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Browser Wars #6: Which browser is your current favorite?
1/1: Browser Wars #6: Which browser is your current favorite?
Other polls | 4,180 votes | 40 comments
Past polls update...
I run this question occasionally -- I've been trying to do so every six months or so, but as you'll see, it's not always consistent. This is the sixth time we've run the poll; below are the results from the first five polls, shamelessly lifted from my favorite browser blog entry:
-rob.
Past polls update...
Rob, it would be interesting to see what your log says. I'd love to compare what people SAY they're using versus what they're ACTUALLY using...
Past polls update...
That could lead to inaccuracy as well as when many people are at work they may be forced to use an XP machine, or a differently configured (for who knows what reasons) Mac.
Past polls update...
Even more confusing are the variety of browsers out there, and the RSS readers which enter the fray (as they report as a browser). The actual stats for the site show NetNews Reader and AppleSyndication (I'm guessing that's Tiger's Safari) at the top of the list :).
I use Firefox
Hello,
I wavered from Safari, but I'm back
Safari was so slow with JavaScript for a while toward the end of the Panther era, that I switched to Firefox briefly. There are many things I like about Firefox, but the lack of Keychain integration, the Java-y look (even with all the Aqua-fying modifications) and a few other niggling details sent me back to Safari. Now with Safari 2.0, JavaScript seems much faster & I'm much happier.
Safari
I'm always a little surprised to see people say they use Firefox because Safari is slow. My experience has always been the opposite. I don't know much about the rendering speed or any of that, but every build I've used of Firefox (at least a dozen, official and nightlies) has been horrible at what I would think are simple things, like page scrolling, or switching between tabs when I have more than a few open. I think maybe it would be nice if they just gave up on Firefox on OS X and gave the Camino guys some help. I really like Camino, but it just needs something to push it past Safari.
Safari - black & white
you can 'skin' safari 1.x using "safari masks" and another program i cant remember the name of... i had purple buttons... much nicer!
Safari - black & white
I never heard of Safari Masks, but I have used Safaricon before, and it is an improvement, even though I'm not really crazy about any of the themes available. Only problem is, it just plain doesn't work for me on Safari 2.0.
OmniSafari
While I would love to say OmniWeb, and there are still some things that really rock about OmniWeb, it is currently too sluggish and buggy under Tiger. So now, I am using Safari with Saft (and I was using PithHelmet but Safari kept crashing, so I'll use it again after another update). Even with this excellent combination there are some things I miss that are in OmniWeb:
OmniSafari
I hear you, man. I'm still using OW for my primary browser, but I find that I'm loading Safari more and more when I just want to load one quick webpage or two.
OmniSafari
Oh yes - you are absolutely right. I love Omniweb's workspaces feature, but even though Safari isnt remembering my tabs, Im using it more and more nowadays.
Don't get me started on what all this browser flipping means for bookmark 'management'....
Another Enhancement with Saft—Type-Ahead Support
Saft also provides type-ahead support to Safari.
Safari uses the least resources
I am still using Mozilla, for various reason, one being that it stores about 100 usernames and passwords, a good number of which I would not be able to remember. Most of them I probably could recover or reset, but some would be lost forever.
Safari uses the least resources
Well, you can't "save" me. I am bound to the "One"! :-)
Safari gets my vote
I use Safari for almost everything, except when I need to debug some JavaScript or CSS, I use Mozilla with the Web Developer Extention for that.
I too really want the ability to drag and drop tabs. ---
Safari gets my vote
Holy carp! (fish with a pope hat) That [web developer extension] is the single coolest thing I've ever seen. Too bad that wasn't available in Safari.
Safari gets my vote
yeah, I've got to admit though, since Safari 1.3 introduced the JavaScript Console, I'm jumping over to Mozilla less often.
Drag and Drop Tabs! with Saft!
Whoa! I just realized that Saft does add the ability to drag and drop tags in Safari! Great!
---
Safari 2.0
Due to the recent release of Safari 2.0, I think that the vast majority have strayed from the use of Firefox. If this poll had been run before Safari 2.0's release I believe that Firefox would have been much closer to Safari's usage. For me however, new or old, I will always use Safari.
Very funny...
Okay, now, who's the joker who answered IE?
Very funny...
I am in charge of multiple computer labs at a university. You would be amazed how many people sit at a Mac and complain that there is not internet because they can't find IE! Usually some other student laughs out loud at them, then points to the dock and says something like "that's Safari, its the internet but its better" or some such.
IE Woes
That is pretty funny. I have similar IE woes, but from mid level exec's at a major communication company. Another company that I do business with programmed an OS X cd that *specifically* calls IE to take the user to their website to finish some registration stuff. If IE isn't installed the App just goes to town eating CPU cycles. What amazes me is that whenever they find a bug in the way IE handles our gear they *require* us to fix it, even though IE has an infinitesimal browser share, but yet I can't get some more important bugs fixed without breaking arms. Some of the bugs flat out aren't fixable, or are a bug in IE itself. Of course, these are the same guys who still want us to be programming new software for Mac OS 9...
That said, I was also curious to see who the IE user was. ;-)
Alias it 4sng
This is why I put an alias of Safari called 'Internet Explorer' in the dock w/ the icon copied to it from ie. Those apps that are going to require IE (Ex: hp's image stuff that barely works) are still going to work, but when you get ppl who think the 'Internet' is an application called Internet Explorer it's worth it to smirk and keep your mouth shut.
There are some things IE does best
The one thing IE does better than other browsers is handle the printing process. As flawed as IE is, its print preview is still the best, and it's the one browser I tell people to use if they are having trouble printing a Web page in another browser. Almost always does the trick.
Firefox still has an edge
And I say that somewhat regretfully. I do like what Apple is doing with WebKit and Safari is really great in a lot of way. Also, I'm typing this post from Shiira as I give it another spin...
i agree
type-ahead find is now the only firefox feature i miss in safari 2.0. i'm not sure what people mean about drag-and-drop tabs; i recently discovered the safari option to drag text or pictures to the tab bar to open them in new or current tabs, which is pretty useful. and the plug-in i used most in firefox was downloadthemall, which i've mostly replaced in safari using this (from bookmarklets.com) and the ability to copy and paste urls into the download window. nice.
Firefox still has an edge
i've recently found safaristand which has an option for type ahead find although it gets implemented slightly differently. i think i found it on versiontracker. i miss most is extensions (primarily switching tabs with keyboard) and bookmarks in a sidebar. i just went cold turkey to safari from firefox to give it a fair chance and its day 3 and i still can't get used to not having my bookmarks visible... oh well 4 more days
iCab 3: the return!
iCab 3, whose beta version is unfortunately still reserved to registered users, is presently the single browser that passes the Acid2 test ( <http://www.webstandards.org/act/acid2/> ). If your poll lasts a couple weeks more (time for them to go public) this could make some noise...
Safari & Firefox
I was using Safari, until Firefox 1.0 came out. The day I was thinking of switching, I found a site that wouldnt load in Safari, and it did load in firefox... So i switched.
Mostly Safari
For general browsing I will use typically just Safari.
Type ahead find; Mozilla keywords
The day Safari gets type-ahead find and Mozilla keywords will be the day I switch from my beloved (but occasionally buggy) Camino nightly builds.
Type ahead find, something that the incremental search fans at apple should be all over, makes finding info via a search engine much quicker, because i no longer need to scroll through long documents to find what I'm looking for. I can just start typing it.
Mozilla keywords have totally changed the way I use bookmarks and the web. When google search is only a "
g my query" away, or when wikipedia is only a "wp interesting article" away, I find myself using them much more.
And Camino is so much better written for the Mac platform than Firefox. None of those silly windows button widgets!
Type ahead find; Mozilla keywords
Maybe I am old-fashioned but by simply clicking on the browser icon in the Dock (be it Mozilla, Firefox, Camino or Safari) or hitting command-T if the browser is already the active application, I get the Google page and can start to type my search without having to do anything else.
Type ahead find; Mozilla keywords
http://www.mozilla.org/docs/end-user/keywords.html Keywords have been around forever. And now setting them is even easier with Smart Keywords:
Type ahead find; Mozilla keywords
I liked Mozilla keywords, but I prefer using Quicksilver's web search plugin for that functionality. I'm sure the other launchers (LaunchBar and Butler) do something similar.
Type ahead find; Mozilla keywords
The nice thing is, Quicksilver picks up any mozilla keyword searches I have in my Camino bookmarks, and I can then use them from Quicksilver as well. I have the QS Web Search catalog items disabled, because there are too many of them, and none I'd ever use that I can't just as easily add to Camino.
Type ahead find; Mozilla keywords
Type-to-find and search channels for Safari:
Safari
I use Safari 99.99% and Firefox ONLY to get at my Cingular mobile account info. Safari meets all of my needs at this time and performs as well if not better than does Firefox. I did try Firefox when it came out and it seemed faster so I used it for awhile. Then for some unknown reason I switched back to Safari - quite likely because I was more familiar with its workings etc. When Safari came out with 10.3.9 Safari's performance improvement was very dramatic for me and so I stay and use Safari still.
User Agent
I wonder how these results compare to your useragent logs.
Safari for now.
I use Safari for now, 'cause I don't like using the GEKO engine to run everything. So why don't use Camino? It doesn't give me the perks that I prefer to have. |
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