If you’d have asked me lately what browser I’m using, the answer would have varied on an almost daily basis. I’ve been trying to find THE perfect browser for me but each one has pissed me off in varying degrees of time…
- Firefox – my browser of choice since about 2005ish (possibly longer? it was still Firebird back then). I know, crazy long time to be loyal to a piece of software. Why did I ditch it? Because the latest version seemed to be causing memory hogging issues, instability, etc
- Chrome – my browser of choice for about 2 weeks. Why did I ditch it? Chrome’s add-ons are not as good as Firefox and the lack of NoScript was annoying. Google need to stop blocking the technology that is required to make a NoScript version for its browser.
- Namoroka – the unofficial 64-bit build of Firefox. My browser of choice for a few months. Why did I ditch it? Lack of Flash support, didn’t like some Firefox add-ons. Otherwise speedy and less hoggy than normal Firefox; I would have stuck with it if it hadn’t required me to constantly open Opera/Chrome to play Flash stuff.
- Opera – 10.61 is much less irritating than previous version of Opera, and although it seems to use more memory than Firefox overall it’s faster opening and at rendering web pages. I like the integrated IRC client. Why did I ditch it? Widgets run as separate programs, instead of like FF add-ons. Some web pages render incorrectly. Doesn’t save login details for sites properly.
- Flock – yuck! Didn’t even use it for half an hour. Why did I ditch it? I found it buggy and annoying. The Facebook sign in thing didn’t work and it was bloated with crap I didn’t want or need.
So where am I now? Well, it occurred to me this morning that I upgraded my RAM not long back (from 2GB to 4GB) so I’m giving Firefox another spin. If it doesn’t work out for me now, who knows where I’ll go from here… the future looks Internet Explorer shaped, and I’m not that insane!
Update 31 Aug: After posting this last night, I discovered the whole Opera key login thing and how it remembers passwords. I’m now back in Opera :D
30 Aug at 4:47 pm
no Safari?
I’m a die-hard Opera user because: It remembers all my logins/ Speed Dial is awesome/ the ‘search within webpage’ function save so much time
I have found the Opera is wholly incompatible with Ebay.co.uk, so whenever I want to list something on ebay I have to use Firefox/Safari
30 Aug at 4:57 pm
At least yours isn’t like mine. I have to base my browsers on the computer I am using. My laptop uses Chrome the fastest where the desktop doesn’t like Chrome (it seems to drag on the desktop, where FF drags on the laptop). On the desktop I use FF & can’t use Chrome. Personally, I wish Chrome had the add ons that FF had. I miss those on my laptop, but I have learned to deal without them. But I feel for you. Just stay away from IE. I am still trying to get my parents away from that trap, but they refuse to budge.
30 Aug at 4:59 pm
I go back and forth between Chrome (my primary choice) and Firefox (if something doesn’t work in Chrome). I find it so effed up that Youtube, which I do believe is owned by Google, creator of Chrome, does not always play at all on Chrome. I managed to find plugins that work about as well as the ones I used a lot with Firefox. Chrome has a ways to go yet, but so far I like it better. It takes Firefox way too long to open up. And Chrome is so shiny and pretty!
30 Aug at 5:06 pm
Yeah, what about Safari? I use Safari, Firefox and Opera, but usually just Safari and Firefox at the same time. They don’t slow down my computer that much.
30 Aug at 5:31 pm
I’m inclined to think that once you ditched Firefox, you began searching for the ideal browser that probably only exists in your imagination.
And if it is only the latest version of Firefox that is problematic, why not go back to an older version?
30 Aug at 6:01 pm
@Matt / @Frisby: wouldn’t use Safari even if you paid me ;)
30 Aug at 6:30 pm
I’m still using Chrome, but still miss a few bits that Firefox had and I can’t seem to find. FF had gotten that slow since it’s update that it simply would not work on my pc.
IE?….well, my Mummy taught me not to swear lol.
30 Aug at 7:00 pm
I am so sorry to hear that you are having trouble with browsers. I have only used IE, with the use of Firefox sporadically. All of the computers that I have ever used use IE. I have to admit that since the new version came out, it’s a lot easier. I am able to keep track of my tabs – I always seem to have like 40 or 50 open at any given time. :P I hope that you are able to find a new browser that you like.
30 Aug at 8:52 pm
So all browsers suck. Cool. :P I just Firefox because it’s tried and true, essentially. Safari always seems slow to me, except with videos where it goes SUPER UBER FAST OMG, so I usually open YouTube or whatever in it. And I don’t even have Chrome on my MBP which is weird. I suppose it’s similar enough to Safari, so it’s never come up! I used to have mobile Opera on my phone, but Safari was better, and that is my entire browser history.
30 Aug at 9:24 pm
I was using Firefox but it’s been giving me trouble lately. As of the past couple of days I’ve been using Opera. I like it as the toolbar doesn’t take up a lot of the window and the fact that it I can get my emails/feeds checked without needing to install an "external" application. However, I do miss the add-ons Firefox had.
Admittedly I did temporarily browser with IE, whilst deciding on which browser to substitute Firefox with.
31 Aug at 12:55 am
I don’t really mind when it comes to browsers (with the exception of IE. I never use it if possible) at home I use FF and at work Chrome. I really like Chrome actually but that might be because I don’t use a lot of add-ons so I don’t notice the lack of them.
31 Aug at 2:48 am
@Ang " I find it so effed up that Youtube, which I do believe is owned by Google, creator of Chrome, does not always play at all on Chrome."
OH MY GOD TOTALLY. This drives me crazy.
Otherwise I love chrome and don’t mind the version of ad block that they have available as an addon. Works ok for me!
31 Aug at 3:58 am
@Matt / @Frisby: wouldn’t use Safari even if you paid me ;)
And yet you did.. Chrome’s engine == safari == WebKit.
I use firefox mostly, Webkit for bleeding edge. Chrome’s UI just doesn’t sit right with me and as much has people say its faster I don’t see it myself.
Also webkit inspector (whatever chrome renamed it) isn’t half as useful as Firebug and i couldn’t go without firebug even if im just browsing there always something i’ll tweak somewhere along the line.
IE9 is in a pretty good position now to rival other browsers which were once deemed ‘web standard’. Should be interesting to see what happens, doubt ill convert though.
As for no-script, Ridiculous! stop blocking the future of the internet.
in HTML5 world Javascript is the new Flash of the internet.. css obviously contributes but JS is the fore-runner at pushing the web bigger and better.. Don’t block innovation.
:)
31 Aug at 7:09 am
@Mat: it’s not the backend I have a problem with, but the front. Using Safari has always been like wading through sick.
I’ll stop blocking JavaScript when tweens stop using it to make stupid effects happen on their site :P
31 Aug at 7:34 am
I’ve been alternating between FF and Chrome. The latter is much faster, but I don’t like its code explorer. It’s just not like Firebug. Oh and the ads… they drive me crazy. I need my AdblockPlus add-on like oxygen!
For work I also have to use Safari too (to test the sites I develop in it), but since I don’t use it for anything other than checking for cross browser compatibility, I don’t really know what it knows. I do know it has some code editor thingy (like Firebug), but… it’s NOT Firebug. :P And I can’t exist without Firebug (not even on non-work related comp).
Another thing I really like about FF, is an extension called Screengrab: it can make a screenshot of a whole website sans the browser being visible (ie scrollbars, status bar, etc etc).
In conclusion: at work I use FF (despite its annoying flickering issue… so random). At home I use Chrome for browsing, cause I have less RAM. :P
31 Aug at 1:05 pm
I’ve been a fan of Firefox until recently when it starts giving me problems. Opera was doing well until the pages started to load up slower than usual. No idea what happened there. So Chrome is the only option left *coughIEcough*. Chrome has been working wonderfully except the occasional shockwave crash and at times the browser would freeze on me. I don’t know what Safari is like since I’ve only started using it a week ago.
31 Aug at 1:21 pm
I am switching between IE and FF depending on what I need done and it frustrates me to no end. I haven’t heard of Opera before, I think I’ll try it.
01 Sep at 10:59 am
I don’t know if it’s just my computer, but since upgrading to version ten Opera seems to have a lot of trouble supporting JavaScript and CSS3. I keep reading articles on CSS3 that supposedly work in Opera only to see nothing. It’s making me consider switching my five year loyalty to FireFox.
01 Sep at 11:02 am
Interesting Lauren, thanks for the heads up. I’ll have to keep my eyes open for that. I always thought Opera was fairly good with its support…
02 Sep at 2:13 am
I’ve been using Opera after ditching Firefox due to the same memory-hog issues myself… I LOVE it. But I had the same problem with it not remembering logins (ESPECIALLY FACEBOOK), so now I must google this "Opera key login thing." I’m intrigued.
02 Sep at 5:07 am
I don’t think Opera fully supports CSS3, for example CSS gradients are not supported. I don’t think it supports rounded borders either. Then again, since my requirements are generally FF, IE, Safari and Chrome, I rarely test things in Opera anymore.
02 Sep at 7:33 am
@Meli: On the toolbar with the back/foward/refresh/home keys and address bar, when you go to a site that has a login form a key button appears. Press it and not only does it fill in your info but it logs you in too :D
02 Sep at 8:50 pm
All of a sudden I’ve become a Safari person (on Windows). I could never really bear it before, but I borrowed someone’s Mac briefly (never used one before) and all of a sudden Windows ClearType text rendering seems ghastly. Safari’s beastly insistence on ignoring Windows UI conventions was always off-putting, but that’s less extreme now, and there are enough extensions for me.
Before that, I used Chrome for a few months. Regarding NoScript, there is a not too rudimentary inbuilt JavaScript blocking thing, but maybe that’s not good enough.
Vera (#comment-37624): there is an AdBlock extension for Chrome.
07 Sep at 12:35 pm
I was an IE nut prior to 2006. :P I started using Firefox after I was finally educated on the existence of different browsers and didn’t look back. Firefox remains my favourite because I like to make my own personas when I’m bored.
I have Opera, Safari, Chrome and IE (only for testing!) on my laptop, though. I have had a few problems with Chrome not loading feeds and such, but other than that it’s alright for me.
Oh, and I think the primary reason I stuck with Firefox is because of the split browser addon. When I’m doing something like playing guitar, I want to see lyrics on one side of the screen and guitar tablature in the other; when I’m returning comments I often want the comment/blog on one side and the box on the other. Saves a lot of scrolling and Ctrl+Tabs. ;D
07 Sep at 12:36 pm
Glad to see you’re still around! I can’t seem to find any of the old heads that used to blog frequently. I need to add your site back into my links.
My twitter is @gurl.
07 Sep at 5:45 pm
Haha, I take it you never use Internet Explorer :P
For me, I only use it in urgent need as its slow with annoys me
I have recently been converted to Google Chrome as my Firefox buggered up because of a Mozilla Crash Reporter which keeps coming up
15 Sep at 11:53 pm
I use Firefox on my Mac because I’ve yet to have any memory issues there. I have a slew of add-ons installed for it, a few of which help me when I’m trying to create a new blog layout. Firefox is kind of necessary for me there because I only develop new layouts on my Mac.
I use Chrome whenever I’m in Windows (thus on my desktop PC and at work) because I had trouble with Firefox using large amounts of memory in Windows. I already grumble about how slow and unresponsive my work laptop seems, tiny thing that it is, so I really appreciate the speed of Chrome on it. I installed AdBlock and FlashBlock along with a few other extensions, but for the most part I haven’t missed my Firefox add-ons while in Chrome.
22 Sep at 2:15 pm
chrome and FF. usually try and stay away from FF unless i wanna check website compatability. i find its a slow browser even on my 4gb imac with 30mb broadband …