Vivaldi Browser, 1.3 beta You may have already seen it, but Vivaldi is getting better nearly every day. If you loved the old Opera browser like me this is as close as you are going to get. https://vivaldi.net/en-US/teamblog/105-snapshot-1-1-453-6-further-tab-closing-options-improved-dark-ui-and-more-import-options The interface is highly customizable now. It's just as fast and, more importantly, stable as Chrome now. Chrome extensions work out of the box now. And if you are paranoid about Google watching you with Chrome, that's one more benefit. I've made the full switch to the beta releases of Vivaldi about 6 months ago. I used to have to use a bunch of extensions in Chrome just to get it to work right for me, like smooth scrolling, keep last tab, speed dial, which slow down Chrome. Let alone the fact that Chromes UI is garbage. All of which are built into Vivaldi, the only thing I get is uBlock. For you power users out there who just despise Firefox, Vivaldi is a must.
I like the browser, i really do. Here's the thing. Been using chrome on my android phone and pc forever. Mix in the fact gmail and all my pw and logins saved here and there which is different from site to site. I would have a really really hard time starting over with a new browser not to mention the awesome plugins for chrome that make even the worst spam filled pages a walk in the park..no popus, no crazy adds, no infections. I really don't care if google knows my business...its just so dam helpful. Google/gmail/chrome just works so dam good. lol i can wipe my pc install chrome and bam im done
Unfortunately, I don't think Vivaldi will be able to login to your google account for that Syncing function. But, it should be able to do everything else just fine. The import function should at least be able to get what is in Chrome right now over to Vivaldi, and Chrome's extensions from their own site install the same way on Vivaldi. But I totally understand. Sometimes you get so entrenched in a companies ecosystem it's hard to leave it. Which is the reason why they build it that way.
I will have to try 1.1, I have heard that not only uses chrome extensions it will use Opera add-ons too. The only concern I have is that it phones home or at least the designers have been asked if it does and they have not responded leading one to believe so.
No idea. I guess there is no way to be sure it doesn't contact the devs. Even if they say it doesn't, you would need to very closely monitor your connections and trace each IP down, which I can't be bothered to. Though, I have a hard time believing that they would do what Google does and use your information (anonymous or not) for ad data collection. But even it it's for research and development, complete transparency is always the best way to go. That's all the privacy settings there, and I hope that turning off "Report Diagnostics" would eliminate all communication with the Vivaldi devs. The other option that I have off there should also cut you off from google as well. One hopes.
It's definitely better than Chrome but... It still feels slow compared to Edge and scrolling can be worse than in Firefox.
The smooth scrolling I think may be improved, they have before. They are trying to get it like it was on Opera. Which is one of the biggest reasons why I use it. Having things like a competent customizable speed-dial built into the browser is awesome, the way bookmarks are handled, tab organization, the fact that the browser does not close when closing all tabs, stacking, ect. Customization of the interface itself. It may be slower than Edge. But having those features I love in a browser at least as good as Chrome makes me happy.
Collecting data on users is a modern day version of gold mining so quite likely it is being done. A good VPN and something like Tallow would make this browser more secure. FYI: RC2 is out; https://vivaldi.net/en-US/teamblog/108-snapshot-1-1-453-43-vivaldi-1-1-rc2
Tallow is neat, but tor is just to slow for me to use day-to-day. I have a great VPN, but sometimes that's not enough for the ultra-paranoid. I'm not terribly bothered, ignorance is bliss. Luckily, as long as you don't mind the occasional bug (I haven't had anything browser-breaking), downloading the latest snapshot from the blog's front page also has an auto-updater to move you to whatever the newest snapshot is.
Chrome's biggest weakness is the UI. My ideal browser would have Firefox's UI and Edge's rendering engine.
Yes it is. Simply calling it a themed Chrome is a tad harsh though, lol. Though I guess if the extra customization and built in features don't matter to you that's pretty much what it boils down to.
1.3 Beta out. More themeing options, more tab options, and others (finally proper tab close cycling!).
