Google Chrome's EULA

[YeOldeMunger]

This being one of the few forums I visit, and the most relevant to this topic, I decided to come here with my thoughts.

I just heard and read about Google's new browser [http://www.google.com/googlebooks/chrome/] and was extremely excited. "This" I thought "is the way forward for the internet." I mean, it seems perfect. Everything you could want in a web browser, with customizability that would make Firefox blush.

But then I read a few [http://dev.tapthehive.com/discuss/This_Post_Not_Made_In_Chrome_Google_s_EULA_Sucks] things [http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/09/03/0247205], about the EULA, and I've gotta say, I felt a little chilly.

Microsoft and AOL have both tried to pull this bullcrap, and gotten lynched by the web community en masse; but I never expected to get it from Google. Ok, there's gmail, but that's a bit different.

And I really don't want to go spinning some wild conspiracy theory, because I know better, but I just wanted to see you guys thought. I mean, surely this is something that we're not gonna stand for. Google have always been the gentle giant to me, as far a crazy-rich corporations go, so much that I've trusted them. Anyway, this is starting to sound like an article, not a forum thread.

I just genuinely wanted other people's thoughts on it. Whether they'll stick to it, whether that part of the EULA is benign for all intents and purposes, or whatever.

 

[WlknCntrdiction]

How many times have we had this topic already? o.0

 

[Alex_P]

http://code.google.com/chromium/terms.html

Looks like it'll be pretty easy to build a non-branded version that's free of any kind of EULA.

-- Alex

 

[YeOldeMunger]

Yeah, that's what I was thinking as well. Since it's open source, can't some just release their own version minus the EULA, and any possible nasty code snippets?

And I'm sorry if this topic has been done to death. I did do a search on the forum to see if anything had been said at all, but it didn't come up with anything. I must've effed something up.

 

[Jamash]

So does that mean if you're buying something on-line & using chrome as your browser, then Google has the rights to you're credit card information & can pass on you address details to whoever it wants?

 

[minignu]

OK, by this point I would as.

Why does anyone give a crap about Google Chrome? Firefox is better, free, and you agree to nothing absurd in using it.

Because it's demonstratibaly faster on certain aps. A few people I know tested it on things that made Firefox stutter and found it to be much quicker. I personally won't be downloading it though, considering this shenanigans over the EULA.

 

[Anarchemitis]

• "By submitting, posting or displaying the content you give Google a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive license to reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute any content which you submit, post or display on or through, the services. This license is for the sole purpose of enabling Google to display, distribute and promote the services and may be revoked for certain services as defined in the additional terms of those services."

Thanks to my brain power, I will continue to YouTube and blog, except on Firefox. GoogleChrome will be for othewise browsing.
Dilemma solvéd.

 

[Anarchemitis]

Uploaded with Firefox.

 

[Xenoveritas]

I'm really, really hoping that someone at Google Legal just copy-pasted the standard web services Terms and Conditions and that they're going to be posting a new version that makes sense for a web browser any time now.

Really, really, hoping.

If you read through the EULA, the entire thing seems like it was written for something like YouTube and not a web browser. The EULA says you have to keep your account used to access the service safe. What account? My Windows user? Why does Google care?

Of course, the scariest thing I found about Google Chrome is that it installs Google Update which, among other things, installs a plugin into Firefox that allows webpages to download and run executable files without any user interaction. I'd assume such executables must be signed by Google. Or at least, I really, really hope so.

 

[Captain_Planet]

Im sure that chrome will still get millions of downloads and users. Many people will probably neither notice nor care about the terms and conditions. Personally I have been an Opera fan for years,a dn they never tack on anything like this.

 

[YeOldeMunger]

I've never found Firefox to be slow, it's MUCH faster than IE, and it comes with no hassles.

Actually, recent tests with IE8 have shown that it's faster than Firefox in a lot of cases. I'm not by any means condoning IE, just saying that it's performance has dramatically increased, and that using it as a basis to condemn IE isn't really objective.

Firefox has fantastic customizability to go along with it's moderate performance; and as long as you're on a fast machine (which I'm assuming you are, since you don't notice that Firefox is a resource heavy application), then I'd say it's worth staying with it until Google sort out their EULA.

From the spec of what they're planning, it seems like it's eventually going to be superior in terms of usability, but it's still in beta.

 

[Xenoveritas]

Honestly, with how fast computers are, and how fast the internet goes on even basic high-speed, I can't see a speed increase in the browser being worth so much as the TP I wipe my arse with. I've never found Firefox to be slow, it's MUCH faster than IE, and it comes with no hassles.

And 640k ought to be enough for anybody? Speeding things up is a good thing. It offers opportunities for web developers to create web applications that simply aren't possible today.

Firefox is working on implementing JavaScript speed improvements using technology similar to what Google Chrome uses. In Firefox this is even more important due to the massive amount of JavaScript "glue" code behind the scenes.

But that's not the reason to use it, really. As a web developer, Google Chrome has a ton of cool ideas going into it. I'm excited to see what Google does with it.

In other words, there's little reason to use it over Firefox quite yet (I'm not, I like my extensions) if you're not a web developer. But that doesn't mean there won't be in the future.

Oh, and apparently I was right, Google did literally just copy and paste the EULA from another service [http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080903-google-on-chrome-eula-controversy-our-bad-well-change-it.html], and will be changing it to make some amount of sense for a web browser.

 

[Liatach]

I have never been a IE user, iv'e been with firefox for a long time but i have to say, i'm using chrome now and i think i'll probably stick with it. It is faster, it is more stable, FF3 has been locking up on me pretty frequently lately, i got 34 tabs open in chrome this morning with no slowdown.
From what i read of the chrome comic the most important thing they were trying to achieve was innovation, getting web apps to run in a smooth and stable state & they really have done a good job, the task manager is sweet, the omni bar is cool tho i'm sure everyone will be doing that by the next iteration, the setting up pages as application feature is really cool. if firefox takes their contributions on board maybe i'll switch back, i'll have to wait and see.

i do have ethical quibbles with this EULA but i've yet to encounter a EULA i actually like.
i also have ethical issues with googles great firewall of china, but hey i still use gmail.

interestingly Chrome's spell checker dosn't recognize google. isn't that quaint.

 

[Aries_Split]

People, this was a giant mistake.Google just stated they are removing Term 11. So shut up and switch to Chrome. Or Stay with your browser.

I'm apathetic.

 

[YeOldeMunger]

People, this was a giant mistake.Google just stated they are removing Term 11. So shut up and switch to Chrome. Or Stay with your browser.

I'm apathetic.

That's excellent. I didn't start this thread to concentrate hatred or anything of the sort. Like I said, that particular term did seem uncharactaristic, and I'm very glad they're reppealing it. Chrome really does look like it'll be a fine piece of software.

 

[Aries_Split]

People, this was a giant mistake.Google just stated they are removing Term 11. So shut up and switch to Chrome. Or Stay with your browser.

I'm apathetic.

That's excellent. I didn't start this thread to concentrate hatred or anything of the sort. Like I said, that particular term did seem uncharactaristic, and I'm very glad they're reppealing it. Chrome really does look like it'll be a fine piece of software.

Wait...Did an escapist thread just get...resolved?
...the fuck!?