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Browsers schmowsers
There are a lot of posts out on the blogosphere arguing about what the best browsers are, how standards compliance is affecting new releases, whats hot and whats not. Now for tech people who know what web standards are and the differences between browsers, thats great. But for those who only care about seeing webpages, I’m not sure. This post will outline some of the current possible choices and hopefully give enough information so that (regular) people can make their own decisions on which browser to use.
If you’re a hardcore browser hacker or a standards advocate, this post may not be your cup of tea because of its simplicity - but I definitely want to know which browser you’re using and why, so make sure you leave a comment. The next few posts about bleeding edge compliance though may interest you, so keep an eye out.
Firefox (Windows, Mac, Linux)
Firefox from the Mozilla Foundation, is an exciting project. Despite the fact that the browser went through two other names before, its success is amazing. Due to its open-source nature, Firefox has a great community of people supporting it, extending it, and making it a great solution for standards-compliant web browsing.
The software, available for the three major platforms (windows, mac and linux) has seen a its 100th million download just some days ago, so this makes it a great time to celebrate. Firefox is the browser I recommend for Windows and Linux users (and arguably, for macs too - more on this later), because you can tailor it to fit your needs and because it’s extremely stable and safe.
Opera (Windows, Mac, Linux)
Opera, that became free for desktop platforms just this month, is a good browser. Currently in it’s 8th major release - Opera 9 is almost out there -, it is used by quite some people. It is extendable and skinnable and has a great community around it. The guys at opera are making a huge effort to push standards compliance into the browser which is undoubtedly a great thing.
I personally don’t use opera on my computers for one major reason: It doesn’t feel right. There are a couple of interface details with the browser that annoy me, and if this is the app where I’ll be spending the most time using on my machines, I want it to feel productive, flexible and lean. Unfortunately it doesn’t work for me, but it may work for a lot of people. Try it out (it works on windows, linux and mac), and if it’s your cup of tea, go for it.
Internet Explorer (Windows)
Microsoft’s Internet Explorer is a peculiar case. A lot of people use it because it’s a default in the most used operating system, and people don’t change defaults. The problem is, due to some of the browser’s features (like ActiveX), it is extremely insecure. Also, standards compliance is sort of a joke in the current publicly released versions.
This makes IE both the worst browser someone could use (in its current state), and the most used one out there. Oh the irony. Now before you think this is all about bashing IE, I will say that the next version of the browser may be much better - I know efforts are being made, but as Molly keeps saying, it’s hard to change a browser like IE when the engine behind (Microsoft) it is so hard to get moving. We’ll see how it goes.
Safari (Mac)
Apple’s Safari, unfortunately only available on the Mac, is undoubtedly a great browser. It is extremely fast and standards compliant - moreover, the new developer releases of WebKit (the framework that empowers the application) are amazing, and really pushing the boundaries of standards compliance and technology adoption (like SVG). Unfortunately, Safari is not really extensible, nor does it have the community behind it like Firefox does. But for many people, the performance compensates for that.
Safari is an amazing browser if you use a mac, and for me, the only real competition on the platform is Firefox - that unfortunately is still a little slow. If you’re in a mac anyway, chances are you’re using safari. My advice is, don’t change unless you need the power of some of Firefox’s extensions.
Wrapping up, final decisions
There are many other browsers out there for all platforms, but these four are currently the ones fighting for a place in the podium. I could talk about Camino (for macs), Konqueror (for linux), etc. but the actual competition is between the 4 “major” browsers I outline above. If you really want to make a full-blown, informed decision on browsers, take some time to go through them and pick your fave.
With no further ado, though, here’s my take on the recommended browsers per platform. Feel free to disagree, I’d love to hear your opinions (and what you actually use and why) in the comments:
- Windows - Firefox, because it’s safe, fast and standards compliant. For me, it is the first thing I get on a fresh Windows installation.
- Macs - Safari because it’s extremely lightweight and standards compliant. Firefox if you need any particular extensions or functionality that Safari doesn’t have.
- Linux - Firefox or Konqueror - I personally use Firefox because I don’t use KDE on my linux machines, but both browsers are great choices if you want standards compliance.
What do you use and why? Are web-standards important to you as a web user or don’t you particularly care? Make sure you leave your comments, I’d love to hear your opinions.
Nice Post Dude.
Comment by Michael Arrington — October 23, 2005 @ 12:52 am