Chris Pirillo:

“What Browser do you Use? Are you happy with your browser, or do you feel it’s lacking?”

To many this may be too heated a discussion to engage in, but all one needs a zealousless perception of things and some honesty. Yes, Internet Explorer rendered itself a horrible reputation throughout the years and has probably partially retained the image, despite the numerous enhancements. When facing facts, though, IE7 did finally mature into a decent browser with adequate security. Amongst other caveats, it still lacks web standards conformity, though Microsoft claimed to have resolved the latter to a satisfactory degree. Another major aching-point is the lack of c13y (a.k.a. customizability, without wanting to appear fancy). This issue’s importance is up to the beholder; whilst advanced ‘internauts’ value this a great deal, casual internet users probably couldn’t give.

That’s where Firefox coasts in. With it steadily gaining market share (more concretely, snagging bits and pieces away from IE, consistently) many alike are discovering Firefox as a credible alternative for day-to-day web browsing, along with its (nearly) boundless array of extensions and plug-ins, which makes it so popular. From ad-blocking to mouse gestures, the idea is you start out with a barebone (quite a competent one, nonetheless) and add the desired functionality as you go. This has given Firefox a lot of lift, even to the point of neglecting some crunching issues like memory-leakages and bloat.

All the consideration given for both competitors, one could also give Opera a spin, which is a back-to-basics type of browser. With ‘basics’, I mean making agreeable setbacks for the Greater Good, being:

  • Tiny filesize
  • Free!
  • Fast
  • Passes the ACID2-test graciously

The smaller user base might be a testament of the lack of c13y, and perhaps marketing efforts. Nonetheless, Opera is a great browser, yet might be aimed at the more purist type of web audience.

I snapped up some cites from Chris Pirillo’s blog via ClipMarks:

clipped from chris.pirillo.com
IE 7 is already being touted by some as the “best” browser ever created.
Many say that the features and enhancements far outweigh any security problems that still exist. Research does show that the largest percentage of Internet users DO use IE for all their browsing needs.
Firefox is now faster, more secure, and fully customizable to your online life. Firefox is definitely the most customizable browser
Each browser will take you around the Internet. Each does basically the same thing.
The best advice we can give you is to try them all.

blog it

ClipMarks Remarks: IE7 is NOT the best browser, no matter who’s touting it. I’m the first one to admit that the enhancements were welcome, but it doesn’t make it the best one around, just yet. I don’t agree with the remark that Firefox is “it” either, in its current state, seeing it’s prone to memory leaks and ends up being slow after extended use. Maybe Firefox 3 will bring solace. I firmly concur with the last clip.