A heads up for any Linux users here who use Chromium for your browser, Google is deactivating Chromium access to the sync API effective March 15.

Some versions of Linux have already taken the API out. My current workstation uses Ubuntu. When I applied the latest security patches this afternoon, it lost the ability to sync to Google. There went all my bookmarks on the browser.

Fortunately, I also have Chrome on an iMac synced to Google and was able to easily export the bookmarks to a file. Once I copy the bookmarks over, I'll be able to load them on Chromium and will have them back.

I may just switch back to Opera or over to Firefox. Firefox has their own sync capability. I don't remember if Opera does or not.

Chromium based browsers just seem to run more smoothly for me for some reason.

I always liked Opera. Back when it was a paying membership sort of thing, I was a paying member.

It does do syncing, so I'm going to be trying that now.

eric76 said:

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I may just switch back to Opera or over to Firefox. Firefox has their own sync capability. I don't remember if Opera does or not.

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I believe Opera just syncs everything to the Chinese.

MGS said:

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eric76 said:

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I may just switch back to Opera or over to Firefox. Firefox has their own sync capability. I don't remember if Opera does or not.

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I believe Opera just syncs everything to the Chinese.

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I have never heard of that. Is there any reason to think that?

eric76 said:

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MGS said:

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eric76 said:

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I may just switch back to Opera or over to Firefox. Firefox has their own sync capability. I don't remember if Opera does or not.

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I believe Opera just syncs everything to the Chinese.

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I have never heard of that. Is there any reason to think that?

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Uh, because the company was sold to a Chinese consortium for $600 million in 2016?

https://www.engadget.com/2016-07-18-opera-browser-sold-to-a-chinese-consortium-for-600-million.html

heddleston said:

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Opera dude sold it to a Chinese consortium, he now develops Vivaldi, which is a pretty good browser too.

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Thanks. I'm looking at Vivaldi now.

Just came to find out since 2013 Opera has been Chromium based too. Didn't know.

Brave does syncing and it doesn't use Google's APIs to do it.

The impact of this won't be as severe as it seems on the surface. Google is also revoking access to geo-location, advanced spell-checking (which nobody uses anyways, the in browser spell checker works fine), click-to-call, translate, and contacts API.

A lot of the chromium-forked browsers use different services for this anyways. The impact won't be as severe as it seems.