Google Browser Sync: I'm not dead yet!

Filed under: Internet, Google, Open Source

Google Browser Sync: I'm not dead yet!

by Brad Linder Jun 25th 2008

Google may have decided to cease development of the Google Browser Sync plugin for Firefox, but that doesn't mean the utility will never see another update. Because rather than simply boxing up the source code and packing it away, Google decided to release the source code publicly under the BSD license.

Google Browser Sync is a utility that lets you synchronize your Firefox bookmarks, preferences, and cookies across multiple computers.

Now anyone can check out the source from the Google Code project page. While nobody's done anything really cool yet like make a version of Google Browser Sync that works with Firefox 3, it may just be a matter of time.

One thing that's particularly interesting is the fact that Ars Technica reports Google posted the source code online on June 13, the same day that Lifehacker confirmed the death of the official project. It's not clear which came first, the chicken or the egg. But either way, we're not complaining. If Google isn't going to continue developing this useful utility, then we're just glad that someone else may be able to pick up the torch.

Tags: browser-sync, firefox, google, google-browser-sync, open-source, synchronization

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

The Madcap Laughs said 6:21PM on 6-25-2008

Foxmarks seems to have the same function, and work faster.

wraith808 said 9:08PM on 6-25-2008

@Madcap - Foxmarks might seem to have the same functionality, but it doesn't. Foxmarks syncs bookmarks. Period. Google Browser Sync syncs just about everything in your browser- bookmarks, history, persistent cookies, and saved passwords. It also allows you to restore open tabs and windows across different machines and browser sessions.

So no, Foxmarks isn't an able replacement. But I'm hoping for weave, or even a revitalized GBS...

koolio said 9:13PM on 6-25-2008

I haven't tried Foxmark yet but I think it only sync bookmarks not browsing history like Google Sync or Weave. After upgraded to FF 3 I can't use Google Sync any more and now I have to use Weave. After more than a week of trying, I noticed Weave doesn't sync but it merges your data.

I have 4 computers online almost all the time. If I delete bookmark/folder, it doesn't sync and update the other 3 computers. When I close my browser and open it again, it pull all my bookmarks and update my computer. It happened to me and I am lucky that I backup my bookmark. So I think Weave just backup and merge your data but not sync.

So far Google sync worked for me and I am waiting for it to come back.

Thrush said 8:25AM on 6-26-2008

This worries me in that I used GBS to sync everything across browsers, including passwords. Perhaps it was naive of me, but I trusted Google's encryption and storage of my saved passwords on their servers. If Joe's Browser Sync (based on GBS) is released how do I know where my passwords are being sent and stored?

Omar said 9:28AM on 7-10-2008

Does anyone know if I can extract my browser sync data from my Google account? I reformatted, and now I don't have all my bookmarks...and can't download browser sync to get them. :-(

Any help would be appreciated.

Featured Time Waster

Civiballs is a beautiful, soothing physics puzzle Time Waster

I have an absolute weakness for physics games, and while Civiballs isn't the strongest physics-based game, what it lacks in the physics department it makes up for a few times over in style and fun.

In Civiballs, you are presented with a few colored balls, and your goal is to get those balls into the same-colored urn on the level. The "civi" part of Civiballs is that there are 3 sets of levels to play, each representing a different civilization. While the civilization doesn't affect gameplay, the artwork for each level is beautifully themed to it's appropriate era.

To play the game, you are given only one tool - a sword with which to cut the chains that are holding the balls. The puzzle part of the game is in figuring out what order, and with what timing to cut each chain. Do it right, and all the right balls end up in the right urns, with no stray balls entering an urn (a no-no). Do it wrong, and you get to start over again.

Civiballs is not terribly deep on gameplay; the entire game can be completed in about 15 minutes. But if you enjoy this type of game, it will be a very enjoyable 15 minutes.

View more Time Wasters