Browser Guide

[Marshmellow]

Derick's Browser Guide

 

Alright there has been a lot of threads where people just want some help on a particular browser and all they get is people arguing back and forth on what browser is better. So I'm going to try to make a simple but informative guide so people know all the good and bad points of each browser which hopefully will mean less arguing. I do not favor a certain browser I frequently use Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Opera all for different tasks. I will be putting them in Alphabetical order so the first one I review isn't my favorite or anything. I also will be comparing most of them to IE since most people on this forum most likely have used IE at least once in their life.

 

Avant

Written by Marshmellow

 

I had heard about Avant in a magazine a while ago. It looked really cool and new. But it kind of depressed me because it was basically IE but with a more cluttered, more confusing design. The skins for it were all basically the same and were a waste of space. What I did like about at first was how the tabs work in Avant. Where you minimize all the windows into one Avant window and still have a good way of accessing them. Another cool thing was when you exited it out. There was a little icon in the bottom right hand corner that you can double click and all your pages you had up before would appear before you. Nifty if you want to hide something.:p I wasn't really impressed with the performance of Avant either it was slow loading the pages that other browsers loaded with ease.

 

Overall rating 4/10. I don't recommend this browser to anybody. But you should give it a try anyways.:awesome:

 

Free, Download Avant

Developed by: Avant Force

 

Firefox

Written by Marshmellow

 

Firefox is one of the more featured filled browsers I have used. There are thousands of plug-ins and themes. Some of them pointless some of them great. When you first download Firefox you are just looking at a little more equipped IE. But once you go to Mozilla and and download extras for Firefox it will easily become more than just a browser. Firefox 2.0 makes the experience even greater with added spell check. Which is extremely helpful especially online since online you have a tendency to want to type faster. Firefox is very customizable and very organized.

 

Overall Rating 9/10. I recommend this browser to anybody that knows how to download plug-ins and themes.

 

Free, Download Firefox

Developed by Mozilla.org

 

"Firefox is very secure and advanced.. but the amount of features make it bulky.. and to make it useable you really need to get a lot of plugins as Moria says."-Nintendork

 

"Firefox has been on my try-to-convert list for quite a while now, yet it doesn't convince me. The interface is clumsy, it's a little slow for me and the loading takes ages. It's a nice browser, but with so many features avaible, it's hard to find the ones you need, like a decent reader for RSS to get my feeds on my plate. Still a nice browser nonetheless, but again,k it's not one that's begging me to switch."-Jasper

 

Flock

Written by Marshmellow

 

I had also first heard of Flock in a magazine. When I first started it up I my heart leaped when I saw that it integrated my Photobucket account with the browser itself. That impressed me a lot. I'm really impressed with Flock, it's design, it's included shortcuts. Flock is definitely going to be popular once people start to know about it more. For one it's made for all those MySpace whores;), it makes sharing photos, accessing media sites+MySpace a lot easier. It's very easy to use it's a good browser for being relatively new. But the sad part is that besides the Photobucket integrator it didn't really have a whole bunch of plug-ins for it.

 

Overall rating 8/10. Recommend to anybody with a Photoshop/Flickr account and to all people with a MySpace account. Which is basically everybody except me.

 

Free, Download Flock

Developed By Flock Inc.

 

Internet Explorer 6

Written by Marshmellow

 

I will be reviewing Internet Explorer 6. I would review IE7 but I don't have it and I don't have Legit Windows to download it. If someone wants to review it, it would be much appreciated. Internet Explorer or IE is all something we've all tried before if we use Windows as our OS. IE is very organized, very clean, and is unfortunately required for some sites. Once I got away from IE I was glad. IE is good but it's way to basic. I love the ability to customize a browser and add stuff to it if needed. IE doesn't have that. IE 7 may be different and I'm sure it is but I've never used it so I can't review it.

 

Overall rating 6/10. I recommend to all users who are new to the world of Windows and Internet Browsing.

 

Free, Download Internet Explorer 6

Developed by Microsoft Corporation

 

Internet Explorer 7

Written By Jasper

 

IE7 is kind of a nice browser but it's still a little feature lacking here and there. It has the looks, but it's to simplified. Stopping a page from loading has become a burden to do - its far from easy or accesible in that sense. It's a nice browser, nonetheless, but it doesn't even pass the ACID2 test by far. It's still a crappy renderer that thinks of a new line of HTML as if it were a blank space. Very odd browser, but in Microsoft terms it's a pretty decent effort, and at least it loads faster than Firefox.-Jasper

 

Free, Download Internet Explorer 7

Developed by Microsoft Corporation

 

Opera

Written by Marshmellow

 

I recently downloaded Opera so I could do Conzer's crazy riddle he found. And I was very impressed with it. I avoided Opera for a while because I simply did not want to switch browsers again. But I finally downloaded Opera and I find it simply amazing. It's very clean, neat, simple in a good way. Tabs are neat and organized. I love that you can close Opera and when you open it up again there's the stuff you were working on before. Opera is a very capable browser and if I'm not mistaken the browser for the Wii maybe... I know it's the browser for the DS in Japan. So Opera is going places.

 

Overall Rating 9.5/10. Recommend to anybody who loves a nice, clean, simple browser.

 

Free, Download Opera

Developed by Opera Software ASA

 

Sea Monkey

Written by Marshmellow

 

Sea Monkey is so far utter crap. It's dull, to simple, and it reminds me of Linux for some reason. I think eventually it will be better. But right now in its current state it's crap. It confuses me.

 

Overall Rating 1/10

 

Free, Download Sea Monkey

Developed by Mozilla.org

 

SlimBrowser

Written by Marshmellow

 

When I first downloaded SlimBrowser I was overpowered by how much options there were. I'm sure once I play with it for a while I'll figure out what they all mean but that'll take a while. I love the Minimize and Maximize buttons. Well not much to say about it, it's the newest browser to me so I don't know much about it. It would probably be best if somebody else submitted a review on Slim. It looks pretty snazzy though:heh:

 

Overall rating so far 5/10.

 

Free, Download SlimBrowser

Developed by Flashpeak.com

 

Songbird

Written by Marshmellow

Recommended By thirtynine.

 

This is a really interesting concept combining probably the two most commonly used things into one. I wasn't impressed though that the file size for a browser was 12mb... But I got over it. I think it's really awesome that it uses the iTunes Library file to get its music. Which is really awesome if your like me and love iTunes. So it's a real neat concept, and since it's only a pre-build I bet it will be really awesome time a full version is released. Things they need to work on are, it needs to have tabs. Needs more skins, black is boring.

 

I don't really recommend the pre-build but once a full version comes out you should try it for sure. 8/10

 

Free, Download Songbird

Developed By POTI Inc.

 

Safari

Written by Nintendork

 

Safari doesn't really warrant a review really. It does everything you could want.. and nothing of what the average user does not.

 

No plugins required.. my only qualm is I can't get the Google engine to go to Google.co.uk instead of .com, but it's not a big deal.

 

Basically Safari is the fastest to start up, pretty quick to render and does just about everything like flash and java faster than any other browser on Mac.

 

Free, Download Safari (Mac Only)

Developed By Apple Computer Inc.

 

"Agreed, apart from the google part - Safari is excellent. Combines the best of all browsers, add to that its built for OSX, we have a winner."-Jonst

 

"Safari RSS is a slick browser, allowing you to do heaps of things. Certainly the built-in RSS is a breeze and it helps you keep track of things. Yes, it's not as expandable as other browsers, but at least I don't have to login to N-Europe everytime I load it, like with FireFox - Safari just flatly remembers yours password and keeps you logged in. It has a smooth and simple interface that's easy to edit and it works pretty fast - if your computer is fast, that is, because every now and then, it dissapoints. And by enabling the 'debug' menu (you'll need the applescript for that wich I've lost), you can act as if you were IE7 or Firefox."-Jasper

 

If you read all this congrats haha pretty long. I hope you enjoyed I tried to stay as neutral as possible, some of the browsers I'm not real familiar with so their might be some opinion on them. I'm not real good at writing stuff like this just thought I would try it. I hope this will be stickied to help people. All downloads are for people with Windows. And if you write a review on a browser I missed please post it and I will try to update as much as possible.

 

And yes my name is Derick:D

 

Edits*

 

11/6/06

Changed my rating on Opera since Substeinar mentioned to me it is possible to have Windows too and not only tabs. Thanks!

 

11/27/06

Added Nintendork on Safari and user comments on other ones.

 

4/4/07

Added all of Jaspers comments. I'll write a review on IE7 after I get back from School today, since I just realized I can, now that I have Vista.

 

5/15/07

Added Songbird thanks thirtynine.!

[Nintendork]

If you have a Mac, use Safari RSS until that fails (on certain websites) then use Firefox.

[Emasher]

i always use safari i know what you mean about failing but that dosent usualy happen.

 

i have fire fox just in case but i only use it once every few months

[Jon]

Much like you two, I use safari - firefox if it fails.

[Marshmellow]

Since I have Windows and can't download Safari maybe one of you guys could write a review for it?

[Charlie]

Firefox is one of the more featured filled browsers I have used.

 

No its not, you have to download a tonne of plugins to do anything with it other than basic IE stuff, which is what you said, yet it still gets a 9 and Opera, although a glowing review, only gets 8.5?

[Guest Jordan]

Derick's Browser Guide

 

SlimBrowser

Written by Marshmellow_7

 

Overall rating so far 5/10. Recommend to people that love clutteredness.

 

 

You are aware you can remove all that stuff from the tool bars right?

 

Great article btw, well researched.

 

EDIT:

[Nintendork]

Firefox is very secure and advanced.. but the amount of features make it bulky.. and to make it useable you really need to get a lot of plugins as Moria says.

 

Safari doesn't really warrant a review really. It does everything you could want.. and nothing of what the average user does not.

 

No plugins required.. my only qualm is I can't get the Google engine to go to Google.co.uk instead of .com, but it's not a big deal.

 

Basically Safari is the fastest to start up, pretty quick to render and does just about everything like flash and java faster than any other browser on Mac.

[Jon]

Firefox is very secure and advanced.. but the amount of features make it bulky.. and to make it useable you really need to get a lot of plugins as Moria says.

 

Safari doesn't really warrant a review really. It does everything you could want.. and nothing of what the average user does not.

 

No plugins required.. my only qualm is I can't get the Google engine to go to Google.co.uk instead of .com, but it's not a big deal.

 

Basically Safari is the fastest to start up, pretty quick to render and does just about everything like flash and java faster than any other browser on Mac.

 

Agreed, apart from the google part - Safari is excellent. Combines the best of all browsers, add to that its built for OSX, we have a winner.

[Gaijin von Snikbah]

The only real complaint I have against Opera is that it only has tabs no windows. Sometimes I like having windows open compared to having a bunch of tabs.

You can change this in the settings, so that pages open up in new windows.

 

And yes my name is Derick:D

Well ahoy there matey!

[AshMat]

I use Opera, always will

[Emasher]

ya safai wins go us mac users

[Marshmellow]

No its not, you have to download a tonne of plugins to do anything with it other than basic IE stuff, which is what you said, yet it still gets a 9 and Opera, although a glowing review, only gets 8.5?

 

I tried to be as neutral as possible but I guess the Firefox inside me got the better of me I should rate it higher especially since I didn't know that you can change the tabs into windows.

 

You are aware you can remove all that stuff from the tool bars right?

 

Great article btw, well researched.

 

EDIT:

 

Yeah I was really contemplating if I should review Slimbrowser or not simply because I had not even known about it, if it wasn't for your Essential programs thread. So I really don't know much about it, it would be great if you could submit something about it, since you use it a lot.

 

And Thanks, lol nice screenshot;)

 

Firefox is very secure and advanced.. but the amount of features make it bulky.. and to make it useable you really need to get a lot of plugins as Moria says.

 

Safari doesn't really warrant a review really. It does everything you could want.. and nothing of what the average user does not.

 

No plugins required.. my only qualm is I can't get the Google engine to go to Google.co.uk instead of .com, but it's not a big deal.

 

Basically Safari is the fastest to start up, pretty quick to render and does just about everything like flash and java faster than any other browser on Mac.

 

I'll add this in probably later;) if thats ok.

 

You can change this in the settings, so that pages open up in new windows.

 

I didn't know that:D I'mma go change it right now. Thanks

 

Well ahoy there matey!

 

Thanks haha I realized when I wrote this that I had never told anybody here my real name I always signed it marshmellow so starting yesterday i signed everything with my real name.

[Caris]

Good thread, should get a sticky.

[Marshmellow]

I updated and added Nintendorks review on Safari sorry it took so long I kept putting it off. It would be nice if it was stickied that was I would remember to update it and remember people to state your opinion on things so i can post em!

[|Laguna|]

What browser takes up hardly any CPU?

 

I have a decade old laptop, and when using Firefox with some tabs it grinds to a complete halt. IE7 is slightly better, but are there any which use up only a tiny tiny amount of memory, which has tabbed browsing.

 

Thanks

[thirtynine.]

What browser takes up hardly any CPU?

 

I have a decade old laptop, and when using Firefox with some tabs it grinds to a complete halt. IE7 is slightly better, but are there any which use up only a tiny tiny amount of memory, which has tabbed browsing.

 

Thanks

opera is what i use on mah old putah. it runs great.

[RoadKill]

Derick's Browser Guide

SlimBrowser

Written by Marshmellow_7

 

When I first downloaded SlimBrowser I was overpowered by how much options there were. I'm sure once I play with it for a while I'll figure out what they all mean but that'll take a while. I love the Minimize and Maximize buttons. Well not much to say about it, it's the newest browser to me so I don't know much about it. It would probably be best if somebody else submitted a review on Slim. It looks pretty snazzy though:heh:

 

Overall rating so far 5/10. Recommend to people that love clutteredness.

 

Free, Download SlimBrowser

Developed by Flashpeak.com

 

It's only cluttered if you use it in the default form without right clicking a few things and removing toolbars and buttons you don't need. You can even go as far as customising the text for the menu items, and it's not even hard.

 

You can reduce it to a back button and not even a menu bar if you really wanted.

[CooInTheZoo]

After switching from AOL to BT (shiny home hub thing enticed the family) and after still not liking my internet provider, i downloaded firefox. And a few plugins later, its bloody lovely

 

any nice theme recomendations?

[Marshmellow]

I liked Noia 2 Extreme and I think another one I liked was Metal Lion or something like that.

[Jasper]

Safari RSS is a slick browser, allowing you to do heaps of things. Certainly the built-in RSS is a breeze and it helps you keep track of things. Yes, it's not as expandable as other browsers, but at least I don't have to login to N-Europe everytime I load it, like with FireFox - Safari just flatly remembers yours password and keeps you logged in. It has a smooth and simple interface that's easy to edit and it works pretty fast - if your computer is fast, that is, because every now and then, it dissapoints. And by enabling the 'debug' menu (you'll need the applescript for that wich I've lost), you can act as if you were IE7 or Firefox.

 

IE7 is kind of a nice browser but it's still a little feature lacking here and there. It has the looks, but it's to simplified. Stopping a page from loading has become a burden to do - its far from easy or accesible in that sense. It's a nice browser, nonetheless, but it doesn't even pass the ACID2 test by far. It's still a crappy renderer that thinks of a new line of HTML as if it were a blank space. Very odd browser, but in Microsoft terms it's a pretty decent effort, and at least it loads faster than Firefox.

 

Firefox has been on my try-to-convert list for quite a while now, yet it doesn't convince me. The interface is clumsy, it's a little slow for me and the loading takes ages. It's a nice browser, but with so many features avaible, it's hard to find the ones you need, like a decent reader for RSS to get my feeds on my plate. Still a nice browser nonetheless, but again,k it's not one that's begging me to switch.

[thirtynine.]

http://www.songbirdnest.com/

Based on firefox. Is niiice.

[Marshmellow]

Updated it today. Songbird is pretty damn cool!

[ThePigMarcher]

Another browser which I think is definately worthy of a mention for macs is Camino , http://www.caminobrowser.org/

 

Based on the Firefox engine but with a more mac like interface as default , I just find this less bloated than Firefox and infinately quicker than both Safari (haven't tested the beta) and FF.

 

The new 1.5 version has finally added RSS detection , spell checking , session saving and improved tabbed browsing amongst a few other things. It also now shares the keychain entries with Safari so none of that seperate Firefox annoyance.

 

The built in ad-blocking is very effective and the only thing I have added-on is User-Agent just to spoof any problematic sites (very few of which I have run into).

 

It has long been my default browser and I am surprised it is not more commonly used.

[thirtynine.]

Flock should loose some serious points due to its new disgusting face lift.