Want to see just how bad Google Chrome is? Try this simple trick! | ZDNet

My love/hate relationship with Google Chrome shifted into a hate/hate relationship a few months ago when I decided it was time to ditch the browser.

Since the split, I’ve been using a combination of Firefox and Brave. They’re both very capable browsers that do what I think every good browser should do — let you browse the web without getting in the way.

I’ve been trying to reduce on the number of tabs I have open, making more use of bookmarks (yeah, remember bookmarks? I use bookmarks not only as a permanent aide-memoire but also as a temporary repository).

It’s been working out well.

Then the other day, I went back to an old system I’d not used for a while.

I’d forgotten that it still had Google Chrome installed and that I’d not yet changed the browser on it.

I was in a bit of a rush, so I put off installing Firefox and Brave.

After all, how bad could it be?

Oh my, what a horrible experience.

How had I been living like this for so long?

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The first thing I noticed what how slow page loadings were. There’s a very distinct lag during page loading.

A click. A pause. Pause. Then the page loads.

It’s easy to point the finger of blame at things like Wi-Fi or internet connection or even a slow computer, but you’d be wrong.

It’s Google Chrome.

And I’ll prove this to myself later.

Another thing that’s almost immediately noticeable is how much pressure Google Chrome puts on system resources. It’s staggering. I’m used to running heavy applications such as Photoshop, Lightroom, and Premiere Pro on my systems, and yet Google Chrome tops the list as one of the worst. Sure, web pages are demanding, and tabbed browsing encourages having infinite tabs open, but Google Chrome’s effect on the system is far greater than that of competing browsers.

Again, I’ll prove that to myself later.

Bottom line, by using different browsers for a few weeks, I’d forgotten just what a terrible browsing experience Google Chrome offered.

Just in case it was the MacBook Pro that was to blame, I used Google Chrome to do one final task — download Firefox and Brave.

So, was it the MacBook Pro playing up causing the problems?

No, it wasn’t.

To give Google Chrome one last attempt at redemption, I made sure to update it, but that didn’t help. It was just as bad.

So, what’s the problem here?

The problem is that Google Chrome has been operating free of any real competition for too many years, and that space has made it transform into what made people shift to it from other browsers in the first place.

If you want to see how bad Google Chrome is, use another browser for a day or so and then switch back.

Try it. And let me know what you think.