Browsers Everywhere!

Choosing a browser can be a difficult decision to make. If you have a Windows based PC you’ve most likely used Microsoft’s Internet Explorer at some point, the dominant web browser of the last decade. IE wasn’t the first widely used browser on the block (that designation belongs to Netscape Navigator) but it quickly came to dominate the market due to Microsoft’s very sneaky distribution method of bundling it with every installation of Windows OS. At one point in the early 2000’s , IE was being used in over 95% of the market.

Firefox Window

At some point, the guys at Netscape decided to change direction and begin development on an open-source browser under the newly created Mozilla Foundation. Mozilla released its new browser Firefox in beta and this changed the browser battle dramatically. Suddenly there was an alternative to IE that worked just as well if not better. It was more secure, easier to use and it was infinitely extensible because it utilized the open-source model. Firefox was a hit and by 2009, it was being used by approximately 30% of the market. During this same time Apple released its own browser, named Safari, that’s been successful mainly due to the proliferation of Mac’s in North America. Opera is another browser that’s been been based on the Mozilla framework. It’s been around for awhile but despite is quality, has never gained much popularity. Finally, Google released its own proprietary browser, named Chrome, in 2008 that’s gained some traction because of Google’s reputation for quality products.

That’s a nice little story, but what what makes them all different from a user perspective and what’s the right choice for you?

Five years ago, I would have said use Firefox, no questions asked. They had introduced a lot new features to the browsing experience that weren’t available anywhere else. Since then these features, such as tabbed browsing, built in search bars, smart bookmarks, pop-up blockers and the ability to re-open closed tabs, have become the standard in competitive browsers rather then the exception.

Nowadays, the best way to differentiate the products is by speed, security, compatibility (a lot of sites used to, and some still do, only work on IE OR Firefox and not both), and extensibility. The problem today is that all the browsers are getting so good at these things it makes it more difficult to decide.

The newest IE, Version 8, is a very good browser. It is fairly intuitive, making browsing the modern way (a LOT of open tabs at once) relatively simple. Past security problems, which caused a lot of resentment towards the product, have been fixed for the most part.

Firefox, on the other hand, still has the great benefit of hundreds of available add-ons, making it extremely customizable. They also invented the tabbed browsing concept and continually enhance that feature.  So you might prefer this product if you’re one of those people whose feels the internet is an extension of their body.

Chrome was introduced with a radically different layout and some really good features. It also might very well be the most secure browser ever.  However, it’s only available on Windows systems and being so new, it has a few issues to still work out.

If you’re uber-connected in the social media world, try Flock. This is a new browser, also based on Mozilla, that allows you to tie in all your Web 2.0 accounts at once for easier access. It’s a less general browser but fantastically useful for the right people.

I don’t want to tell anyone what to use, so I encourage you to do some online research. Many sites have conducted comparisons and speed tests. You can also keep up-to-date on the goings on in the browser world over at the Browser News.

Post a comment if you have any questions!

-Craig

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