Filed under: Internet, Freeware, Browsers
Flock 2 is here, continues to underwhelm
"Get ready to meet your favorite browser! " Flock 2 tells me at the end of its installation process. Ok Flock, I'm ready. Blow me away!
Sadly, I'm immediately greeted by a cheesey stick figure flash intro to the new features. What the hell am I getting myself into?
As far as basic browsing goes it performs as well as Firefox, which makes sense since it's pretty much Firefox that someone someone attacked with a Bedazzler. Despite the extra baggage, Acidtests.org scored it the same as my Firefox 3.0.3 install, and I didn't really notice any difference in my everyday browsing.
What do all the extras gain me, though?
I don't care about having "Top Digg Stories" in my address bar. The built in newsreader? Google reader is much more useful.
Twitter integration is all fine and dandy, but again, nothing that I need. I'm a Digsby user, and I find it a much more logical and efficient way to stay on top of my status updates and direct messages.
The media bar is a nice idea, but why not ship it with support for services like Last.fm or MySpace music? I'd use it a lot more for listening to tunes while I surf than I would for browsing through Flickr photos. Using Digg in the bar is just silly, as you're mostly presented with a slew of Digg badges with the odd thumbnail thrown in here or there.
The blog editor still doesn't allow browsing for local images to upload. That's fine if you're a) using a photo hosting service, b) a jerk and you hotlink all your images, or c) you like FTPing all your pics first and then linking to them, but when Scribefire and Live Writer can both do it, why bother with Flock's editor?
I'm left wanting something that's actually better or faster and not just additional. Ultimately Flock just tries to do too much, and in the end it becomes tiresome and I head back to my trusty Firefox install.
Indeed, I have met my favorite browser, and it's still Firefox. Thanks for trying, Flock, now get out of my computer.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
James said 6:01PM on 10-15-2008
Exactly how I feel about Flock! Too much stuff, and none of it good enough.
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Tal said 7:03PM on 10-15-2008
Well put. I try Flock every now and again but always go back to Firefox. Feels like they try too hard.
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FeedME said 8:41PM on 10-15-2008
with a several add ons you can create a better flock with firefox.
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skooal said 8:46PM on 10-15-2008
Well, too bad that you can't see the real difference between the 2, it is I believe, a matter of taste and I am using Flock since the very first beta release and never found any browser that can satisfy my needs when it comes to websites like Flickr and others... a real social browser...
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Thomas said 7:50AM on 10-16-2008
My thought exactly. Why use Flock when Digsby with Firefox provides you with much of the same functionality and then some.
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Zickar said 8:23AM on 10-16-2008
Brilliant post, it pretty much sums up my feelings towards most of the fast emerging Gecko based browsers based on Firefox's code and recently there seem to be a lot of them, Flock is just firefox with social networking add ons you can get on firefox so why use Flock ??
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Aniruddh said 10:58AM on 10-16-2008
Flock is a really great browser...I know U can do the same things by using yoono http://www.yoono.com/
But I think its a great combination of FireFox technology and Flock social browsing. IF U a social geek then this is for you...A centralized service in your browser..It will make our life easy when it comes social..
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Lee Mathews said 10:52AM on 10-16-2008
It really doesn't, though. If Flock was to Browsers what Digsby is to IM clients, then it might be worth using.
Christine said 7:18PM on 10-16-2008
funny, I love Flock. I really appreciate that it's all there in the side bar and I can customize the heck out of it.
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BookwormDragon said 9:20PM on 10-17-2008
I tried Flock once a while ago, and was disappointed. I can achieve the same (or better) results in Firefox with some extensions and tweaks.
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Gulagosphere said 7:37AM on 10-18-2008
flock:mozilla :: vista:hollywood
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