Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

RKP5637

(67,112 posts)
Sun Jul 15, 2018, 09:32 AM Jul 2018

Google Chrome Has A Nasty Surprise

https://www.forbes.com/sites/gordonkelly/2018/07/14/google-chrome-ram-memory-consumption-spectre-security-upgrade-windows-mac-linux-chromeos/#732f6e0b1777

With over 60% market share, Chrome is the undisputed king of web browsers. A key factor behind this is Google GOOGL +0.22%’s commitment to keeping it seamlessly updated with essential fixes and optimisations, but now the company has admitted Chrome’s latest upgrade comes with an unavoidable nasty surprise…

In a blog post, Google has admitted the newest version of Chrome rolling out to customers worldwide is going to consume up to 13% more of your system memory. For a browser whose biggest failing has long been its excessive memory consumption (1,2,3,4,5), this is the last thing users will want. Especially those with older systems and less RAM.

Google also confirmed this is a cross-platform change and will apply to Chrome on Windows, Mac, Linux, and Chrome OS. The last of these could be particularly impacted as Chrome OS systems often ship with only 4-8GB of RAM.

So why has Google done this?

It’s all in the name of security. The new, more bloated Chrome contains a feature called ‘Site Isolation’ which combats the serious Spectre vulnerability which exposes computers at a chip level.
19 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Google Chrome Has A Nasty Surprise (Original Post) RKP5637 Jul 2018 OP
I cannot use Chrome as it interfers with my printing of images I want to use from google katmondoo Jul 2018 #1
I use the "new" Firefox. It works well for me. I also have Chrome loaded. I use Linux. n/t RKP5637 Jul 2018 #3
No problems ever with Firefox here. Squinch Jul 2018 #4
The new Chrome will also include significant design changes teach1st Jul 2018 #2
I have never used Chrome and never will wasupaloopa Jul 2018 #5
It's too invasive for me. I think Firefox has done a great job on the "new" Firefox. n/t RKP5637 Jul 2018 #6
I use Firefox also wasupaloopa Jul 2018 #13
Been hearing about this and yet another reason I don't use Chrome... TreasonousBastard Jul 2018 #7
Opera is good. A lot of people have liked Opera for years. I did try Epic, but it was too RKP5637 Jul 2018 #8
Google flips switch on Chrome's newest defensive technology douglas9 Jul 2018 #9
Thanks for the additional information!!! RKP5637 Jul 2018 #10
Can't stand Chrome, bee a Foxfire user for several years, get better all the time.... Historic NY Jul 2018 #11
I find these recent Firefox releases to be excellent with the move to Firefox Quantum. n/t RKP5637 Jul 2018 #12
I have to use Chrome to access my online bank account info csziggy Jul 2018 #14
I use both Chrome and Firefox on Linux. I use Firefox as my primary browser, but RKP5637 Jul 2018 #15
It's just as easy to use Chrome just for the banking csziggy Jul 2018 #16
Wow, I haven't seen one of those in a long time. The big old Epson printers, real work horses. RKP5637 Jul 2018 #17
Yeah, it's a monster but it is four years old csziggy Jul 2018 #18
Interesting! That, is quite a project!!! n/t RKP5637 Jul 2018 #19

TreasonousBastard

(43,049 posts)
7. Been hearing about this and yet another reason I don't use Chrome...
Sun Jul 15, 2018, 11:36 AM
Jul 2018

Opera is now my main browser, with Firefox #2. I also use Vivaldi a lot and once in a while Edge.

(And there's always Epic Privacy Browser so your wife can't check on your porn habits)

What drives me crazy is that websites seem to have no standards any more-- between trying to sell you stuff and spying on you, every browser is occasionally going to have problems with some sites.



RKP5637

(67,112 posts)
8. Opera is good. A lot of people have liked Opera for years. I did try Epic, but it was too
Sun Jul 15, 2018, 11:48 AM
Jul 2018

restrictive for me, I like to share, LOL. I use Firefox most of the time since they seem to take an interest in it again. I find Firefox outright blocks some sites now. I do have Chrome installed, but I seldom use it because I feel like someone is watching over my shoulder. I use Linux, but did try Edge once when I had Win10 installed in a partition using a virtual machine . I had tried Edge when first released, phew, the early days were horrible, I have no idea what it's like now. I'll install the new Chrome, since it's part of my auto-update, but I'll still stick with the new Firefox unless Firefox support falls off again.

douglas9

(4,359 posts)
9. Google flips switch on Chrome's newest defensive technology
Sun Jul 15, 2018, 03:35 PM
Jul 2018

Google has switched on a defensive technology in Chrome that will make it much more difficult for Spectra-like attacks to steal information such as log-on credentials.

Called "Site Isolation," the new security technology has a decade-long history. But most recently it's been cited as a shield to guard against threats posed by Spectre, the processor vulnerability sniffed out by Google's own engineers more than year ago. Google unveiled Site Isolation in late 2017 within Chrome 63, making it an option for enterprise IT staff members, who could customize the defense to shield workers from threats harbored on external sites. Company administrators could use Windows GPOs - Group Policy Objects - as well as command-line flags prior to wider deployment via group policies.

[ Further reading: Google's Chromium browser explained ]

Later, in Chrome 66, which launched in April, Google opened the field testing to general users, who could enable Site Isolation via the chrome://flags option. Google made clear that Site Isolation would eventually be made the default in the browser, but the firm first wanted to validate the fixes addressing issues that cropped up earlier testing. Users were able to decline to participate in the trial by changing one of the settings in the options page.

Now, Google has switched on Site Isolation for the vast majority of Chrome users - 99% of them by the search giant's account. "Many known issues have been resolved since (Chrome 63), making it practical to enable by default for all desktop Chrome users," Charlie Reis, a Google software engineer, wrote in a post to a company blog.

https://www.computerworld.com/article/3289786/web-browsers/google-flips-switch-on-chromes-newest-defensive-technology.html




Historic NY

(37,453 posts)
11. Can't stand Chrome, bee a Foxfire user for several years, get better all the time....
Mon Jul 16, 2018, 12:03 PM
Jul 2018

it doesn't like Flash either .

csziggy

(34,137 posts)
14. I have to use Chrome to access my online bank account info
Tue Jul 17, 2018, 12:17 AM
Jul 2018

For some reason the bank decided that was the only browser they would support. Once in a while I find other sites that will not display properly in Firefox or Explorer but will in Chrome, so it is nice to have a different browser to try those out.

For everything else I use Firefox.

RKP5637

(67,112 posts)
15. I use both Chrome and Firefox on Linux. I use Firefox as my primary browser, but
Fri Jul 20, 2018, 05:56 PM
Jul 2018

always have Chrome available. You could probably use a spoofer to change the header of Firefox as seen by your bank, so they think you are using Chrome. Generally, this works quite well. For example, the Firefox extension "User Agent Spoofer" seems to work quite well and is stable. Often developers / web folks do not want to validate all of the browsers so they pick one and say that's all that works, but often that is not the case. They reject browsers not having Chrome in the header they see from your browser ... and the spoofer changes it to Chrome for the Firefox browser. I've been using this technique for years and years. It's just some FYI info. You can change it anytime you need it.


csziggy

(34,137 posts)
16. It's just as easy to use Chrome just for the banking
Fri Jul 20, 2018, 06:17 PM
Jul 2018

And Firefox for everything else. For one thing, that means I have to plan to get to the bank account, dig out my password, and input it deliberately.

I'm past the days when I want to jump through hoops to get stuff done - it's hard enough to get it done as it is.

Tomorrow while we're waiting for a tech to come replace one of our "cable" (PrismTV) boxes, my husband has to help me pull my computer out of its corner, blow out the dust and accumulated crud, replace the hard drive that is getting noisy and sluggish, put it back, and then trade out my massive wide format Epson printer/scanner whose heads are so clogged I can't clear them out for the new one he bought today.

All that just so I can keep on with my main project of scanning on old family documents and photos, sorting and organizing them, and getting the pictures posted online.

RKP5637

(67,112 posts)
17. Wow, I haven't seen one of those in a long time. The big old Epson printers, real work horses.
Fri Jul 20, 2018, 08:37 PM
Jul 2018

Sounds like a plan!!!

csziggy

(34,137 posts)
18. Yeah, it's a monster but it is four years old
Fri Jul 20, 2018, 08:57 PM
Jul 2018

But to scan some of the old documents and scrapbook pages, it's great. Being able to print up to 13x19" is just a bonus!

I've printed several books (no more than ten copies each) on this printer and scanned thousands of photos and documents. Problem is, I need to scan thousands more and print a lot more.

When my husband worked at FedEx Office I was surprised that the largest flatbed scanner they had could only go to legal size. They have a scanner that can do up t0 36" wide, but you have to feed the paper through which is not practical with old scrapbooks with brittle pages with the pictures and clippings coming off. It's intended for recent blue prints - even the family trees his grandfather made at his blueprint business are too fragile to go through it.

Oh - a bonus - Office Depot has the newer version of my Epson WF-7520 on sale $100 off and they will give us $50 credit for bringing in the old one. Otherwise I would have waited to replace it, though not having a working color printer is getting old.

Latest Discussions»Help & Search»Computer Help and Support»Google Chrome Has A Nasty...