Google Browser Sync Gives Firefox Consistency Across Computers
Google has released an absolutely excellent Firefox extension: Google Browser Sync keeps your Firefox settings, bookmarks, cookies and passwords consistent across any computer you use, so long as the extension and Firefox are installed on those computers. While bookmarks and settings are nice, the extension really shines in a different area: It also preserves all your currently open tabs and windows. That means, if you are a heavy user, like a blogger who keeps open 40 tabs at a time, all you have to do is login and continue your work from a different computer.
Wonderful!
I swear by Opera, because, among many other great reasons, it saves my tabs at all times. If the browser crashes, I just reopen it, and all 30-150 tabs (yes, I frequently have well over a hundred open tabs) reload as it opens, no worries. I can’t stand the idea of a browser that doesn’t save that automatically. Now, Google has upped the ante, by restoring your entire application state no matter what computer you are on. No doubt, some people are going to add this to their thumb drives for when they tote Firefox around, as a portable workspace is a feature so good, it could be a deal-breaker for many. I hope Opera gets this capability.
Hat-tip: Jason
Note: As with any new Google software, there will be some issues that will annoy the hell out of you. For example, you aren’t able to use Browser Sync on other people’s computers, since syncing isn’t temporary, and that person will have access to all of your settings and such:
Why shouldn’t I install Google Browser Sync on computers that other people can access?
Browser Sync keeps all your browsers in sync with each other, so it needs to send potentially sensitive information like your stored passwords, bookmarks, and browser history to the other computers where you’ve installed it. Also, once you install Browser Sync, you don’t need to log in every time you start the browser to access this info. Therefore, someone who uses a computer where you’ve installed browser sync will have access to all the info you’ve chosen to sync across your computers. Any new browser settings they create, such as browsing history, will also show up on your other computers.
Also, you can’t change your PIN (logging in involves your Google account username and password, plus a personal PIN number*). Google recommends that if you want to change your PIN, uninstall the extension and start over with a new one.
* - I love it when people get all redundant…
(check your headline…)
Comment by Philipp Lenssen | June 8, 2006
Ahh, I love this extension. I use PortableFirefox at school (I’m a highschool student, so I’m not supposed to install it on their computers.). I have firefox on a laptop at home. And I hope this works for Linux, I don’t see why it wouldn’t. After I fix my box at my mom’s and get more ram for the one at my dad’s… (yes, divorced parents. Having different settings is a huge pain).
Yaaay Google.
Comment by Josh Creighton | June 8, 2006
There are different Firefox extensions that already do what Browser Sync does. You have FEBE for backing-up your bookmarks, settings + extensions and themes, and Session Manager for restoring browsing sessions.
Google instead hit three birds with one stone! They give you Backup + Session MGMT + Synchronization all in one extension. Yet, in so doing instead of backing-up privately on your computer, Google gets to store your bookmarks and browsing sessions for you. As if Bookmarks doesn’t provide them with that info already!
Comment by Mohamed El-Kamony | June 8, 2006
If all you want is session restore, I recommend the excellent Session Manager plugin. Much less overhead than Google’s stuff. This won’t help you keep multiple computers synced, but if you just want all of your tabs saved on your one machine, even in the event of a crash, this’ll do the trick.
Also, for bookmark synchronization, I recommend the Google Bookmarks Button extension. This should have been included in the Google Toolbar for Firefox, but fortunately you can access all of your bookmarks and their tags via an XML feed (only when you’re logged in!), so some guy wrote an extension to let you visit and manage your Google bookmarks via a drop-down menu. True, you could use del.icio.us or whatever. but this is called the InsideGoogle blog, not the InsideDel.icio.us blog, so I can guess which bookmark system you’re already using.
Comment by Randall | June 8, 2006
Philipp: How ironic! Considering my joke on redundancy, and my stupid headline read:
I’m a redundant idiot.
Comment by Nathan Weinberg | June 8, 2006
the browser is new OS
Comment by macewan | June 8, 2006
I do a lot of those sentences
Comment by Philipp Lenssen | June 8, 2006
[…] There’s more coverage of the plugin here and the official download page here from Google. I’ve installed on one browser now and am interested to test. It sounds as though it can synchronize the session as well (what tabs are open) which might make it VERY useful for me. Due in part to the recent fluctuations in Google’s actual indexing of this site, I suggest you give a try to the MSN site search option first. […]
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Google browser Sync firefox extension
Google has released an absolutely excellent Firefox extension: Google Browser
Sync keeps your Firefox…
Trackback by Google Fact | June 9, 2006
This is a very helpful extension, I recommend to use it.
Cheers
Comment by Firefox Boy | June 15, 2006