A few months ago I ditched Google Chrome
I started using Brave Browser
It’s been several months now, maybe more, since I decided to ditch Chrome browser and switched to Brave.
I have really liked Brave and thought I’d never move away. But, yesterday something happened that made me reconsider.
Perhaps Brave was not a wise move. Maybe I’m missing something and a reader will tell me something I don’t know.
What happened?
Yesterday afternoon, my wife was taking a nap, so I decided to catch up on a little work. I was not doing anything really demanding on my computer, just using the web to make some updates on my eBay account. Then it happened.
Boom! I got the blue screen of death! BSOD does not happen often anymore. Not like it used to years ago. But, hey, Windows is Windows and it is far from perfect.
I rebooted my computer. Everything seemed fine, but after I logged in to my windows account all I got was a black screen. I rebooted again several times, same results. I had my son come and see if he could figure out what was going on. I used to be a real computer geek, but I’m way behind the times now. My son, Jared (and also my son in Atlanta, Aaron) are really up to date on computer stuff.
Jared was getting the same results as I – black screen after login. But, he rebooted one more time, and it worked! Booted up fine, and continued doing so.
While things weren’t looking good
During the time when things were not going well, I started thinking about what kinds of problems I might be facing if I had to wipe my SSD and start clean. Things were not looking good.
I recently updated my PC to a 1 TB SSD, and I have all of my data, apps, and OS all on the SSD. I do have my data backed up both to a local hard drive and also to the cloud. So, my data was safe. It would be easy to recover that.
But, then I got thinking about Brave Browser and realized some shortcomings.
The difference between Brave and Chrome
Chrome and Brave are both built on the Chromium platform, and they are almost identical. I changed from Chrome because I was tired of Chrome spying on me and sending it all to Google. Also, Chrome was getting slow.
When I tried Brave I was shocked at the speed. It was very noticeably faster than Chrome. Everything seemed better on Brave. After a week or so, I uninstalled Chrome, and have never looked back.
One thing about Chrome is that it backs up all of your settings, bookmarks, and passwords to the cloud. Brave does not do that. So, if I lost all of my data on Chrome, I could just reinstall and log into my Google account… everything would be just like nothing ever happened. I’d have my browser settings. I’d have my bookmarks, And, most importantly, I’d have all of my passwords.
I also use a password manager, but if I lost my data that would be gone too.
I make my living on the Internet, so I was pretty worried during the time that it seemed my system had died. I thought I had a good backup system in place, but when things went bad I realized that I was not bulletproof.
Brave was my weak spot.
So, what am I going to do?
Thinking it over, I came up with 4 different solutions:
Reinforce Brave with backup of my app files
Yes, I could set up a backup system of my files that are part of my Brave installation. This should fix the problem, but what if I am forgetting something else? I missed all of this when I made the change, maybe I was overlooking something else.
Go back to Chrome
I really preferred to stay away from Google Chrome. But, if it means security in terms of preserving my data and settings, I would be willing to “make a deal with the Google devil.”
Hopefully, I won’t have to go this way, though.
Switch to Linux
I have used Linux operating systems and I liked it. It has been years, though. At least at that time, though, there were always some Windows-only apps that I needed for my business to work the way it does. Can I switch to Linux now and have everything working the way I want it to? Frankly, I’m not sure.
Maybe I should give it a try, though.
The Nuclear option
I could go to the dark side. Yep… Macintosh. I have always said that I would NEVER go to Apple, but I rarely hear of MacOS having problems like the BSOD. Windows is bad that way, though.
So, what do you guys think? Are there any Brave Browser experts out there who can guide me?
Hi Bob
WHAT about DuckDuckGo?
But DuckDuckGo is a search engine, not a browser. 🙂
Two different animals.
Interesting ad they identify themselves as a browser.
Duck Duck Go does have a Android web browser. But for a windows pc no.
Interesting! I did not know that. For my work purposes, I would be looking for a desktop app, and would want to keep app continuity between platforms. Thanks!
Stick with brave just sync your bookmarks / favorites from your PC with your phone and vice versa. That should solve the problem.
Last I heard stay away from duck duck go they were sold and it’s not private like it use to be.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, much appreciated. I wrote this a long time ago, and I’ve already moved back to Chrome now, I’m pretty happy with where I am now, so I think I’ll be staying with Chrome.
At work, I use a Surface Pro, but we tend to still use the Chrome Browser. In my personal life, I use an iPad Pro and, just recently, an iPhone. That is in preparation for the day when I retire. On that day, I am buying a Mac.
I never thought I would switch as well, but I have been pleased with both Apple products I own.
Hi Tom, I had forgotten about it, but now I remember a couple months back you posted about getting an iPhone. How’s that working out for you? So you going to make the whole entire move and go to an Apple laptop as well? Wow, you are the brave guy. well, I’ve been contemplating something like that myself, but I just don’t really see myself doing it.
Hi Bob,
Before my iPhone 11, I had a Samsung Galaxy Note. Really good phone, but the user experience with the iPhone has been nothing short of amazing (for me). Hard for me to imagine going back.
Yes, I think eventually I will make the switch, but that is a few years out. I think it is something where you want to be sure because the price differential is significant.
Good thoughts, Tom. Helps clarify my thinking. Thank you.
Hi Bob – you can always have the “best of two worlds” – a Windows platform and a Linux platform – by installing Ubuntu: a free and open-source Linux distribution based on Debian. There are various Ubuntu “flavors” available for desktops (and other “machinery”), with version 18.04.3 LTS being the most recent.
Installation will not affect your Windows software, and the process will provide you with a simple start-up menu from which you can select either Windows or Ubuntu for use.
Might be worth looking into. I use Ubuntu and Windows for my accounting firm’s business activities as well as for fun. My use of Ubuntu is mostly for more secure, encrypted communications and work with clients who see security as their number one priority.
https://ubuntu.com/
I am very familiar with Ubuntu, I’ve used it before. I like it. But, my computer uses mostly about business, so that does not solve the problem. If I still need to use Windows in a dual boot mode, I still have the same problem that I have right now. Thanks for the suggestion though.
Internet Explorer. The browser that came with Windows. Or safari if you are a mac user. That is my suggestion.
The current Microsoft browser is Edge. Is there a good reason to go back a generation and use Explorer?
I have been using Firefox for years and it suits me just fine. I have not had any problems or concerns with it.
Several people have recommended Firefox, Bob. I used it years ago, but it got really slow back then. Maybe it deserves a second look.
Just meant the browser that came with the operating system is the one that I suggest.
Got it, thanks!
I switched to Apple/Mac back in 2007. Windows Vista converted me.
I’m on my 3rd Macbook, a 15″ MacBook Pro. I bought the one I’m using now barely used off of ebay. I intentionally bought a slightly older model (2015; bought in 2018) because I didn’t like what they were doing with the newest models. The newest MacBooks didn’t have usb ports and other features I liked.
We also use iPhones and iPads, but we don’t try to keep up with the latest, greatest model. We use iPhone 6’s right now–bought them at Walmart when they were a generation or two behind. I’m guessing you can still get a great iPhone pretty cheap with this strategy.
I have considered going back to Windows some day, but I plan to use this MacBook for 4-5 years (maybe more).
Hi Kevin. Nice to hear from you!
So many people that I trust are telling me to switch to Mac. I thought I never would, but I am thinking about it. I think I am actually leaning that way.
Thanks for your suggestions and information.
I also agree about switching to mac. Problem on my end is price of a mac vs a windows based pc.
Yes, they are certainly pricier than PCs. 🙂
I’m not 100% sure I’ll stay loyal to Apple. I think the company lost its way a little after Jobs died, and I am impressed with some of Microsoft’s products like the Surface.
But I don’ t regret last year’s MacBook Pro purchase at all. It was relatively expensive, but I haven’t had a single problem with it. Reliability is nice since so much of what I do revolves around my laptop.
I guess I’ll revisit the Mac vs PC issue again once it’s time to make another purchase–hopefully not soon.
I am still in the state of indecision on this.
Bob,
Hello Sir, how are you? I saw you again in my Friend’s Christmas photo dressing up as Santa Claus at Nccc mall it was a memory photo on her fb account. I sent you a copy of that photo on your living in the Philippines fb page but it’s kinda un updated. I wish i can send it here too. Im just so happy to all the kids that have a photo of you as Santa. I also remember i notified you one time that you are on a front page of a local newspaper not too long ago. Anyway happy Holidays. Rex here from Davao (an old subacriber of living in the Phil website)
Thank you so much, I got your message on Facebook as well, along with the pictures that you sent. It really brings back fond memories to me, I miss being Santa in the Philippines, maybe someday I will do it again there. Thank you again, and Merry Christmas.
Based on what you’ve stated.
Might i recommend tweaking your chrome browser to only do what you want and no more, no phoning home? Its actually what’s broken no? Maybe some packet snitching software to ensure its not phoning home.
linux is fun but not for the faint of heart. Dual boot or snag an old HDD or SSD. Not like in PH they’re dirt cheap here. Especially If you want to get your terminal on?
OSX is the most out of the box stable but your gonna pay the man
I actually prefer the simplicity, stability, FS of windows 7 for desktop biz use. Cant beat the price/value. i cant remember the last time I’ve had BSOD. I’d check your log files to see what caused that.
OSX is nice on laptop just pricey. I have the latest OSX Catalina running on old not apple supported hardware fun to mess around, very snappy. However I’ve yet to upgrade and take down and update my main late model MBP15 and upgrade as Catalina isn’t yet mature for biz IMO.
If you do end up at Apple you can save big bucks buying a refurb at Apple. Why cause you’re gonna spend big bucks just saying. Same 1 year war. Also I use time-machine router with up to hourly backups for the whole house. I ditched the 2TB and simply swapped out a 12TB and love it. I have it for NAS for the whole house. Simple and love the Apple radios inside that router.
I’m endorsing apple along with MS but they both very good tools IMO. Im on my win7 box typing this. They do have very different file systems Apple finally stepped up with APFS you’ll have to google it. As a biz move its huge unless your 100% web then its not really a huge endeavor. Or to put another way:
Apple 16″ MBPro $3000 give or take
MicroSoft free
Linux free
As you said YMMV =0)
~Steven
Hi Steven. You make some good points, most of which have been considerations that I have thought about. So far, I have not made a decision to change.
On Mac/OSX, it is a big investment, not only in terms of money, but also time in learning the new system.
Chrome is phoning home, yes, but also very slow compared to Brave. It’s hard for me to choose.
Thanks for giving me your perspectives.
Hi Bob,
If you don’t mind paying a yearly fee use a backup process. I use MyPCBackup for may business critical data. Once it is installed, scheduled, and folders selected it backs up everything into its cloud. It has saved my bacon several times and I found it well worth the extra expense for my software business.
One caution, though, be sure you have backed up what you think you did and practice a recovery. I always tell my students that if you haven’t done those steps, verify and recover, you don’t really have a backup. It’s like meeting a Filipina on-line, you really don’t have a relationship until you meet in person.
Regards,
Tony
Good tips there, Tony!
Hi Bob,
If you don’t mind paying a yearly fee use a backup process. I use MyPCBackup for may business critical data. Once it is installed, scheduled, and folders selected it backs up everything into its cloud. It has saved my bacon several times and I found it well worth the extra expense for my software business.
One caution, though, be sure you have backed up what you think you did and practice a recovery. I always tell my students that if you haven’t done those steps, verify and recover, you don’t really have a backup. It’s like meeting a Filipina on-line, you really don’t have a relationship until you meet in person.
Regards,
Tony Keller
thanks for sharing that, Tony. I am going to check it out.
Hi Bob just saw today, you are moved to the cold.
I use Opensuse more then 20 years now. If I need windows, which I don’t, I can use Vmware Player or Oracles VirtualBox. You can set up as many instances as you hardware is capable and run them all at the same time!
Kurt
Hi Kurt, I’ve lived here in Indiana for almost two years now, it took you awhile to find me! Thanks for your suggestions about operating systems, I have use winix many times, I’m not using it now, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to go back again. I guess it’s always fun to experiment with different OS systems.
Hi Bob, I’ve never heard of Winix. In the beginning I used Vmware Server because it was free. Later they changed that policy and introduced vmware player for private use for free, as far as I remember. Vmware is often used in server farms. Even in my former company, where I worked until retirement, Vmware was used for server virtualisation. In those instances of the servers openesuse is used.
Virtualbox is stable and was also used by me, but at the moment there is no need for me to use it anymore. A few programs you can run with wine. I use opensuse, my second choice would be Ubuntu.
Since I use Linux I have never had to deal with any kind of viruses; no scanning, nothing!
It is very difficult to switch to Linux, especially mentally.
Good Luck
Been using Firefox for years now and they have come a long way. I’d say they csn go head to head with Chrome and it never seems to slow down like Chrome does.
Hi Randy. This post is a bit old, and in the meantime, I decided to go back to Chrome. The main reason was that I bought a Chromebook (which I have since given away). But, I feel pretty comfortable with Chrome. Thanks for your suggestion.