Posted on December 21, 2006 - by Justin Hartman
Google Browser Sync
I think that the majority of people are aware of the Google Toolbar for Firefox but what I don’t know is if people are aware that Google have developed a whole series of Extensions for Firefox.
The Google Firefox Extensions page gives you a long list of various add-ons for Firefox but the one which I recently discovered and now find invaluable is the Browser Sync extension.
Browser Sync continuously synchronizes your browser settings – including bookmarks, history, persistent cookies, and saved passwords – across your computers. It also allows you to restore open tabs and windows across different machines and browser sessions.
Now I have my Apple iBook laptop which I use mostly for all my personal stuff including the various personal projects plus I have a PC at the office and an additional PC at home and all three are running either Ubuntu or Debian and of course Firefox.
The Browser Sync allows me to use all three machines and continuously stay up to date with my browser history and passwords saved which for me is very important. Google however claim it synchronises your bookmarks and while this is true for the very first time you setup the Browser Sync extension on a machine it doesn’t seem to continue syncing the bookmarks after the initial install.
To solve this small issue of the bookmarks syncing I use a different extension called Foxmarks. This extension does the job of syncing bookmarks excellently and I’ve been using this extension for a year or so now.
I find that both the Browser Sync and Foxmarks extensions are critical to my productivity and I recommend trying the combination to anyone who runs on more than one machine. There is of course the small issue of privacy and security running with these extensions but I don’t mind too much.
11 Comments
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December 27, 2006
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UPDATE: I noticed that as of Iceweasel for Debian the Google Browser Sync does not install when you click the “Agree and Install” button. Google doesn’t recognise Iceweasel as a derivative of Firefox and as such says that “your browser is not supported”.
To overcome this I went CTRL+U and viewed the page source of the Terms and Conditions page. In it I found the following link:
http://dl.google.com/firefox/google-browsersync.xpi
I copied and pasted this link in my Iceweasel URL bar and hit enter and voila my Browser Sync was installed.
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December 27, 2006
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UPDATE: I noticed that as of Iceweasel for Debian the Google Browser Sync does not install when you click the “Agree and Install” button. Google doesn't recognise Iceweasel as a derivative of Firefox and as such says that “your browser is not supported”.
To overcome this I went CTRL+U and viewed the page source of the Terms and Conditions page. In it I found the following link:
http://dl.google.com/firefox/google-browsersync...
I copied and pasted this link in my Iceweasel URL bar and hit enter and voila my Browser Sync was installed.
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December 28, 2006
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Browsersync sounds pretty cool. The problem with all these extensions though are that they slow down Firefox and some make it unstable. As long as my firefox keeps working properly I’m keen to try it.
I was having serious issues with my Firefox 2 Web browser, it constantly crashed. Constantly! A few others were having the same issue. Turned out it was the Google Search Toolbar plugin, the one with the page rank bar in it. As soon as I disabled that Firefox started working perfectly again.
Just thought I’d share that with others in the same boat, cos it was VERY IRRITATING
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December 28, 2006
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I couldn’t agree more Mark. Firefox as a stand-alone browser is awesome however these plugins and add ons do slow the browser down. I personally only use browser sync and foxmarks and that’s it. No themes nothing.
Keep coming back Mark. Good to hear from readers
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December 28, 2006
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Browsersync sounds pretty cool. The problem with all these extensions though are that they slow down Firefox and some make it unstable. As long as my firefox keeps working properly I'm keen to try it.
I was having serious issues with my Firefox 2 Web browser, it constantly crashed. Constantly! A few others were having the same issue. Turned out it was the Google Search Toolbar plugin, the one with the page rank bar in it. As soon as I disabled that Firefox started working perfectly again.
Just thought I'd share that with others in the same boat, cos it was VERY IRRITATING
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December 28, 2006
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I couldn't agree more Mark. Firefox as a stand-alone browser is awesome however these plugins and add ons do slow the browser down. I personally only use browser sync and foxmarks and that's it. No themes nothing.
Keep coming back Mark. Good to hear from readers
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January 9, 2007
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ANOTHER UPDATE: After my recent blog post about my growing concerns about Google I have decided to remove this and all Google Firefox extensions.
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January 9, 2007
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ANOTHER UPDATE: After my recent blog post about my growing concerns about Google I have decided to remove this and all Google Firefox extensions.
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February 7, 2007
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[...] Merci à cette page. On suppose que vous acceptez le contrat de [...]
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May 22, 2007
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THX, I like the Google Browser Sync. Now, I tested your link to install the Add-On on Iceweasel 2.0.0.3. It run very well.
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May 22, 2007
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THX, I like the Google Browser Sync. Now, I tested your link to install the Add-On on Iceweasel 2.0.0.3. It run very well.