SRWare Iron is a new lightweight web browser based on the open source project Chromium by Google, not Google Chrome. Iron is like Chrome, but it has all the Google specific features removed. The result is a browser that uses almost 25% less memory than Chrome. Iron has the same slick interface, the same intuitive design, and the same great features with the exception of any communication with Google.

Here is a mash up of three screen shots I took of my Task Manager to verify the memory usage, but this Iron vs Chrome Google Doc I created to outline the memory saving benefits of Iron compared to Chrome is a lot easier to read.

When Google announced the upcoming release of their Chrome web browser, I became immediately guilty of checking hour after hour to see if the Google Chrome website had been launched. The hype was tremendous, and the browser is wonderful.

Google Chrome is wonderful

The makers of Iron agree. SRWare’s website is available in English and describes their interest in Google’s browser:

Google’s Web browser Chrome thrilled with an extremely fast site rendering, a sleek design and innovative features. But it also gets critic from data protection specialists, for reasons such as creating a unique user ID or the submission of entries to Google to generate suggestions. SRWare Iron is a real alternative. The browser is based on the Chromium-source and offers the same features as Chrome – but without the critical points that the privacy concern.
http://www.srware.net/en/software_srware_iron.php

Chromium based projects are better

Because they do not have these specific Google Chrome features:

1. Suggestion service as you type
   When you type into Google Chrome’s “omnibox,” a drop down list suggests keywords and phrases that you may be searching for. This requires whatever you are typing to be sent to Google. No thanks. I know what I am typing. I do not need to connect to Google, upload what I am typing and download a list of suggestions to help me finish typing. Google may not save every search I am performing to possibly suggest it later to other users.
2. Page not found alternatives
   If you encounter a 404 error, Google Chrome will sometimes connect to Google and upload the address of the page you are trying to access. Google may suggest an alternative file to browse instead of the page you cannot find. No thanks. I would like my web browser to never upload the location of the web pages I am browsing, unless that communication is via my ISP to the web server where the page resides during a normal HTTP request. Third parties have no business recording the URLs of pages I am browsing.
3. Bad sites lists downloaded every 30 minutes
   Google Chrome connects to Google every 30 minutes to download a list of bad sites that may contain malware. No thanks. I like to download files and updates at my own pace. I do not need Google’s list of world wide web baddies to babysit my web browsing. If I am stupid enough to download adware or a virus, then I will learn a lesson while fixing my computer.

When I first started learning about search engines, I was obsessed with the Google Toolbar and its green PageRank meter display. The fascination is a rite of passage, I think, of becoming interested with how search engines work.

I gave up the toolbar after realizing that in exchange for the instant gratification of a web page’s rating according to Google, I was wearing a wire!

Certain optional Toolbar features operate by sending Google the addresses or other information about sites when you visit them. Web History, PageRank, and Safe Browsing in Enhanced Mode all work this way.
http://www.google.com/support/toolbar/bin/static.py?page=privacy.html

No thanks! I am not interested in allowing Google to track every URL I visit and associate it with my IP address and a “unique application number” in their server logs. I traded Chrome for Iron for the same reason. SRWare has no interest in recording the usage of the browser they made based on the Chromium source. Google, however, is very much in the business of storing usage data and using it to improve their products.

Google’s Corporate Information and Software Principles page says

We’re alarmed by what we believe is a growing disregard for your rights as computer users.

I could not agree more, and this growing disregard is exactly why I do not want any company to save every URL I visit and every character I type into a search box. This growing disregard is exactly why I stopped using the Google Toolbar. This growing disregard is exactly why I recommend SRWare Iron over Google Chrome.

After all, if Google has some reason to keep their web browsing information secret, I have a list of reasons to keep my own information a secret from Google.

Download Iron for free at SRWare.net