I really like Arc and it is my default browser on macOS. However, it they were to port it to Linux. It would be a smashing success. Arc’s minimalist browser window without any decoration would definitely drive adoption on Linux, especially with the tiling window manager audience.
Tell me about it, with the length issues! I’ll never forget the Retrospect reviews of yours I edited at Macworld! So thorough it killed me to cut them.
Jennifer! So nice to see you here! I do miss the old days of the paper magazines sometimes.
I know I tend to write a lot, but I’m usually pretty certain I’m not including filler. The problem is that I just want to show people the cool stuff — “See, look, you have to try this little thing because it’s so neat!”
Thank you for writing such an extensive summary. Please feel free to continue write comprehensive stories in the future.
I saved this when you sent the email in early May, figuring I needed to spend some time going through it. I just did, and I think I will have to file it again and return to it a second time. It’s the user guide that TBC should include in their tutorials. I will be returning to it – and thank you again for writing it.
An OWC blogger just wrote his version of what I did for this article—the “oh my, Arc is great” piece. Nothing particularly new in it, but nice to see other writers seeing what’s special about Arc.
Reading Why do you use browser x, y, or z? I am surprised so few have moved over to Arc since it really is a superior browser functionality.
Oh, I suspect there are more than a few of us “closet Arc-ers” who couldn’t be bothered to post “me too.”
I only just restored default status to Safari. I did like it but the integration with passwords did me in.
Did you try the iCloud Passwords Chrome extension with Arc? It has gotten terrible reviews, sadly.
I’ve had no issues with passwords because 1Password works fine in Arc and all the other browsers I occasionally need for testing purposes.
Yes I did. Stumbled on and over it. If I’d kept my 1P subscription going maybe…. Enpass not so adept.
@tommy The Arc page on Sonoma issues says this, so it might be worth trying again with Apple’s extension.
Performance Issues with the iCloud Passwords Extension
We’ve had multiple reports of the iCloud Passwords extension causing slowdowns on Arc running on the macOS Sonoma.
As of September 26th 2023 Apple has updated their iCloud Password extension to version 2.1 which has resolved the performance issues reported on previous version of the extension.
The 1Password 8 Chrome extension works fine in Arc, I’m sure. The 1Password 7 Chrome extension does not, for standalone vaults. AgileBits (and here I hesitate before mouthing these words) is probably going to have push us remaining v.7 users over the cliff to get us to jettison our version licenses and multiple platform syncing. They continue to push v.7 updates for Mac and xOS, which tells me they are mindful that v.8 uptake is not as widespread as they feel comfortable with.
I updated to 1PW v8 several months ago when the v7 extensions quit working in Brave, Safari, etc. The v8 look-and-feel is different, and that is sometimes confusing to me.
The multiple platform syncing across iPhone, iPad, Mac is as least as trouble-free as iCloud.
v8 gets updated regularly. I’m OK with v8.
Thanks for that. It will happen sooner than later for me. It’s taking the conceptual leap of a new interface and a different synching model that has made me cautious. I’m close to deciding on it now.
2 posts were merged into an existing topic: Arc Web Browser Introduces Focused AI Features
Has anyone had an issue with Arc freezing and being unresponsive? I use it on a headless Mini, but when it freezes I can’t even force-quit it. The rest of the machine is responsive.
Diane
I use it with a headless Mac Studio, though not hugely, and leave it open all the time.
Not seen it freeze.
It has happened to me twice in the past couple of weeks. I was kind of wrong about the machine being responsive - it is to a degree where I can still use other apps but it won’t even restart. I had to manually power it down and bring it back up and now Arc is working fine again.
Diane
2 posts were merged into an existing topic: Arc Web Browser Introduces Focused AI Features
I’ve now been using Arc as my default browser for several months. Perhaps oddly, though, there are several key features I just don’t use. I’m still fuzzy-minded about the different uses of Peek and Little Arc, and rarely use either, although one or the other (which??) would surely be a better solution than my current habit of opening some links in new windows via right-click. My Easels and Media containers are empty - no real surprise there, since I prefer text to images is general. And I never Boost anything. Again, no surprise. Seems like a gimmick with a lot of potential to cause unexpected problems. Does anybody here love Boosts?
Re the new AI features, I’ve turned off “Ask on Page” since I’m already in the habit of using Bing Search when I have a specific question that can’t be easily converted to a Google search. I’ve also turned off ChatGPT due to uneasiness about how that system would use my data and what it might do with it.