Google Chrome Spinoff 'Iron' For Privacy Fanatics

Sonnet_XVIII writes "According to DownloadSquad, A German company SRWare has developed a Google Chrome Spin off called Iron aimed at people who are concerned or have questions about Google's policies for collecting usage data."

Translation

[Stooshie]

I only speak a little German. So here is a bery bad translation via babelfish:

SRWare Iron: The browser of the future - based on the free source text " Chromium" - without doubts with the data protection and security Googles Web browser chrome inspires with an extremely fast structure of web page, a slim Design and imaginative functions. The data-security commissioners practice however also criticism, approximately because of the production of a clear user ID or the transmission from inputs google for the generation of search proposals. SRWare Iron is a genuine alternative. The browser basedly on the Chromium source text and offers so the same basic functions as chrome - however without the criticized points, which concern the data protection. We could provide from there a browser, with which you can use immediately the innovative features, without having to think about the keeping of your privacy. We would like to leave and place our users at our work sharings the browser free of charge to the download under the name " SRWare Iron" in the net. What makes Iron concretely differently than chrome? Read here.

Language

[craigavonite]

The SRWare site and the installer are in German, but the browser itself (menu's, etc.) is in English, just for anyone thinking you're going to have to hunt out an EnUs addon or something

Re:Fanatical

[Bryansix]

Uhm, because there is a box you have to check to OPT-IN to the program to send them that information.

Re:Removing Unique User ID

[denominateur]

Judging by the comparative table on the SRWare page, it does indeed.

Translated FAQ

[Rie Beam]

What is Iron?

Iron is an Internet Browser, like Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Opera. It is based off of the free online source code of "Chromium".

I read that there are tools which attempt to make Chrome anonymous. Why shouldn't I simply use these?

There are worthwhile Freeware tools which offer similar functionality. However, these do not work from source and offer only limited control. Functions like the URL tracker cannot be switched off. This only offers variable security.

Iron is free -- how do you finance it?

In order to keep Iron financed, we place an advertisement on the front page. We also ask for donations if you like the product -- it would make us happy.

How can one be sure that Iron doesn't inadvertantly send data?

This is a concern. We log all incoming and outgoing packets and did not detect any precarious activity. You can also test this yourself.

PS: The harmless (DNS Vorabruf?) has been disabled based on standard, since it can possibly be abused by Spammern.

Do you offer uncompiled source code for Chromium?

This would be useless, because Chromium Builds likewise contain the offending source code. We only offer the modified Iron.

Re:Their promises are as good as their source

[denominateur]

The source code is available.

The differences

[nephridium]

According to the German webpage [srware.net] there are several significant improvements:

* unlike the current Chrome beta it uses the newest Webkit version of the current Chromium build

* it does not generate a unique ID of every client for use by Google

* no installation timestamp ill be generated for google

* no "suggest feature" that phones home to google (for help) what you type into the address bar

* will not phone home to google in case you mistyped a URL

* no phoning home for error reporting

* does not send RLZ tracking info to google, e.g. about when and where Chrome was downloaded

* NO frickin updater that installs itself as a startup app to run in the background

* does not load google homepage in background when the browser is loaded

Of course they provide the source code for your own tinkering as well, just don't hammer the poor fellas (more than they already get hammered right now ;)) as according to their page their current revenue only comes from the ads on the page and hopefully some donations by people showing their appreciation of their work.

Re:Their promises are as good as their source

[argStyopa]

Um, isn't the source code also downloadable from their site?
http://www.srware.net/software_srware_iron_download.php [srware.net]

Look at the bottom - the source is available in 4 parts, it seems.

Editors?

[forand]

So my reading of the original post was that the only thing the editors of Slashdot had added to the submission of Sonnet_XVIII was "Sonnet_XVIII writes." How do you think the editors are responsible for the wording of a submission? Do you assert that a "better" submission was made? It appears to me that you should be annoyed with Sonnet_XVIII not the slashdot editors.

Re:The differences

[nephridium]

Just noticed that the source code [srware.net] is hosted on rapidshare - so hammer away and compile ;)

Re:IRC log from Iron

[Anonymous Coward]

http://googlechromereleases.blogspot.com/

There has been several releases.

Re:Editors?

[Sonnet_XVIII]

I wrote According to Download Squad. Downloadsquad used the term, I did not mean anything by it. Besides it was my first ever post on slashdot, no offence against anyone. Didn't know the term Fanatical was going to make all the fuss, was hoping to get more comments on the "fork" itself, I mean I thought the news was for Geeks, not philosophers and politicians!! :)