Xmarks, a popular web-based bookmark synchronization service, is set to close its doors within 90 days. I’m very disappointed to hear this, as I consider Xmarks an indispensable service that I use daily to ensure that my bookmarks are synchronized between my work and home computers. Xmarks also allowed me to access my bookmarks anywhere where I had Internet access, a feature that often helped me retrieve a bookmark that I just couldn’t remember and/or Google properly.
Xmarks has a nice page detailing alternatives, but I have a feeling that they won’t be as seamless as I’d like. 🙁 It seems that I’ll need to revisit the built-in syncing that Chrome and Firefox offer. I’ve used Firefox Weave, the precursor to the current Firefox Sync, before and was underwhelmed with how it handled duplicates, but that was admittedly a while ago and I’m hoping that it’s improved. In my experience, Chrome’s built-in sync of extensions, settings, and themes has worked fairly well, so I’m hoping that the bookmark synchronization is equally robust.
Unfortunately, I may now be forced to commit to using either Firefox or Chrome; Xmarks add-ons were available on both browsers and not only allowed me to synchronize my bookmarks between computers, but also between different browsers on different computers. I’m a long-time Firefox user and fan, but as of late it seems slightly sluggish; perhaps the upcoming version 4 will change that. In comparison, Chrome is extremely speedy and much more stable, but it still lacks customization options and some key features that have made me hesitate to fully commit to using it as my default browser. One of the most glaring omissions is “print preview,” but I’ve heard rumors that it will be available in the next build, which should only be a couple of weeks away.
It’s funny how the closure of a key service has made me reevaluate how I’ll be accessing the Internet…