There are a lot of web browsers available free for download on the net. Two heavy giants of not so distant past are the Netscape Navigator and Microsoft’s Internet Explorer. Opera back then is an emerging browser whom I believe was first into (multi-) tab browsing. Fast forward to present times, Internet Explorer and Opera is still up to date with Internet advancements but Netscape though still around, have already abandoned development.
Today’s major contenders for the title of “The Ultimate Web Browser” are not those whom I previously mentioned. Mozilla’s Firefox and Apple’s Safari have replaced Netscape and Internet Explorer rivalry. For my surfing pleasure, I got to have this two web browsers updated all the time.
Welcome to the jungle, Safari 3!
Apple’s Safari, especially with its version 3.1.1 is the fastest web browser. I don’t have benchmark information to show since performance would vary with regards to one’s machine makeup. The look and user interface of Safari is hands down the simplest and yet elegantly designed. Aside from being fast, it doubles up as a very good RSS reader and it shows in terms of “numbers in parenthesis” as heads-up, new RSS feeds on the “bookmarks bar” of a particular RSS folder. My only issue with safari is that it somehow does not harmoniously operate with the mouse. For example, to navigate folders in your bookmarks bar, one has to click every time just to show the contents of particular folder. In order to tweak Safari to behave like Firefox, a separate application must be installed.
Zippin’ Firefox 3!
Firefox is somewhat synonymous with Internet Explorer as a dominant web browser. A lot of Internet technologies and a lot of developers are using it as “the standard” web browser. So when web pages don’t load properly with Safari, I turn to Firefox. Firefox 2 is not that fast with Safari 3 and one needs to install FasterFox which is an add-on. Then came Firefox 3, which first came in Beta version. At first, I tried to resist the temptation of installing it upon hearing all the bugs that was reported through the net. Eventually I gave in to the eager beaver in me and installed it a couple of weeks ago. I was impressed at the improvements Mozilla have done. The speed is comparatively much better and is at par or better than Safari 3. It has retained all of its function but now sports a way cooler user interface that looks like Safari. I got a tip though that there is an add-on that can make Firefox 3 look like Safari 3 and of course I installed the add-on. One simple feature I like with the previous one that they have retained is the way it responds to the mouse. Contents of bookmark folders open automatically after an initial click of other bookmark folders. My only issue with Firefox is when it is used as an RSS feed reader and I wish it would behave like Safari. I’m just not quite sure if there is a plug-in for it. I think it was two nights ago when Mozilla released its Firefox 3 RC 1 version.
It’s really hard to find all the features there is in just one web browser. Firefox and Safari I think are like cousins. They complement each other in a way, like Yin and Yang. I’m not sure if there is an actual rivalry (healthy) going on but if there is one… we are very lucky.
The “Ultimate Web Browser?” This time… there can’t be “only one.”
Which is which?
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