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It's that time again -- Browser wars #9. Which web browser is your current favorite?
1/1: It's that time again -- Browser wars #9. Which web browser is your current favorite?
Other polls | 6,744 votes | 78 comments
Firefox
Surely I'm not the first to comment?
gestures and shortcuts, Safari vs. Firefox
I have to admit that I wish the gestures worked in Firefox. That being said, I wish Safari worked with a keyboard. Both firefox and IE use somewhat compatible keystrokes for Back/Forward, etc. Safari uses Cmd-[ and Cmd-]. WTF? On Windows, Safari has more of the common behaviors enabled. The most irritating part is that you can use Cmd-Left and Cmd-Right in Mac Safari until it decides you can't. It works sometimes, and sometimes not.
Firefox
The most important thing that keeps me with FF2 is Google Gears support.
http://alpay.wordpress.com
Firefox 3 is a significant improvement
I used to use Opera 9, but Firefox 3 is just so amazingly good (especially compared to FF 2) that it's taken over as the default browser on my machine. In many ways, it's negated the need for Camino.
Firefox 3 is a significant improvement
Same for me, I used to use Camino for most browsing but FF3b5 is so much nicer (extensions and all that) that I did not even install 1.6.
Camino 2.0a1pre ?
Are you comparing Camino 2.0a1pre with FF3b5? Or do you think Camino 2.0a1pre to unstable to compare with FF3b5?
Firefox 3 is a significant improvement
Yeah, I think FF3 is going to really push Firefox usage up. It's a very slick, nice browser.
Firefox 3 is a significant improvement
I agree. Firefox is better than Safari in many ways.
Back to Firefox, again
Last year I switched from Firefox back to Safari because Firefox was just too slow.
Flock...
I normally use OmniWeb. Started using Flock. Not bad (especially the rendering of the latest trunk builds moving to Firefox 3.0). OmniWeb is great for developing, flock is great for maintaining all my social network crap.
Firefox
As a web developer, I know most of the problems that most of web browsers have. I cannot believe how many people like Safari over Firefox. It just drives me nuts sometimes thinking about it.
Firefox
giulio, I voted for Safari and I can't see what's wrong with it. Webkit is open source, leading is standards-compliance. Plus most other browsers, including Firefox, just have worse usability. I sometimes use Firefox, but the amount of bad design and just simply bugs always turn me away from it again. Just my 2 cents.
Firefox
If IE had followed specs and been open source, it wouldn't have garnered most of the criticism of it's integration into the OS. Also, when was the last time an Apple app didn't respect the system default browser? There are still quite a few MS apps which force the use of IE for links and such.
Firefox
stop talking nonsense.
Yes it is...
WebKit is a separate package, but it is also OS-integrated. OS X uses WebKit as it's engine for everything from Help Viewer to Safari, possibly Software Update as well. I imagine WebKit could be replaced within OS X, but I don't know why I'd want to.
About Microsoft...
Microsoft didn't deserve the trouble it got from building IE into Windows. What it deserved was a heck of a lot more trouble than it got for building Windows into IE.
Firefox
Firefox is the underdog? Compared to what? Safari?
http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_stats.asp Anyway, as I mentioned below, I find I use so many standard OS X services that FF is unusable... if it was a proper application, I might use it.
Moved to Flock, havne't looked back...
I was a big Safari user, would use Firefox for somethings. Firefox never seemed SO fast to me, like others claimed.
Mozilla Suite Forever!
Well, not really forever. I don't use it on my Intel based macs because it isn't universal binary.
Mozilla Suite Forever!
I believe Seamonkey is a universal binary, and will have features and security updates to the old Mozilla suite. --Andrew
Mozilla Suite Forever!
Instead of installing all those extensions for web development, have you just looked at the Web Developer Toolbar? It seems like all your extensions could be replaced by this one.
Using Both
I voted for Firefox but I'm scared to put Firefox as my default browser so I still use Safari as my default even though it is not my favorite. Safari just completely fails too often (core dump or hang or something like that). So, I voted for Firefox. Plus, Firebug (for Firefox) is really the big big win for me.
Firefox's expandability
Sure, FF is expandable. However, the more extensions you install, the slower FF seems to run. At least that was my impression with 2.x. So, I started uninstalling extensions I once had installed. I am down to just one: AdBlock Plus.
Firefox's expandability
I'd suggest upgrading to the latest nightly of Firefox. Normally it's not a good idea, but the stability is much better as they progress towards a release candidate.
Firefox's lack of expandability
Firefox doesn't respect OS X context menu extensions. I have a dozen or so commands that I've added to OS X context menus using OnMyCommand, & which I use regularly while browsing (e.g. search for selected text as author in library databases etc.). As long as Firefox fails to support OS X context menu extensions, I'm sticking with Safari.
install extensions, but disable them by default
I have a bunch of extensions, but I only use one or two mostly. The rest are for occaisional use. I found that you can have lots of them installed and Firefox will run just fine if you disable the extensions. Enable/Disable does require a restart, however, but Firefox restarts pretty cleanly. Enable the less-used extensions only when you need them.
Three at a time
When I'm at home, Safari.
Three at a time
Ha! That's exactly how I work.
First iCab voter :-D
iCab rules. They invented ad-filtering 10 years ago, and above all managed to keep their advance up to now (e. g. adding a "download" button in front of youtube videos is now a click away, etc.).
My Switch to Camino
I just switched to Camino last week and so far I love it, it seems to be faster than Firefox and even though it isn't it just seems more solid.
Safari for images and .pdf files
I flirt with Firefox - and I really like the new address bar in 3.0 Beta 5 - but Safari renders and displays images with so much more clarity. I always end up switching away from Firefox because the pictures are so flat.
Safari for images and .pdf files
"Safari is much better for handling PDF files"
Safari rocks (and crashes)
I am still using Safari on Mac OS X, because it seems faster than Firefox and is just better integrated in the OS. However, lately (since Safari 3) it crashes quite often on me, i.e. on certificate handshakes over a http-proxy, ...
FireFox 3
Firefox 3 definitely.
Firefox and WebArchives
I mainly use Firefox for the extensions, and as a Web developer, it simply can't be beat.
Firefox and WebArchives
Huh?
Firefox and WebArchives
That only saves the HTML--no images, css files, javascripts, etc. Sorry if I wasn't clear. But I meant that Firefox will save the complete Web page including all of its contents (images and all) completely intact while leaving the source document in HTML. You can open the HTML document in any browser and see the page exactly as it looked on the Web.
You could send the page (and its folder of images) to someone on Linux and have them see it exactly as it originally appeared. This is what you can't do with Safari.
Favorite Browser
I use Firefox v2 on my computer and my wife uses Safari on hers. When we are in Florida with only one computer between us it works out better that way. I like the extensions in Firefox. I'd probably use Safari more often if McAfee Site Advisor were available for it.
Inline PDF on Intel
I use Safari because there is no other browser on the Mac that can display PDFs on intel macs.
opposing view
My opinion may be tainted by the fact that the Adobe Acrobat Reader plugin (any version) has *never* been stable in any browser on any OS (that I've used). Adobe single-handedly has made me loathe inline PDF. I much prefer Mac FF's behavior of downloading the file into my Downloads directory and opening it with the application of my choosing. Preview works really well and it opens the PDF faster (or at least in the same time) than Safari does inline and has more functionality.
WebKit all the way...
I just finished sending Mozilla feedback on FF3, and very negative feedback it was too. i find the FF3 interface even more unusable than FF2.
Browsers rated for me.
I made a table recently, and the outcome is that Opera was very nice, but had no keychain integration and REFUSED to send any RSS feed to my default registered application. Then Camino has at least SOME keychain integration... it stores password but not certificates... I mean, WTF!? I also got annoyed with Camino constantly wanteing to update my site password even though I was not changing my password on the page I was on.
Nothing works as well as Opera for mouse gestures, Firefox has plugins to (almost) remedy all inadequacies at the cost of performance. Safari is lean for exactly that reason as well and integrates nicely with KeyChain (wouldn't you know it!?)
In the end of using Flock, Firefox 2, Firefox 3, Safari, Camino I have to rate them:
With Firefox 2 (and 3)(although it still glaringly lacks Keychain support) is still the best choice for me. I'll switch to Firefox 3 once they sort out the tab saving problem.
Safari Camino Firefox Opera
Features
mouse gestures No No With Plugin Yes
script blocking With Plugin No With Plugin Yes
wildcard popup allow Yes No No No
uses keychain Yes Yes (with bugs) No No
Site Compatibility Medium Perfect Perfect Medium
Speed Fast Fast Slow Fast
Footprint Medium Medium Large Small
Saves TABS No Medium Medium/Perfect Perfect
Displays many TABS Poor Poor Medium/Perfect Perfect
D/L manager No No Plugin Yes
Force single window No Yes With Plugin Yes
RSS to Mail.app Yes Yes Yes No
Flashblock No Yes With Plugin No
Google Bookmarks No No Yes No
Middle-click Tab close No No Yes Yes
Acid3 75 53 53 62
Browsers rated for me.
argh, please ignore this crappy post and see my fixed table further on.
'all of the above'?
I love Safari: it is super fast and clean, and I use .mac to sync my bookmarks to multiple machines and an iPhone.
Browsers rated for me.
I made a table recently, and the outcome is that Opera was very nice, but had no keychain integration and REFUSED to send any RSS feed to my default registered application. Then Camino has at least SOME keychain integration... it stores password but not certificates... I mean, WTF!? I also got annoyed with Camino constantly wanteing to update my site password even though I was not changing my password on the page I was on.
Nothing works as well as Opera for mouse gestures, Firefox has plugins to (almost) remedy all inadequacies at the cost of performance. Safari is lean for exactly that reason as well and integrates nicely with KeyChain (wouldn't you know it!?)
In the end of using Flock, Firefox 2, Firefox 3, Safari, Camino I have to rate them:
With Firefox 2 (and 3)(although it still glaringly lacks Keychain support) is still the best choice for me. I'll switch to Firefox 3 once they sort out the tab saving problem.
Browsers rated for me.
You list script blocking in safari that can be done with a plugin. What about the other features you said No to that can also be done with a plugin?
Safari/Camino switcher
I vacillate between Safari and Camino. I've been using Safari more lately—the find improvements are nice, and I think it has slightly better text rendering in general. But Camino is very strong.
I switch browsers regularly, but it's Safari now
I really like where FF3 is going, but like others noted, it's not stable enough to use it as my primary browser. I absolutely LOVE a lot of things in Opera, but it lacks severely in the OS integration department. So Safari it is, and I must say that 3 was a big improvement -- faster, more stable, gets the job done.
Which is really faster
Firefox is my main browser for one reason: speed. Yes, Safari renders a page faster, but with Firefox, I can block ads and scripts through addons. The real world experience is much better with these features.
Which is really faster
You can block ads and scripts with Safari add-ons too, so what's the difference...?
Which is really faster
You need a plugin to block scripts? What scripts are you talking about?
Firefox to Safari
It used to be Firefox on the PC, all the way from the first release. Anything compared to IE was a revelation! However, since becoming a Mac convert, Safari has slowly won me over with it's general speed and responsiveness. That I got adblocking working with it made it the perfect choice. FF3.0 looks good, but it'll have to be good to sway me!
OmniWeb: King of the Browsers
I really don't want this to sound like flamebait, but seriously--OmniWeb is the king of the browsers. It doesn't need plugins because it already has everything one needs. I've tried _all_ the others and always come back to OmniWeb, for so many reasons. The current versions of Firefox (3.x) and Camino are more efficient with memory but both still have massive deficiencies with system integration and interface quirks.
OmniWeb rocks hardest!
I'm with the last poster! I've tried most OS X browsers and in the end I payed(!) for OmniWeb, even though there are really good ones for free! OmniWeb is my default since the early days of OS X and has so many pro features you wouldn't even find as a FF plugin and there are LOTS of them...
FF
I've tried them all, and I always come back to Firefox, for its widespread use and abundance of add-ons. Sure they don't all work right, but once you find the ones you love, you can't go without them. I keep trying to go back to Safari, but Apple is just too slow implementing the features I love in FF. By the time they're in Safari, I'm onto something else.
by the way
whoever voted for IE, please comment. I just need to know.
by the way
I did not vote for IE but I understand why some people voted for it. Simply, it is the ONLY browser that really WORKS.
by the way
Can you mention what makes IE so much better and Safari (or others) so much worse?
by the way
I would not like to get into the religious war about the browsers and I did not say that IE was much nicer. I said that it was the only browser that worked for now. It can be attributed to the fact that the business and most the web developers out there use the MS proprietary technology such as Active X. I know that is the pain on the neck for the people who fight for the standard (but what the standard anyway).
by the way
Can you also mention why you insist on spelling Mac in all capital letters?
[[It's been ages since I came across a website which actually required ActiveX.]]
by the way
> Can you also mention why you insist on spelling Mac in all capital letters?
by the way
This could get interesting. Know any deep thought discussion forums out there?
by the way
I think the you- the original reply meant in the first comment IE for windows, which is awesome, we mean mac, ie for mac is terrible and dead
by the way
I think the you- the original reply meant in the first comment IE for windows, which is awesome, we mean mac, ie for mac is terrible and dead
by the way
Correct!
Shiira
I love Shiira's simiplicity, speed and the fact that it supports Growl notifications when a download is complete. And it has the option to sort downloads into folders by date, the same way Stand for Safari can. My biggest complaint with it is the inability to restore all tabs/windows from the previous session. Since it tends to crash when trying to connect to FTP sites for downloads, this can be very annoying to recreate each tab individually after a restart. Can't completely replace Safari with it yet but soon...
OmniWeb
I shall echo the sentiments of the others who mentioned it: OmniWeb is the greatest browser the world has ever known. Two features that really stand out for me: vertical tabs in a drawer, and site-specific preferences.
For the first, it's very nice to be able to have a ludicrous number of tabs open in one window (I currently have twenty!) with every single one of them visible. The second feature is invaluable when you run across a site that has text that's either too small or too big or glaringly obnoxious ads. If you haven't tried it out, I urge you to try it. It's easily worth the $15 Omni charges.
Netscape
What about Netscape Navigator? Has it been forgotten? I use it occasionally, but I know lot of people like it.
Netscape
Nope. It's been killed.
FF2 vrs. FF3
I dumped FF2 because it was so bad and went to Safari but I am back to Firefox because FF3 is super.
OmniWeb
OmniWeb is the best. I've used it for many years. It handles large numbers of tabs open simultaneously. Its fairly reliable. It renders well (with a few problems). Its very customisable. I also use Safari, Flock, Opera, iCab for different purposes. I don't actually like Firefox much: its ugly and Flock is nicer and can use most FF plug-ins.
Firefox & Web Developer
Since I use Firefox together with the Web Developer extension, the development of web applications become much more easy. Otherwise I love the speed of Safari, but still I gave my vote for Firefox.
However I am sure that, if there would be a similar extension for Safari, like Web Developer for Firefox, than I would go for that pair.
WebKit
Has everyone forgotten WebKit it should be up there
WebKit
WebKit = Safari. If you use WebKit, you're really using Safari, except it's a version that hasn't been released yet.
WebKit
Yeah but technically you're not because Safari is the user interface, WebKit is under the hood, close, but different
WebKit
I didn't include any beta browsers -- for the purposes of this poll, WebKit = Safari, as that's the UI you've chosen to use. (And Firefox 3 = Firefox, etc. for other beta releases).
Camino Debacle
What a debacle for Camino! |
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