by Charles Miller

Someone called me reporting that the volume control of their laptop computer was broken. I was soon to learn the laptop was just fine when the problem turned out to be the internet browser.

(This week I want to continue with a look at internet browsers, so if you are not sure what a browser is, please take a few minutes to go back and read last week's column.)

As soon as I arrived at the person's house I asked if he could show me exactly what was happening when he used his computer. He pointed his browser to Youtube.com and what happened next was exactly what he had described on the phone. After playing for a few minutes, the Youtube video was interrupted by an advertisement that turned his volume up to 100%, assaulting his eardrums, annoying his neighbors, and scaring the dog.

Then the client and I changed seats so I could better see the computer screen, and all I could say to myself was "Good Lord, how can people live like this?" The screen of the internet browser was so covered with toolbars and animated ads that to view the Youtube video was like looking through a keyhole. Fully 50% of the screen was used by ads.

When I commented on all the ads and toolbars cluttering his screen, he said "That's the internet!" and I soon realized he truly believed that what he was seeing on his screen, with all the distracting ads, toolbars, and pop-ups, was what everyone else on the internet was also seeing when using their computers.

The guy was using Google's Chrome browser though his Windows computer obviously came with Microsoft's Edge browser installed. He had no idea how he ever got Google Chrome on his computer or where it came from, though he did have a good understanding that Google was in the advertising business.

Google debuted its Chrome browser in 2008, and in four short years it became the world's most popular web browser. The dishonest and deceitful tactics Google used to accomplish this should be the subject of a different rant, but suffice it to say that millions of users ended up having Chrome surreptitiously installed on their computers without their knowledge or consent. Most users, such as this client, did not think they had any other choice.

Most of the web browser programs today are based on one of three main "browser frameworks" named Chromium (not to be confused with the similarly-named Chrome), Gecko, and WebKit. These are libraries of computer code that are foundational software computer programmers use to build new browsers, such as Chrome, Edge, and Safari. These and many other web browsers are built using the same basic technology found in one of the frameworks. Microsoft uses Chromium, Apple uses Gecko, and other companies might use WebKit. Browser frameworks are essentially open-source software building blocks anyone can use to create their own browser, and many software engineers have done just that. You yourself could do that if you were so inclined.

Think of it this way: if you wanted to build a custom car you might start with a chassis, motor, and drive train from a reliable source, then build your car on top of that. On the theory that it is "not necessary to reinvent the wheel," it is okay to build new software making use of a proven foundation. Many alternative web browsers have been thus created to offer internet users a choice.

You do have a choice, and I believe that many of the alternative browsers are not more widely used because most people simply are not aware that alternatives even exist. Internet browsers are free, so you have nothing to lose by trying a different browser, except maybe missing a lot of ads.

I realize I have so far made no specific suggestions here as to what internet browser you might want to try using, but next week I will make it a point to name names.

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Charles Miller is a freelance computer consultant with decades of IT experience and a Texan with a lifetime love for Mexico. The opinions expressed are his own. He may be contacted at 415-101-8528 or email FAQ8 (at) SMAguru.com.

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