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back to article Firefox's oldest friend dumps it for Google Chromium

Flock — the so-called social web browser — has dumped its traditional Firefox core in favor of Chromium, the open source incarnation of Google's Chrome browser. CEO Shawn Hardin calls Flock 3 — released today as a public beta — the first major browser other than Chrome to use a Chromium base, and in making the switch, the …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I refuse a title

    I appreciate why they're switching to Chrome base, but seriously - who uses this? Reminds me of the crapware vendors throw on computer HDDs to slow down the comps of those who don't immediately format the thing to get rid of the crap & get a clean/different OS.

    5 1
    1. bothwell
      Reply Icon

      Who uses it

      I suppose it's used by marketers and the like who work in social media (as well as normal people who do a lot of social media stuff). I've heard of it but it's not something I'd consider to be a major player in the field like TFA says. I've certainly never seen its user agent string being used on any of the websites I administer / run. It is a bit niche, tbh.

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      1. Ian McNee
        Reply Icon
        WTF?

        Oxymoron...

        "work in social media"??

        Call me an old fart but I've always thought of work as an activity that either (i) produces something tangible, or (ii) provides a beneficial service to a third party.

        As for Frock...Fluck...Phrack...or whatever it's called since it rose without trace, all I can say is: meh.

        7 2
        1. Anonymous Coward
          Reply Icon
          Go

          No title

          There are a couple of actually legit jobs involving soc media sites (eg: BT's great support account, Vodafone's similar ones, etc) but otherwise I'd mostly agree. A lot of social media experts know less than your average 14 year old, there's not even really any skills required so you don't even need to lie about being skilled with something to say you're one.

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  2. Combat Wombat
    Coat

    Firefox told to flock off ?

    Seriously.. never heard of this app... don't care..

    I'll get my coat and flock off down to the pub then

    4 1
  3. Dave Murray
    Thumb Down

    Flock has users?

    "From the DNA of the original web browser, two exceptional, world-class web browsers have been created: Firefox and SeaMonkey."

    Fixed that one for them.

    3 1
  4. Cyfaill
    Coat

    The word flock implies sheep

    Not real familiar with Flock, but I have tried Chrome, was not impressed at all.

    I should mention that it was on sidux 64 bit Linux (based on Debian). However Chrome was a dog in every respect. Perhaps that is not fair as I have made Firefox well tuned for the system and it is basically flawless (Ver 3.5.9).

    In my opinion The developers of Flock have made a strategic mistake. Firefox is fast and well developed. Firefox is gaining market share extremely fast in a difficult, mostly entrenched world were FUD is MicroSoft+IE's middle name.

    Social networks are potential security nightmares.

    And Flock barely registers as even existing in the great ocean that is the internet.

    I wonder if Google and Dollars has any involvement...

    3 1
  5. Blubster

    Chrome base?

    What the flock's that?

    2 1
  6. Aaron Em

    Seriously, nobody cares

    Except the six people who develop it and the three people who use it. Seriously, look at their website -- apparently, even the hipster dickheads who make up their target market can't be bothered to make any use of the damn thing.

    5 1
  7. Anonymous Coward
    Go

    Chrome indeed lightning fast

    ...but I am sure the flocky version has been made a little slower.

    Anyway, Chrome is great and I stopped using Firefox after about 10 years of Netscape/FF. I can still recall all these "pure virtual function calls" of NS anno 1999 or so. I expect Chrome to take over the world if FF and IE don't speed up DRAMATICALLY.

    Even the lUsers who have only been using IE will be convinced.

    As other posters, I don't see the benefit of the "flock" fork, though. I also deleted my farcebook entry recently, so maybe I am not objective on this.

    0 2
  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Webkit

    So, Flock now uses Chrome which uses Webkit. Can we stop saying something is based upon something that is really nothing more than a shell of something else? Why can't Flock just say it's now Webkit-based?

    2 1
    1. Alastair 7
      Reply Icon

      But, not really

      The browser is a lot more than just the rendering engine inside it. Take a look at the Flock screenshots- they've borrowed a lot more than just WebKit from Chromium.

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    2. Levente Szileszky
      Reply Icon
      Thumb Down

      KHTML - RE: Webkit

      Anonymous Coward wrote:

      "In Firefox's oldest friend dumps it for Google Chromium

      So, Flock now uses Chrome which uses Webkit. Can we stop saying something is based upon something that is really nothing more than a shell of something else? Why can't Flock just say it's now Webkit-based?"

      Obviously you have no clue about the subject (ie forks)... just read up on it so we don't get more silly posts like this, OK?

      Start here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KHTML

      And in case you prefer to remain clueless here's a simple explanation for you:

      "So, Flock now uses Chrome which uses Webkit which uses KHTML. Can we stop saying something is based upon something that is really nothing more than a shell of something else? Why can't Flock just say it's now KHTML-based?"

      See what I did there? Yep, KHTML.

      1 1
  9. Mage Silver badge

    Firefox 3.0.19?

    Umm the rest of the world is on 3.6.3 at least

    2 1
  10. Shingo Tamai
    WTF?

    What is the problem people?!?

    It's a browser for users that are into social media.

    It provides access to social media and collaboration sites "on the side" of regular browsing, without the need to have 1 tab constantly open for facebook, 1 for flickr, 1 for twitter and so on.

    It was nice to use for me, but I did abandon it because support to extensions was limited at the time.

    Instead of criticising it without knowing what it is all about, try it. Maybe you will like it.

    1 1
    1. Maverick
      Reply Icon
      FAIL

      tried it

      as flaky as heck

      crashes more often than Clio driven by a 19 year old

      un-install button worked well tho' :)

      5 1
      1. Lionel Baden
        Reply Icon
        Thumb Up

        Request

        crashes more often than Clio driven by a 19 year old

        I request a new keyboard please and a cloth for the monitor !!!

        1 0
      2. Levente Szileszky
        Reply Icon

        RE: tried it

        "as flaky as heck

        crashes more often than Clio driven by a 19 year old

        un-install button worked well tho' :)"

        I always wonder who are you, losers, who always suffer from these sucky, "crashy" systems?

        I mean I have here 100+ systems and I barely ever see apps crashing despite the variety of 2D/3D/scientific/post-production lineup installed everywhere (even our in-house dev stuff doesn't crash)...

        ...PEBKAC and his @#^&%-up machine, I'm more than sure, is the answer.

        1 0
  11. Levente Szileszky

    Flock 3 beta is pretty cool...

    ...unless you're some clueless-hopeless old chump who asks "Flock? Facebook? Social wha'...?"

    Then it's definitely not for you - stick with your good ol' Netscape Navigator or IE6.

    FYI if you never heard of it it's fine as long as you don't think it's something you should be proud of and post on forums like this.

    1 9
    1. Ian McNee
      Reply Icon
      FAIL

      A clueless old chump writes...

      FYI a small group of self-congratulatory Web2.0rhea w@nkers does not a "major browser" make.

      Yeah Farcebollox (et al.) can be a diverting bit of froth occasionally and as a clueless old chump I'll keep it open on a tab that I can't see until I choose to look at it. Like most sane human beings I will cope with not having live pointlessness in my peripheral vision as I use my browser.

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  12. Pascal Monett Silver badge

    I started reading, but

    stopped when I got to "so-called social web browser" and understood that this Flock thingy is just another "social network".

    So I'm not interested.

    I'm avoiding Facebook articles all day long, I don't have time for Yet Another Social Network article.

    And I don't see why I shouldn't be proud of it. I don't see you posting on software help forums. Then again, you probably don't have the time, what with all the socializing you seem to find so important.

    3 1
    1. Shingo Tamai
      Reply Icon
      FAIL

      Clueless...

      @Pascal Monett

      >stopped when I got to "so-called social web browser" and understood that this Flock thingy is just another "social network".

      No it is not.

      In the same way as Google is not "the internet".

      1 2
  13. Big-nosed Pengie
    FAIL

    Flock that

    Never heard of it.

    0 1
  14. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Firefox - too bloaty

    I agree with that part, Firefox is a truly horrible experience these days now that Opera and Chrome offer so much better alternatives.

    I'm not convinced on the need for extensions, as this is one of the areas that MAKES firefox such a bloated security nightmare. Much better have the good functionality built in (I know Opera includes all the good Firefox extensions, AdBlock+, NoScript and GreaseMonkey).

    1 1
    1. Rattus Rattus
      Reply Icon

      Firefox bloat

      I can agree with you there, FF has gotten too bloaty and slow, but there's really not much choice available. I've tried to like both Chrome and Opera but honestly, they're both pains in the arse. They might be quick and light, but actually trying to use them is an exercise in self-flagellation.

      Of course there's always IE or Safari... pfft, hahahaha, sorry couldn't keep a straight face while trying to imagine using one of those as my day-to-day browser.

      In the end, I use Firefox because it's the least painful choice.

      1 0
  15. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    Misspelled Frog?

    Flock is like the worst browser (after MSIE ofc). But I thought the browser died long time ago? Because no one use it, so why continue to "develop" on the browser?

    1 1
  16. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Hahaha

    They think Flock is a major browser. That's hilarious.

    1 0
  17. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Who?

    Never heard of it.

    0 0
  18. Donald Becker
    FAIL

    Hear of it passing, didn't think that it was still around

    On a similar topic:

    I checked on favorite band's Myspace page today to find their summer schedule. It hadn't been updated in about a year. The same was true of most other pages I checked. I can only attribute the sudden crash to a worldwide shortage of pink glitter Sparkle Pony GIFs.

    It's too early to predict that all social media will meet the same fate. After all, AOL is still around. I think.

    1 0
  19. tempemeaty

    Makes sense

    All social networking over the internet is anymore is a way of collecting data on personal activities of the population so what better than a product of Google who is already in the lead of doing just that....collecting your data....

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