# And yet again a reason to ditch Google Chrome as default browser **URL:** \ **Category:** Applications\ **Created:** [February 15, 2025, 9:50am UTC](https://forum.elivelinux.org/t/and-yet-again-a-reason-to-ditch-google-chrome-as-default-browser/4133 "2025-02-15T09:50:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![triantares](https://forum.elivelinux.org/user_avatar/forum.elivelinux.org/triantares/32/2550_2.png) [@triantares](https://forum.elivelinux.org/u/triantares)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2025, 9:50am UTC](https://forum.elivelinux.org/t/and-yet-again-a-reason-to-ditch-google-chrome-as-default-browser/4133/1 "2025-02-15T09:50:43Z")
> **[Google gets its way, bakes a user-tracking ad platform directly into Chrome](https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/09/googles-widely-opposed-ad-platform-the-privacy-sandbox-launches-in-chrome/)** > > Chrome now directly tracks users, generates a “topic” list it shares with advertisers. See the previous thread too: > [@When will Chrome stop being default on Elive?](https://forum.elivelinux.org/t/when-will-chrome-stop-being-default-on-elive/3599): > > Yet another article on upcoming changes in Google Chrome and even more incentive to ditch it for Firefox. Chrome is just a camouflaged surveillance engine, out to monetize our personal data. face_vomiting ---
**Author:** ![Bart](https://forum.elivelinux.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/f19dbf/32.png) [@Bart](https://forum.elivelinux.org/u/Bart)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2025, 2:39pm UTC](https://forum.elivelinux.org/t/and-yet-again-a-reason-to-ditch-google-chrome-as-default-browser/4133/2 "2025-08-09T14:39:26Z")
I used the IRON Browser for years on my Linux Mint. This is a de-googled version of Chrome. ( more info& download see this link on the website of SRWare Iron ) Now I switched to Elive on my test laptop, and want to remove The standard Chrome browser for obvious reason , ---
**Author:** ![Thanatermesis](https://forum.elivelinux.org/user_avatar/forum.elivelinux.org/thanatermesis/32/3_2.png) [@Thanatermesis](https://forum.elivelinux.org/u/Thanatermesis)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2025, 1:10am UTC](https://forum.elivelinux.org/t/and-yet-again-a-reason-to-ditch-google-chrome-as-default-browser/4133/3 "2025-08-11T01:10:35Z")
just run: > sudo apt-get remove google-chrome or, more easy in elive: > apr google-chrome ---
**Author:** ![Bart](https://forum.elivelinux.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/f19dbf/32.png) [@Bart](https://forum.elivelinux.org/u/Bart)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 4:33pm UTC](https://forum.elivelinux.org/t/and-yet-again-a-reason-to-ditch-google-chrome-as-default-browser/4133/4 "2026-01-29T16:33:20Z")
removing the google -chrome was succesfull. But How to install the Iron webbrowser into Elive? I tried to install but failed because different Linux(?) I don’ t know how to install this browser. Maybe a good linux freak here who nows How to install this browser? I have more trust in in SRWare then Fire-Fox, but that can be personal choise to of course. It seems that all real opensource-development into new browsers (opensource) is stopped seamingly… Who tried to buy developpers to stop independent new browser development… Browsers are key software somehow. We all know the time many more browsers could be chosen. ---
**Author:** ![triantares](https://forum.elivelinux.org/user_avatar/forum.elivelinux.org/triantares/32/2550_2.png) [@triantares](https://forum.elivelinux.org/u/triantares)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 9:44pm UTC](https://forum.elivelinux.org/t/and-yet-again-a-reason-to-ditch-google-chrome-as-default-browser/4133/5 "2026-01-29T21:44:54Z")
Frankly I don't know 'Iron' (never even heard of it) but I do know that 'Librewolf' is a very good, open, privacy minded and secure browser. It's a Firefox fork. Installing and keeping it updated along with all the other programs is easy enough after adding their repository thus: ```bash sudo apt update && sudo apt install extrepo -y sudo extrepo enable librewolf && sudo extrepo update librewolf sudo apt update && sudo apt install librewolf -y ``` As by their website. > **[LibreWolf Browser](https://librewolf.net/installation/debian/)** > > A custom version of Firefox, focused on privacy, security and freedom. As for 'Iron', I did a quick search and it seems to be a fork or (customized)copy of Google Chrome and does offer up a 'iron64.deb' for download. Installing by clicking on that package fails. Despite being packaged as a .deb it strangely does not automagically install with 'gdebi' requiring you to install that yourself with `sudo apt install ./iron64.deb`in a terminal. The .deb package looks to be more of an installation shell-script than a debian package. Another thing to be reckoned with is that the downloaded .deb does not show it's version in its name so keeping it up-to-date isn't as easy as it should be and could get messy. 🤔 All in all, these issues have me keeping my reserves as to what this browser actually is and how useful/trustworthy it really is. Maybe it's just start-up problems and they'll go away after a while but also: When trying to find out where this 'srware' entity that makes 'Iron' is based (it suggests Germany) or what their mission is, is totally unclear. On top I'm having a hard time finding the source code other than the Google Chrome original code and/or its licensing. When installing in a terminal it does show a link to a license.txt ([https://www.srware.net/license.txt](https://www.srware.net/license.txt)) containing 'terms of service'. Other than pointing to Google Chrome source code it doesn't offer up anything specific as to where it's privacy strengths lie. It's an amateuristic mess! 😟 Conclusion: _Nahhh, not for me._ :disbelief: ---
**Author:** ![Bart](https://forum.elivelinux.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/f19dbf/32.png) [@Bart](https://forum.elivelinux.org/u/Bart)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 11:27pm UTC](https://forum.elivelinux.org/t/and-yet-again-a-reason-to-ditch-google-chrome-as-default-browser/4133/6 "2026-01-29T23:27:00Z")
Thanks for your expertise and good help/advise ---
**Author:** ![Thanatermesis](https://forum.elivelinux.org/user_avatar/forum.elivelinux.org/thanatermesis/32/3_2.png) [@Thanatermesis](https://forum.elivelinux.org/u/Thanatermesis)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2026, 1:35am UTC](https://forum.elivelinux.org/t/and-yet-again-a-reason-to-ditch-google-chrome-as-default-browser/4133/7 "2026-02-14T01:35:28Z")
librewolf sounds like a good candidate to add into the installer as an option for the users to use it as their browser ---
**Author:** ![triantares](https://forum.elivelinux.org/user_avatar/forum.elivelinux.org/triantares/32/2550_2.png) [@triantares](https://forum.elivelinux.org/u/triantares)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2026, 9:20am UTC](https://forum.elivelinux.org/t/and-yet-again-a-reason-to-ditch-google-chrome-as-default-browser/4133/8 "2026-02-14T09:20:28Z")
Yeah, in some ways it's better than original Firefox, especially when playing mp4 files where FF sometimes simply refuses. ---
**Author:** ![Bart](https://forum.elivelinux.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/f19dbf/32.png) [@Bart](https://forum.elivelinux.org/u/Bart)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2026, 10:00am UTC](https://forum.elivelinux.org/t/and-yet-again-a-reason-to-ditch-google-chrome-as-default-browser/4133/9 "2026-03-06T10:00:26Z")
After using Librewolf for a month now, this where my points that came up about Librewolf: 1 / it is resource consuming, ( more than Fire FOX=666) and slower in use 2/ sometimes it has to be restarted.. in my experience it is not stable. 3/ I like alternative browsers for several reasons, but browser development (however it is the most common used application people are using on personal computers, seems to be “ payed off? “ or do I see monsters where they are not? However FireFox is a performant webbrowser with a huge percentage off users, I like to test alternative browsers. Librewolf was tested here longer ago, and removed it before . It sometimes even freezes the system here. ---
**Author:** ![triantares](https://forum.elivelinux.org/user_avatar/forum.elivelinux.org/triantares/32/2550_2.png) [@triantares](https://forum.elivelinux.org/u/triantares)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2026, 1:07pm UTC](https://forum.elivelinux.org/t/and-yet-again-a-reason-to-ditch-google-chrome-as-default-browser/4133/10 "2026-03-06T13:07:08Z")
I've not had any crashes due to librewolf but I did find a few things I didn't like so I'm back to using FF too. ---
**Author:** ![Thanatermesis](https://forum.elivelinux.org/user_avatar/forum.elivelinux.org/thanatermesis/32/3_2.png) [@Thanatermesis](https://forum.elivelinux.org/u/Thanatermesis)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2026, 4:02pm UTC](https://forum.elivelinux.org/t/and-yet-again-a-reason-to-ditch-google-chrome-as-default-browser/4133/11 "2026-03-06T16:02:16Z")
That’s the problem of most alternatives, the always full working / compatible one is chrome 😕 (not even chromium, i seen many issues with it… at least in the past!). Hopefully these things improve because I would like to switch but we need usable ones / non buggy, fully compatible, light in resources (very important), etc ---
**Author:** ![triantares](https://forum.elivelinux.org/user_avatar/forum.elivelinux.org/triantares/32/2550_2.png) [@triantares](https://forum.elivelinux.org/u/triantares)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2026, 4:25pm UTC](https://forum.elivelinux.org/t/and-yet-again-a-reason-to-ditch-google-chrome-as-default-browser/4133/12 "2026-03-06T16:25:47Z")
Actually FF does what I need and isn't the Google-trap that Chrome is...albeit it has it's own privacy issues, every now and then. What you're saying there about Chrome is what M$ fanboys always said about MsExplorer....take heed. ---
**Author:** ![Thanatermesis](https://forum.elivelinux.org/user_avatar/forum.elivelinux.org/thanatermesis/32/3_2.png) [@Thanatermesis](https://forum.elivelinux.org/u/Thanatermesis)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2026, 5:31pm UTC](https://forum.elivelinux.org/t/and-yet-again-a-reason-to-ditch-google-chrome-as-default-browser/4133/13 "2026-03-06T17:31:49Z")
No, is just my betatesting to consider the change, unfortunately, and hopefully these things improves so that we can change the default one _remember that elive dont remove privacy / freedom, the live mode is like a “demo”, the user selects which type of installation can have, removing non-free things and selecting which browsers to use_