Battle of the Browsers

The battle of the browsers

My History with web browsers

I was into web browsing since the original Netscape Navigator. I then got Windows 98 which I found myself using Internet Explorer more often. Fast Forward a few years when the original Mozilla browser came out, I was sick of IE it ran terribly on my computer, so I was an early adopter of Mozilla and Gecko technology. I remember the day when someone was using my computer and asked where the Firefox button was, I was clueless no one had informed me of Mozilla's new browser. I downloaded it and haven't looked back, I've used Firefox on Windows on my Mac and on my Linux box. I guess it was about a month after Firefox II was released that I began to wonder what else was out there. Thats where this saga begins....

A new Internet Explorer!?

I wasn't much into researching new browsers I was always content with my Firefox so Internet Explorer flew under my radar I merely scuffed at it then moved on.

I've downloaded Internet Explorer 7 and have been using it for a little over a week, I really admire how nice and clean it looks (even if it's a pain to find anything). One gripe is they didn't get rid of that stupid clicking noise every time I connect to a website! I was starting to miss my Delicious bookmarks and the web pages I made looked very odd in Internet Explorer 7, they where enlarged and the quality of things where compressed (this being compared to Firefox II). I do like the some what added security. It feels a little faster. Plus they are catching up with tabbed browsing, RSS feeds, and security. Also the layout view of all the tabs is really cool.

So in conclusion while Microsoft stepped up there game big time with IE 7, just not enough. I don't feel its superior to Firefox II but man is it close!

Opera 9 is here, where'd it ever go?

Okay I'm sure that title just flew over just about everyone's head, except maybe some of my friends. But when Opera came out someone sent me a link, and me not caring about browsers I sent a reply (just to be a smart a**) where'd it ever go. Okay sorry for the lengthy intro. I've tried Opera for a little while now. I do like the new browser. I like how fast it is, I like how I have my headline articles and news all on sidebars. I also like the layout and the thumbnail previews on the tabs. I do feel that they hid some of the really cool features of Opera though, like the built in support for making presentations, the mouse gestures, the trash can feature, and the built in email client.

Opera 9 is a good browser, it is fast and does a few things really well, like widget integration. Browsers, when I say widgets get it through your head. Its a small independent app not a tool bar! Plus I dont have to restart Opera to start the widgets.

In conclusion Opera 9 is a decent browser with some neat capabilities but it feels rather cluttered. Plus it behaves very differently than other browsers (whats the need for two back buttons?).

MaxThon if only IE was smarter.

Maxthon is a browser that is based on the Internet Explorer 6 engine. Therefore it shares a few annoying qualities of Internet Explorer 6, like the interface and the bloat. I don't like being bothered to donate money to Maxthon every time I start the browser!

Apparently Maxthon is a very popular browser in China, I can see why, it is a very good solid browser. It feels like it was built for productivity. I have a utilities button that drops a list down of a few programs like paint and notepad. Whats neat about this utility manager is, I can add whatever program I want to the menu. The gestures are the best I've seen yet, it's so simple. Plus I like the way it deals with multiple windows. I can turn tabs into windows that I can minimize and have multiple windows running at the bottom of Maxthon (think AOL style). I can then cascade those windows or lay them out vertically and so on...

I love the side bar it includes links to digg and log into Delicious, look at ebay items ect...

All in all even though Maxthon is based on somewhat legacy technology it is a very solid browser. I have to say I will keep this browser even if I don't pick it as my favorite. It just offers so many slick features. Be warned though I find it a tad bland and ugly.

N
etscape 8, Netscape is back..from the dead

Netscape takes on a whole new look, it is based off of Firefox, but it has a completely new theme. I sort of like it, I'm not in love with it though. I do appreciate how secure it is, for instance it does a scan on every page I open and has a quick security panel at the bottom that will check each and every website I visit based on my specified criteria. Once again it's a decent browser but it just doesn't bring anything new to the table.

FLOCK FLOCK!!

I saved this browser for last because I have had the most fun with this browser. It comes with tools built in to link up to my Delicious account, it links to my Flickr account, and it links to my Blogger account. Not only am I keeping tabs on my latest content, I can integrate it. I can say go on my Blogger account, click a button on the tool bar to bring up my Flickr photo stream and I can drag and drop my desired picture into a box. Also works if I want to send a picture to a friend in a Myspace photo comment. It also comes with a multiple picture uploader. Flock feels a little faster than Firefox II. The interface is clean and not cluttered.

This browser is very revolutionary. I think it brings a few new features that really revolutionize web browsing. It isn't the browser for you if all you want is just a web browser though.

Elimination

Internet Explorer 7 is out, it is still somewhat slow and doesn't bring much new to the table, although Microsoft is heading in the right direction.

Netscape 8 is out, it is a nice try to revive the aged browser and was smart to base it on the Gecko engine but it once again is somewhat bland. I do recommend it for the computer-illiterate though. It is very secure, and very easy to use.

Elimination 2

Opera 9 is out, It is a nice browser but the really cool features are hard to find and it's interface feels cluttered. A solid browser though, just not the browser for me.

Maxthon is out, I love this browser it was only eliminated because I needed to eliminate down to one browser and it's based on Internet Explorer 6. I'm still keeping it on my computer Shhh.. don't tell.

Flock Wins

It is truly a revolutionary browser, its fast, it's clean and it incorporates cool new features that no other browser offers. I am giving up Firefox for now and am using Flock.