We got a question recently about choosing the right web browser and why do you choose that browser.. well here is my write up on The Right Web Browser:
Web Browsers; The competition is getting tighter now that flash, Gianduia, HTML5, Silverlight.. etc are becoming more and more mainstream.
What is a Web browser?
A web browser is a software application for retrieving, presenting, and traversing information resources on the World Wide Web. An information resource is identified by a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) and may be a web page, image, video, or other piece of content. Hyperlinks present in resources enable users to easily navigate their browsers to related resources.
What is the right browser for me?
Depends on what you are doing really! at the moment the current browser which seems to be getting all the flair is Google Chrome
Google Chrome is a browser that combines a minimal design with sophisticated technology to make the web faster, safer, and easier.
Sadly This browser seems to be more stable on Windows than OS X, Scrolling and Flash Playback still seems jerky.
.. Moving on.
Firefox seems to be next on the list, Users seem to want to go back to this browser because of Extensions and Customizations.. It literally has everything including the kitchen sink! But there are still problems;
- Conflicts with security software, outdated add-ons cause slow starts/no starts
- Delete add-ons that won’t go quietly
- Prevent update notices when you already have the latest Firefox version
- Prevent your autocomplete data from going AWOL
- Memory Leaks
You could also try out Firefox Nightly builds
..Moving on…
I have tried Opera, and sadly the only thing I like about that browser is that it’s on my iphone and the Smooth Scrolling. There is something about Opera that makes me hate it.. I don’t know if it’s the amount of bloat they are jam packing into the browser or the fact that they tend to make opera seem like “It’s the fastest browser in the world” But to be honest Opera has never wowed me. They seems to be doing quite well with updates but even then and there the updates seem to make the browser more and more duller.
Safari, Comes with OS X, Downloadable from Apples site; The Right Browser? No. Why?
I am a Social GURU, Surly there has to be a browser for me?!?!!1111oneoneone
First of all, Don’t call me Surly. Second Yes, you’re a social Guru good on you? (seriously what does that even mean?) So Blogging, Facebook, Twitter, blah blah blah? OK like the apple fanboys tend to say.. There is an app for that! It’s called Flock
The Flock browser is designed to complement exciting social services The more you use these key services that Flock supports, the better your experience will be.
So What do I think is the right browser for each platform?
OK Here goes, Agree with me or not I have tried them all and in the end it comes down to the following 3:
Windows: Firefox
- Internet Explorer (IE) become one of the major targets of the hackers around the world. They like to hack IE. They feel so delighted after successufully hacking in it. They make lots of trojans and worms to attack IE.
- The speed for Firefox in loading a page is much faster than IE. You can try yourself. Download Firefox here.
- There are a lot of add-ons provided in Firefox but IE does not have such good features.
- We can update Firefox easily compared to IE.
- Firefox is free, but IE is integrated in original Windows which cost hundred of dollars.
- Firefox can be made portable but IE can’t. Portable Firefox can be brought to anywhere by using a pen drive or removable drive.
- Firefox provide us a very good download manager add-on (DownThemAll) which increase the download speed for about 400% but IE does not have such features. The download manager provided is not good as the download speed is very slow.
OS X: Stainless
Although Stainless started out as a technology demo to showcase our own multi-processing architecture in response to Google Chrome, we’ve been inspired by our growing fanbase to forge ahead and craft Stainless into a full-fledged browser. In fact, Stainless now has features you won’t find in Chrome or in any other browser.
A prime example is parallel sessions, which allow you to log into a site using different credentials in separate tabs at the same time. This new technology is woven throughout Stainless, from the private cookie storage system, to session-aware bookmarks that remember the session in which they were saved. We’re excited to showcase what we believe is a true browser innovation.
Please note that Stainless is still in development and doesn’t yet have all the features you’d find in a production-ready browser.
Linux: Google Chrome
Speed
Chrome is designed to be fast in every possible way: It’s quick to start up from your desktop, loads web pages in a snap, and runs complex web applications fast. Learn more about Chrome and speed.
Simplicity
Chrome’s browser window is streamlined, clean and simple.
Chrome also includes features that are designed for efficiency and ease of use. For example, you can search and navigate from the same box, and arrange tabs however you wish — quickly and easily.
Security
Chrome is designed to keep you safer and more secure on the web with built-in malware and phishing protection, autoupdates to make sure the browser is up-to-date with the latest security updates, and more. Learn more about Chrome’s security features.
And more features
Chrome has many useful features built in, including extensions, translation in the browser, themes, and more. Learn more about Chrome’s newest and most-loved features.
In Conclusion, Remember it depends really what you want to do, do you really need that many extensions? do you really need that many tabs, windows, bookmarks? Do you prefer Minimal to bloatware? Would you like to beta test nightlies? In the end It’s not the Browser that controls what you do.. It’s you that controls the Browser.
Choose Wisely.
There is yet still no official Facebook App for the iPad but there are many alternatives on the device such as 