Firefox Vs. Chrome – The Debate Continues

Posted by Mitch Mitchell on Oct 2, 2011

You know, back in July when I wrote the post talking about testing Chrome & coming back to Firefox I thought that all discussions about chrome would probably be over. Little did I know that discussion would open up again via a conversation I had with someone on Twitter.

I don’t remember what exactly started the conversation, that at one point in the conversation the young man and I started talking about browsers and he said regarding Firefox “Maybe it’s for old people? My visitors use IE, Chrome, Firefox, Safari. In that order.” When I commented on that, saying I had trouble believing it, he said “I manage 5 of my own, plus about two dozen for clients. Never seen anything but IE in first. You, sir, are an anomaly.”

First I have to address the “old” issue. I would doubt that age would have anything to do with what browser anybody decided to use except for possibly IE, and then only because it’s the default browser that comes with Windows. Whereas younger people might learn from their friends later on that there are better browsers, older participants might not hear that information, and thus will stick with what they know.

Old? Let’s look at old for a minute. I first got on the Internet December 1995. Back then, there weren’t a lot of choices when it came to browsers. The first one I remember using came with America Online, and everybody was using that because AOL was everywhere. Later I discovered IE, but learned that there were security issues with it. All the “cool kids” were using Netscape, and when I gave that a try I said “wow”. That was my browser of choice until it was bought by whomever (can’t remember right now but I’m sure it will come to me later) and Mozilla decided to go out on their own.

The first Firefox was wonderful. The only thing I lost in switching to it was the ability to code within the browser. But since I had another program for that I didn’t mind so much. The best thing about Firefox is always been customization. You can pretty much customize it to do whatever you want to do. For instance, I have a bunch of extensions that allow me to do things such as change what websites look like, change the functionality of my browser, give me information and immediately so that I don’t have to go elsewhere, and a host of other things I’d rather not get into right now. True, adding all those extensions will slow things down a bit, but since I added the extra RAM to my computer things have been running beautifully.

My friend believed that speed and clean browsing is more important than customization. I will agree with that to an extent. If my browser slow down the files I wanted to download I’d probably have a gripe. The browsers have nothing to do with that, IP’s do. If speed was the only thing my friend really cared about he wouldn’t be using Chrome at all, he would be using Opera, which even now is the fastest browser I’ve ever seen. Not only that but Chrome, which is a Google product, tracks pretty much everything you do online. Everybody knows it, but there is something about younger people who really don’t care that their tracks and really don’t care about their privacy as much as us “older” people, who had to deal with things such as the red scare, communism and all that other garbage that we’ve proven really was a flawed model.

That’s enough of the “old” talk. Let’s talk about the demographics of browser use when it comes to webpages. As you saw in his quote above, he stated that Chrome was the top browser being used by people who visited all of his websites. With the caveat being that there is no way I can determine the age of the people who visit all the websites that I have in the websites I manage, let me show you the numbers that I see for all of my websites based on Google Analytics; by the way, if you care, you can view this information under Visitors, then look at the bottom under “technical profile”:

I’m Just Sharing:

Firefox 37.55%
Chrome 25.97%
Internet Explorer 17.94%
Safari 11.36%

Mitch’s Blog:

Internet Explorer 32.48%
Firefox 28.57%
Chrome 18.86%
Safari 11.83%

Top Finance Blog:

Firefox 38.61%
Chrome 26.19%
Internet Explorer 22.92%
Safari 7.91%

Syracuse Wiki:

Firefox 30.57%
Internet Explorer 26.57%
Safari 17.43%
Chrome 13.71%

SEO Xcellence Blog:

Firefox 57.39%
Chrome 20.87%
Internet Explorer 7.83%
Safari 5.22%

SEO Xcellence:

Firefox 31.78%
Internet Explorer 31.01%
Chrome 26.36%
Safari 4.65%

T T Mitchell Consulting, Inc:

Internet Explorer 57.81%
Firefox 19.20%
Chrome 10.93%
Safari 6.44%

CNYHBA:

Firefox 45.59%
Internet Explorer 27.94%
Safari 13.24%
Chrome 8.82%

CNYHBA Blog:

Internet Explorer 51.25%
Firefox 23.75%
Safari 10.00%
Chrome 10.00%

Li’l Specs:

Internet Explorer 40.00%
Firefox 32.31%
Safari 10.77%
Chrome 9.23%

Medical Billing Answers:

Internet Explorer 79.13%
Firefox 9.88%
Chrome 5.62%
Safari 3.34%

Smoke Not So Much:

Internet Explorer 36.86%
Chrome 19.49%
Safari 17.37%
Firefox 16.95%

Services and Stuff:

Internet Explorer 53.95%
Firefox 21.31%
Safari 8.59%
Chrome 7.90%

Professional Consultant’s Association:

Internet Explorer 32.04%
Firefox 30.10%
Safari 15.53%
Chrome 13.59%

PCA Blog:

Internet Explorer 40.32%
Firefox 29.03%
Chrome 14.52%
Safari 8.06%

G Chapman Consulting:

Internet Explorer 54.21%
Firefox 17.37%
Safari 13.68%
Chrome 6.84%

Krueger Resource Recovery:

Internet Explorer 64.66%
Firefox 18.10%
Chrome 7.76%
Safari 4.74%

There’s a couple other websites I manage, but I didn’t want to bring those clients into the mix. However, their numbers are pretty much the same as all the others I’ve shown you above. Since the only one where Chrome actually beats Firefox for my sites is my anti-smoking site, I can probably conclude that only sites that addicts visit tend to use Chrome more often than Firefox, but that would be pretty silly.

Anyway, those are my numbers. I don’t necessarily expect that everybody who has a website will end up with numbers like mine, but I wanted to paint kind of a broad brush because I guess the “old” thing was something I felt I needed to address. But it would be interesting to hear from some of the rest of you what your analytics look like when it comes to browsers that visit your sites, especially those of you who are younger than 35, since I believe my young friend is actually younger than that. Seeing as how in 1995 I was 36 years old, that means that I was older than he is now, which could mean that in his eyes I’ve always been old. But that’s okay because I’m feeling pretty old myself these days; good thing I’ve got that Vegas trip coming up.

Tags: browsers, Software

55 Comments »

Dan:

Hey Mitch. I’ll just call myself out and admit it was me calling you old. I was, however, completely joking. I’m not, in fact, younger than 36, and have no idea how old you are (well, I could do the math, I suppose, from what you wrote above.)

What I meant was this: For the past decade and up until recently, folks really had two major browsers to choose from: IE or Firefox. Those who didn’t know better stuck with IE. There were Opera and Safari guys, but Firefox was the real IE competitor. For the past few years, Chrome has been stealing market share and winning over users based on speed, stability, and safety. And Firefox just hasn’t kept up.

Why did I say old? Because, in general, older people are more reluctant and resistant to change. They’re creatures of habit. Younger people are more inclined to take a leap and try something new.

I’m no spring chicken. Plenty of people would call me old. But I don’t think old is a number

As for browsers, your stats are not in line with national or global usage — the story you tweeted that started this discussion proves that. Considering you’re using Google Analytics, my guess is that you aren’t removing your own visits to your blog from the data, which would certainly skew what’s reported toward Firefox.

One other point: Firefox is the least secure of the major browsers–less secure by far than IE.

Also, I did not say Chrome was the top browser across my sites. I said IE was the top browser. Chrome comes in second.
Dan recently posted…There really are no rock stars in social media.

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
October 2nd, 2011 at 7:17 PM

Wow Dan, you hide your age well; then again, your image is kind of dark. Lol

Actually you would be wrong about that Google thing. I learned about that maybe 18 months ago and removed myself from all those stats, so they’re clean as I ran them all for the last 3 months; I’m not so dumb. The stats are good and true.

Of course you could do the same thing I just did on your blog and we could both sit back and be amazed at what our stats show, especially if they’re different.

As for the age thing, well, it is what it is. Truthfully, I took your words and made a blog post out of it; it’s what I do. I also decided to do some research since I’m a numbers guy to see if you might be correct. Based on whay I see with my own eyes, not even close. I don’t often accept things at face value; numbers don’t always lie. I’d have still written this one even if the numbers showed something else; I’m glad they didn’t though. Today, my sky isn’t falling, and since I know my research is sound, I’ll stick with my belief until I see otherwise.

And yes, I did read where downloads of Chrome are close to overtaking downloads of Firefox. Downloads are one thing, usage is another. As someone who has 4 browsers, I would know. Thanks for the idea of the topic.

Dan Reply:
October 2nd, 2011 at 7:39 PM

The only thing your research shows is that more people use Firefox on your blogs. National and global usage — not just downloads — show Chrome stealing market share from Firefox. It is was it is. Considering the small subset you’re dealing with, you’re drawing some pretty big assumptions.

I’m happy to show you my browser breakdown. This weekend, however, I’m avoiding the PC and going mobile only. So maybe tomorrow, if I think of it.
Dan recently posted…There really are no rock stars in social media.

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
October 2nd, 2011 at 7:52 PM

Dan, I can wait. I’ll be checking in while I’m in Vegas. And my research shows more people use it on my blogs AND websites, including sites I run for other people. You know, it’s easy to discount research if it doesn’t fit what you want; that’s not quite fair from where I sit. Stealing market share doesn’t mean it’s being used more.

Truth is I went out on Google to research it and what you’re claiming isn’t anywhere; I went through 300 pages looking for it (yeah, I get kind of thorough when I’m researching). The assumption is that because Chrome is moving up on downloads that it’s overtaken Firefox; it’s just that, an assumption, since both moved up on IE and neither has ever been able to catch up. So, my figures are as powerful as anyone else’s because at least I have numbers from a broad sample, even if you might not decree it’s a legitimate sample.

Still, it’s fun to look at, so yes, I’ll be looking for your figures as a point of comparison; should be interesting.

Dan Reply:
October 2nd, 2011 at 8:29 PM

Okay, Mitch. I’ll Google it for you. And you are incorrect. I’m not talking about downloads; I’m talking about usage. Although this link is to a Wikipedia page on the subject, it is pulling usage stats, which are readily available from several sources. IE is number one. You can deny it if you want, but as I said, you’re an anamoly. Your usage stats are not typical.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usage_share_of_web_browsers
Dan recently posted…There really are no rock stars in social media.

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
October 2nd, 2011 at 8:33 PM

But Dan, even the link you just shared and the graphs show Firefox is still ahead of Chrome. I’m not wrong at all since I’m talking about what’s going on now.

Dan Reply:
October 2nd, 2011 at 9:12 PM

I think you need to go back and look at the conversation.
I did not say Chrome was more popular than Firefox, except on my blog. Even my quote above says you are an anamoly if Firefox is the top browser in your stats — IE is number one.

I did say my visitors used Chrome more often than Firefox, but I at no time insinuated those were standard either. In fact, considering the article we were commenting on clearly talked about Chrome possibly surpassing Firefox soon to become the second most popular browser, I wouldn’t have made the argument.

So…you’re wrong in that you’re arguing against a point I didn’t make. And the link I just posted shows you that I was absolutely correct in the point I did make: Using data from your websites to determine what browser is most popular doesn’t work. Firefox shows up on some of yours at number one. IE still holds a much larger share of the market, and Firefox is shrinking. That was my point. The facts are facts.
Dan recently posted…There really are no rock stars in social media.

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
October 2nd, 2011 at 9:22 PM

I’ve gone back to look at our conversation Dan. I see where the breakdown came. As I was reading your words, I thought we were only talking about comparing Firefox to Chrome usage. You did indicate IE as being on top, which I knew, but I missed that phrase. So, you’re correct in saying IE is on top; you get that one.

Course, that wasn’t the point I was debating here, so I’m right on FF being higher than Chrome.

October 2nd, 2011 | 6:02 PM

Anne Bender:

I see a fair mix come to my main site. I use Firefox only because I needed it for school. I used to primarily use Safari, but got so embedded in Firefox that it’s hard for me to go back except intermittently. My daughters (18 & 20) both use Safari (one uses a Mac the other a PC). My husband, on the other hand, uses IE, but that’s because he’s used to it and resists change.
Anne Bender recently posted…A Mother-Daughter Moment

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
October 2nd, 2011 at 7:54 PM

Anne, the thing about browsers is that people use the ones they want for their own specific reasons. I love Firefox because of the customization. I was mad at it for awhile because of resource use, but once I replaced my RAM it works perfectly; changing RAM fixed a lot of other issues as well. If I was using Apple I might be a Safari guy, but I’m not sure. I do know that I downloaded Firefox for my smartphone and didn’t like it, so I’m using whatever came with it; I’m not sure what it is. Goodness, the guy across the street uses the browser that comes with AOL of all things; I can’t get him to look at anything else, but he is 86 years old after all. lol

October 2nd, 2011 | 7:16 PM

Andrew Walker:

Hi Mitch. Well, to tell you the truth, I’m not a stable user either. LOL!
Usually I use Firefox on my PC. But on my laptop, which isn’t as good as my PC, I’d prefer Chrome since it’s way lighter and consume less memory and energy than Firefox.
Andrew Walker recently posted…MovieMars.com Coupon Code

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
October 2nd, 2011 at 9:46 PM

That’s funny Andrew. Firefox was actually working better on my laptop than my computer until I changed RAM, and it’s more than 7 years old.

October 2nd, 2011 | 9:23 PM

John Garrett:

For the last month my site looks like this:

Firefox -35.65%
Chrome -29.37%
Safari -18.62%
Internet Explorer -11.71%
Opera -1.87%

This is the way it usually plays out. A lot of my top posts have to do with web design and such, so most of those guys will be using Firefox and avoiding IE.

As for me, I only use Firefox for Firebug and other web development plugins. I find it way too slow to use for casual browsing otherwise. I figure if I have enough ram to run Photoshop and the Adobe Creative Suite well I should be able to run Firefox without lag, but no go.

I use Safari for my day to day browsing just because it’s way faster than Firefox. It’s only marginally faster than Chrome but I just don’t see any good reason to switch yet.
John Garrett recently posted…Hypertransitory Monday Comics #4 – Kid Hype pt 4

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
October 3rd, 2011 at 12:56 AM

John, until I read this I didn’t even know Safari could be used on a PC: when did that happen? Heck, I already have 4 other browsers, so I’m not about to add another one… not yet anyway. lol And as I said on Twitter, once I added more RAM & disabled some plugins (actually, you have to unload them as well) I’ve had no speed issues whatsoever. And I still get all my customization; that’s big for me.

Dan Reply:
October 7th, 2011 at 2:36 PM

John: A web designer who avoids using IE is a poor designer. IE’s issues are well known, and every designer should be using and testing their sites in IE to ensure they’re working correctly. It’s the mot popular browser in the world. If your site doesn’t support it, you’ve failed.
Dan recently posted…There really are no rock stars in social media.

John Garrett Reply:
October 7th, 2011 at 3:03 PM

Dan, you’ve failed to understand my comment. The stats I laid out had nothing to do with actually developing a website.

I was reporting the stats of people who come to VIEW the top posts on my site. As they are mostly designers/developers themselves, IE is not their first choice of browser for their own personal use.

Of course we all know the issues with IE and we all test our own sites in all applicable browsers. These guys aren’t testing MY site, though.

My comment has nothing to do with my or any site “supporting” IE, and just because designers might avoid IE for their own personal use it doesn’t make them a “poor designer”.
John Garrett recently posted…The Stupid Clowns Ebook is HERE!

Dan Reply:
October 7th, 2011 at 3:25 PM

John: You’ve failed to understand my comment. I didn’t say they were testing your site. You said: “A lot of my top posts have to do with web design and such, so most of those guys will be using Firefox and avoiding IE.” I’m disagreeing with your leap in logic.

I’m a designer. I prefer Chrome, and use it more often. I also use IE, because I need to know how it works, what it supports, how it is or isn’t improving. That’s not just about testing sites; it’s about knowing your work. You build for people, but you also build for browsers.
Dan recently posted…There really are no rock stars in social media.

John Garrett Reply:
October 7th, 2011 at 3:58 PM

No, I understood it just fine. It was just wrong. The only leap in logic was yours, since your comment had nothing to do with what I wrote.

My statements are backed up by numbers:

http://www.webdirections.org/sotw10/

Yeah it’s 2010 but I doubt IE has made a huge reversal since then. On that page:

“Few respondents use any form of Internet Explorer for their day to day web use, but IE8 is the number one browser developers test their sites in”

which is what my numbers reflect. these guys are avoiding IE for their own use, and using it just like every developer knows to do when testing their sites. Since they aren’t testing my site, they’re using something else that they actually prefer, usually Firefox.

From the page:
“Firefox remains the number one choice by some way, but respondents were split between 3.5 and 3.6 at the time of our survey”

You’re in the minority among developers if you use IE in your day to day browsing. Just because others don’t choose to use it on their own time doesn’t make them poor designers and doesn’t speak to any site supporting or not supporting IE.

Here’s another one from 2008 (long time but it shows the consistency).

http://www.webdirections.org/the-state-of-the-web-2008/browsers-and-operating-systems/

Not very many developers use IE in their daily browsing travels. I’ve seen similar stats on other designer/development sites over the years and I’m sure you must have seen them too.

I don’t know any developers who use IE as their primary browser. The stats show they are there but I don’t know even one. Using Safari puts me in the minority as well, as Firefox seems to always come out on top.
John Garrett recently posted…The Stupid Clowns Ebook is HERE!

Dan Reply:
October 7th, 2011 at 5:47 PM

Chrome is my browser of choice. I also use Firefox, IE and, sparingly, Safari. Your leap in logic was to say your posts were about design, therefore explaining the use of Firefox. The links above appear to back up your point, so I get where you’re coming from. However, Chrome only came out in 2008, so we can dismiss that. I do not doubt, as a developer, that most would rather not use IE. It’s a pain to develop for, and I hope that gets better.

Good on you for having so many Firefox-loving developers who enjoy your site. That’s awesome.
Dan recently posted…There really are no rock stars in social media.

October 2nd, 2011 | 11:43 PM

Brian D. Hawkins:

This is a pretty interesting conversation. I’ve been using Firefox for years but a few months ago I started having trouble with certain blogs not loading fully. It was probably a plugin conflict but I was having trouble finding the issue. So I switched to Chrome. Chrome works fine for me but for some reason I can’t log into PayPal with it. I have no idea why but I have to open up Firefox to log in. I can make a purchase using PayPal on other sites but can’t log into the PayPal website using Chrome.

I also miss the right click options such as opening an image that I find on another site. Just today I needed to alter a CommentLuv image for a blog post and, again, I was back to Firefox.

Here’s my stats from Google Analytics and, yes, my clicks are ignored as well. I’m not under 35, far from it, but here are my latest stats anyway:

Firefox 48.45%
Chrome 34.43%
Internet Explorer 10.07%
Safari 3.83%
Mozilla Compatible Agent 0.93%

Personally, I don’t care if Firefox or Chrome leads but I do get a little satisfaction that Internet Explorer is getting it’s pants beat off. lol
Brian D. Hawkins recently posted…I’m Luvin The New Dashboard Luvvers Widget

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
October 3rd, 2011 at 12:58 AM

Man, you and John both have sites where IE trails all the others; how interesting is that? And you’re right, there are things that Firefox can do that other browsers can’t do, like grab images and the like even when they’re protected. Uhhh, not that I’m grabbing images I shouldn’t be grabbing mind you (cough).

October 3rd, 2011 | 12:18 AM

Carl:

I am using all browsers for testing purpose, but all the time 2 browsers are opened – Firefox and Chrome. Probably just as habit. Personally I like Safari as most of the time Safari is adding support to latest HTML5 tags for example and it is fairly fast, as well do not cache so many files.
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October 3rd, 2011 | 3:15 AM

Celestine:

Probably I use Firefox on my PC. But in my laptop, which is not as good as my PC, I’d choose Chrome since it’s way lighter and consume less memory and energy than Firefox.
Celestine recently posted…drinkware company

October 3rd, 2011 | 9:34 AM

Jason:

“Not only that but Chrome, which is a Google product, tracks pretty much everything you do online.”

Can you elaborate a bit more on this point – perhaps a link to some details? Firefox is my browser of choice because of certain addons I can’t live without, but I can always use another reason not to like Chrome
Jason recently posted…Kinesis Advantage Keyboard Review

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
October 3rd, 2011 at 10:49 AM

Jason, I’ve written about it a few times on this blog, so if you’re interested you can do a search for it. But it’s known that when you sign up for Chrome, the only browser where you actually have to fill out “paperwork” to download something, it mentions in there that you agree to be tracked, supposedly so they can monitor things to see how they work. I know few people with any online knowledge that believes that’s true. Goodness, when they were adding the Google Toolbar to Firefox CNET and PC World announced that every time you used it you were being tracked. It doesn’t happen with Google on its own as much, although we know that all search engines keep records of searches as much as they can for, what, 2 years or so?

Jason Reply:
October 3rd, 2011 at 10:53 AM

Hmm. Maybe Firefox should borrow a page from the DuckDuckGo playbook and start marketing with “Chrome tracks you, we don’t.”
Jason recently posted…Kinesis Advantage Keyboard Review

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
October 3rd, 2011 at 10:58 AM

I actually think that would be a great marketing strategy. Heck, Firefox has an option they call anonymous browsing where you can’t be tracked no matter where you go, but it does store stuff somewhere because supposedly they have to; I’m not quite sure about that one though.
Mitch Mitchell recently posted…An Important Blog Page If You’re Looking To Do Business

Jason Reply:
October 3rd, 2011 at 11:48 AM

Actually it might not be such a great idea, considering that the majority of Mozilla’s funding comes from – guess who – Google!
Jason recently posted…Kinesis Advantage Keyboard Review

Dan Reply:
October 7th, 2011 at 3:01 PM

Mitch, you’re being really unfair here, and spreading unverified or untrue information.

1. You don’t fill out any paperwork to download and install Chrome. You have a terms of use, which is standard protocol for software. Google is a publicly-traded company, and, as such, has a policy that protects itself from liability, as required by law.

2. Much has been made of Google’s “tracking,” as if it’s a privacy issue. Every search engine does some form of tracking. Most software on your PC tracks your usage and reports problems back to home base. Google does nothing different. Again, this is governed by law. The privacy policy is here: http://www.google.com/psearch/privacyfaq.html

3. Chrome not only has a “do not track” feature, but also an “In Private” browsing feature. If you don’t wish to be tracked, you can opt out.

4. Google’s “tracking” of your browser use is less dangerous, by far, that the gaping security holes in Firefox, which allow hackers and rogue websites to hijack your browser, infect your computer, and REALLY track your computer usage with keyloggers.

5. You claim you don’t see a performance issue with Firefox…but you did. You had to install more RAM just for it to work as you expect. You don’t have to do that with Chrome, and with good reason: It’s lighter, faster, more reliable than any other browser. And Firefox has been playing catch-up ever since Chrome came out, with drag-and-drop tabs and the tab-on-top design.

Outside of speed and security — both places where it beats Firefox handily — Chrome does something no other browser does: It sets up each tab as a separate instance of the browser. That means if a website you’re visiting crashes, it doesn’t crash the whole browser, like it would in Firefox. It crashes one tab. That means the rest of your tabs, with whatever you’re working on, are safe.

And for those who prefer Safari? Safari and Chrome are built on the same underpinnings. I’m my opinion, Chrome does it better.

In terms of extensions and plugins, they’re being developed for Chrome all the time. There are also themes available (heck, I’ve even built one or two) if you want to customize.

Anyway…I don’t begrudge anyone’s personal preference. If it’s what you like better, more power to you. But please to resort to spreading rumor, speculation, or just plain untruths.
Dan recently posted…There really are no rock stars in social media.

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
October 7th, 2011 at 4:48 PM

Couple of things Dan.

One, my terminology might not have been what you wanted it to be, but the point is that you just download all other browsers, but with Chrome you can’t download until you agree to stuff.

Two, I had to add more RAM because many things were failing on my computer; I certainly wouldn’t add RAM just to make a browser work better But once I added the RAM I also didn’t have those browser issues anymore.

Three, Google tracks you to market to you; Mozilla doesn’t. To me, that’s a big issue. Can you opt out? To a degree, but not fully. Whether I’m on my cellphone, laptop or home computer they know where I am and are tracking and marketing to me there; I don’t like that one bit. I can totally get out of that with Firefox; can you do that with Chrome?

It’s not unfair at all; it’s my opinion, based on what I’ve read, and I’ll stick by it.

Dan Reply:
October 7th, 2011 at 5:55 PM

I think you’ll find you have to “agree to stuff” with Safari and IE. And where is Google marketing anything to me in myy browser? If it’s a matter of serving relevant ads on pages I visit, so be it. Can you opt out entirely? Yes, you can.

I expect nothing less but that you’ll stick by your opinion, Mitch. Facts be damned.
Dan recently posted…There really are no rock stars in social media.

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
October 7th, 2011 at 6:51 PM

I guess that shuts me up Dan; thanks.

October 3rd, 2011 | 10:11 AM

Carolee a.ka. Blogging Biz Mom:

Guess I’m old..I use FireFox!

Not that I’m totally crazy about it..I don’t think it’s happy when I have a ton of windows open at once.

Does have some cool extensions, though!
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Mitch Mitchell Reply:
October 4th, 2011 at 11:34 PM

Carolee, I’m not sure any browser stays happy if you have lots of tabs open. lol

October 4th, 2011 | 6:38 AM

Allan Douglas:

You may be pleased to know, Mitch, that I’ve finally converted to Firefox. This was primarily because MSIE began locking up and having to restart. Since most of my internet browsing is for doing research on topics, losing my multiple screen session is a pain in the… um… arm. I tested Chrome too, and it was OK, but I liked Firefox better. I haven’t gotten too much into plug-ins. I *am* waiting for one to catch up: my laptop has a fingerprint scanner and software for password management. This is supposedly more secure than using the browser’s password storage thing. Internet Explorer supported the scanner, Firefox does not. The older version had a plug-in for it, but the latest update blew that out. I’m hoping the scanner software people will get a new plug-in out soon.
Allan Douglas recently posted…The Sound of Sirens

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
October 4th, 2011 at 11:35 PM

Welcome to the “fun” side Allan. lol Actually, I talk about Firefox because of all the stuff one can do with it, but I acknowledge some other browsers are faster. And browsers are funny, kind of like software; one person can have a problem with it while someone else might be just fine.

October 4th, 2011 | 6:57 AM

reeha@gift ideas:

Thanks for taking time to collect this data for us. these days i am finding huge problem with FF because FF is not working well and jam or hang after some time. that is why i left FF and right now using Chrome because of delay in work. Chrome is also working well but FF is best but they low down their service.

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
October 4th, 2011 at 11:40 PM

Reeha, Firefox has gotten into this mode of constant updates, which shows they’re working on it, but it’s getting kind of weird also. Still, I like it best.

October 4th, 2011 | 6:20 PM

Rachel:

I won’t use Chrome. Google has too many issues where it’s storying users data and, by using their Chrome browser, IMO, you’re just opening yourself up to having all your personal info stored. No thanks happy with Firefox.

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
October 6th, 2011 at 8:34 PM

I’m with you on this one Rachel. I don’t necessarily believe Mozilla folks are innocent as babies, but they don’t have a monetary reason to track us like Google does.

October 6th, 2011 | 2:57 AM

Cristian Balau:

A couple of week ago I sold a funny pictures website. It was doing pretty good as far as traffic went and I know for sure most of my users were young people, because in most cases only young folks have the time to search for “funny lol pictures” or whatever so most of them were under 30.
I don’t remember the exact percentage but I know for sure Chrome had just over 60%, followed by Firefox and IE right after that.
Cristian Balau recently posted…Did you hear how that "smart grid" is working out in UK?

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
October 7th, 2011 at 7:14 PM

That’s pretty interesting Cristian, and I guess if all I was doing was searching images I might want the fastest browser & connection as well.

October 7th, 2011 | 7:10 PM

Lessa:

I never see anything but IE in 1st place.

I am a big firefox fan but will admit I have never tried chrome, I dont like change for changes sake and so would need to have a great reason to try it
Lessa recently posted…How discount codes are used

October 8th, 2011 | 9:47 PM

Jack:

Why do people love Chrome?

- It has an ugly interface
- Preferences are illogically presented
- Can’t “pin” things like history and bookmarks
- Possible to popup windows with certain coding
- Sends data when typing things in the address bar

To this day, I still don’t understand why people even like Gmail and its primitive web application.

The most brilliant thing is Google’s marketing.

Firefox’s sluggishness is B.S. If you load tons of addons of course it will lag. This has nothing to do with older and younger people and accepting change. Some people are just naive.

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
October 14th, 2011 at 10:27 PM

I’m with you Jack. If I didn’t have this predilection for modifications and the like I think Firefox would run as fast as any other browser on my computer. Some folks like what they call the clean interface of Chrome; to me it’s just boring. Probably the same folks that never change their border colors on their computers and laptops go for Chrome; me, I like modification.

October 14th, 2011 | 10:14 PM

Thrawn:

I’ve only used Chrome/Chromium a little, but my impression is that it’s the best vanilla, out-of-the-box browser. It’s definitely fast, and the process-per-tab architecture has definite merit.

However, I don’t run a vanilla, out-of-the-box Firefox. Chrome’s addons are improving, but they can’t yet match NoScript or RequestPolicy. And until they do, I’m sticking to Firefox for my daily browsing. Its performance is adequate for my needs, and addons like NoScript make it far safer than any other browser can be.

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
January 16th, 2012 at 1:09 AM

Thanks for sharing Thrawn, although I have to admit your use of “vanilla” is a new concept to me. lol And the add-ons are why Firefox is still my favorite as well.

January 15th, 2012 | 7:03 PM

LR:

I remember you! I think I commented on this blog 9 or 10 months ago. Anyhow I found this post because I was checking into Firefox alternatives. Glad you confirmed what I was already thinking. I would have to shoot myself if I ever became a Google chrome corporatism sell out. What really ticks me off is these collectivist Google analytics zombies. I cannot think of anything more annoying or inaccurate then Google analytics. WAKE UP brainwashed masses and ditch Google analytics for Piwik analytics!!!

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
March 10th, 2013 at 11:43 AM

I remember you as well, although I had to go back & read this post since it was from so long ago. lol It’s hard to go against the grain when so many people seem to love Chrome but I find it lacking in many areas. It just feels incomplete in some way, whereas Firefox gives me so much more latitude, and I’ve found there are things I can do with it than Chrome doesn’t offer. But Google is more popular than Mozilla and that’s just how it goes.

LR Reply:
March 11th, 2013 at 2:39 PM

To bad Opera browser doesn’t have all the SEO and other extensions we need. Opera is BLAZING FAST! Unfortunately a couple years back it was buggy. It is great for reading though because you can make the fonts huge and fit the screen far better then Firefox even.

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
March 12th, 2013 at 1:41 AM

I have to admit that I really hate Opera. I have it because I need to see what webpages I create look like in multiple browsers. It may be fast but it scrolls horribly and isn’t easy to keep still, if you know what I mean. That and it’s not really customizable either.

LR Reply:
March 12th, 2013 at 6:31 PM

How long have you been at this game Mitch??? Do you know anything or anyone who is REASONABLE who can help teach me how to compete with the big dogs in niche porn field??? It is a whole higher level compared to regular WP blog marketing. I have went through hell the past year working 24/7 on and off. I am making improvements but my hosting company (liquid web) says my competition is spending 5 or 6 thousand dollars per month in hosting alone. I don’t know what to do. I am improving slowly and surely but I only have a thousand people per day coming to the site and as far as my guess I need at least 60,000 per day to start making a living at this. Anyone who knows anything is going to keep there mouths shut and work and collect the cash. Understandably. Anyhow great talking with you Mitch keep up the great work you have an excellent blog here and seem very knowledgeable. You look like an honest family man. Maybe even a minister. If you know any sharks that can help me out let me know

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
March 12th, 2013 at 11:51 PM

No I don’t; never had any of those folks talking to me and I’ll keep it that way. lol As for being a minister; I don’t trust religion either.

LR Reply:
March 13th, 2013 at 9:58 AM

I respect your bluntness and honesty. However good news for me. I just found out I had my affiliate codes put in wrong. The bad news is I probably lost 4000.00 at least in affiliate sales. The good news is I figured out how much of an idiot I really am so now my monthly pay check is now instantly better.

I just went to your front page and watched your latest video. I hate to admit it but you are a damn good blogger. You are old school and ever post you write looks like it has 1000 words minimum. That is old school quality. I try and follow the same principal in theory even though it may not make sense being applied to my niche. Unfortunately I do not have a huge back-link plan yet so I am relying mainly on on page SEO and branding.

By the way. You live 90 minutes from me. I live in Apalachin. Do you have an opinion on silo structure???

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
March 13th, 2013 at 10:57 AM

Not really, other than it’s a pain in the neck to have one more thing to plan. lol I do know about it though and I’m sure if one wanted to put together both a traffic and marketing plan it might work. I just don’t have the time for it.

March 9th, 2013 | 4:23 AM

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