > 
>> > 
> Yes it works on non-samsung phones.
> No it does not work on Windows desktop without an emulator and it isn't
> that good that you would bother. 


OK, thanks. I'll forget about it.


> It does sync bookmarks to Chrome with
> an add-to Chrome.


That's of no value to me. I hate Chrome and never use it.


> Edge on android looks and works in very much the same way although the
> toolbar is not quite as 'slick'


To me Edge is the worst of all browsers, and Chrome is only one small 
step above it.


> (Chrome) Edge on my desktop is as fast as I can find 


Almost everyone except me rates browsers by how fast they are. To me, 
that's of almost no importance. They are all fast enough for me. To me, 
what's most important is their GUI, and that's why Edge and Chrome are 
the two worst browsers.


I continue to like FireFox the best.



-- 
Ken

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#74084

Ken Blake <ken@invalidemail.com> writes:

>> I've never tried the Samsung browser and I know nothing about it. Does
>> it work on non-Android phones? 
>
> Sorry. I meant on non-Samsung phones.

Yes, for some years now. I've used it roughly since it became
available.

Two extensions, Disconnect for blocking trackers, Adblock Plus for
blocking ads. Those were reason enough to switch from Chrome. Back then
Firefox wasn't a consideration. More recently I've discovered the
Samsung browser can save passwords and log you in to sites with
fingerprint authentication.

Only issue I have it only allows 50 tabs total. Although I haven't tried
recently if the limit is still there.

I wonder if Firefox now can sync stuff between mobile and desktop
browsers? They've claimed this for years but the last time I tried it
the sync was so haphazard it was effectively useless.

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