What is your favourite NEW web browser? (read post #1 before responding) - Canadian TV, Computing and Home Theatre Forums

hugh · 2011-03-22, 03:20 PM

All the majors have released new browsers recently so which of these have you tried and which one is your favourite and why?

Firefox 4
Google Chrome 10
IE 9
Opera 11
Safari 5

Please Read before posting

If you have not tried at least three of these NEW browsers, then please don't comment this thread.

The purpose of the thread is to compare features of the most recent versions of the browsers. Don't compare the latest IE with an old firefox or vice versa.

We don't care what you think of Firefox 1-3, IE 1-8, Chrome 1-9, Opera 1 to 10 or Safari 1-4, just the latest versions.

Restrict your discussion only to the new browsers.

hugh · 2011-03-22, 03:31 PM

I have experience with latest versions of Google, Opera and Firefox.

I use two browsers Google and Opera.

Today I downloaded Firefox 4 to see if anything would make me consider switching one of them. I was surprised at how Firefox now looks almost identical to Chrome. I had to look twice (to see the Firefox dropdown) to realize it wasn't Chrome.

After an hour of use, I found Firefox to be a very good browser but could not find anything that would compel me to move away from Chrome or Opera.

I checked out Safari 5 recently but did not think it performed anywhere near as well as Chrome or Opera. I am set up for Chrome now with my Google sign on so all my bookmarks follow me so I can't see changing for that reason alone.

Still can't comment on IE.

audacity · 2011-03-22, 03:48 PM

Looking at the recent browser releases I think the other browser vendors generally agree that Chrome 1.0 got their browser user interface right, since imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

I think I'm going to to continue to stick with Chrome for browsing the web, and Firefox whenever I need to use Firebug.

IE9 has a few nice features that I'd like to comment on though:

- For a lot of web pages it feels at least as fast as Chrome if not faster
- The scrolling is much smoother than Chrome
- The default UI choice of having the tabs and address bar on the same line is a mistake, especially if you keep as many tabs open as I do. That said, I'm apparently unusual in my use of multiple tabs since on average people only keep one or two tabs open.

IE9's "ripping" a tab from one window and attaching it to another is much nicer than FF4's, and almost as nice as Chrome's tab handling.

When IE9 is set to "Show tabs on a different row" the address bar is above the tab. This doesn't fit my mental model of the address bar being "part" of the tab so I prefer Chrome's layout choice. I suppose IE9's layout would be better if you click on tabs more often than if you click on the address bar, but I use Ctrl-T, Ctrl-W, and Ctrl-Tab, Ctrl-Shift-Tab to manage my tabs.

IE9 doesn't have the "pinned tab" concept, but it does have the "pin site to the task bar" concept which is arguably more useful.

I think the best news is that if I worked at a company and was compelled to use FF4 or IE9, I wouldn't have a problem with it, even though I still prefer Chrome. They are all very good. Except for Safari. They're a bit behind the curve.

Oh, and the reason why I'm a little more "locked in" to Chrome is because I absolutely love the Chrome sync feature between my different computers that keeps the Chrome instances all configured the same way.

blueroomelectro · 2011-03-25, 09:43 AM

As a regular user of Chrome I recently installed Firefox 4 and love the syncing feature as it keeps EVERYTHING in sync (unlike Chrome) between multiple computers, it even has a little app for iOS for the bookmarks. All I miss about Chrome is I prefer its efficient screen layout (everything on the tab line) and merged search / url system.

Oh yes Firefox 4 is very fast.

billpaidJr · 2011-03-25, 10:06 AM

I actually use both...they actually run good along side each other. Certain sites perform better with chrome and vice versa. Leaving IE in the dust

blueroomelectro · 2011-03-25, 10:13 AM

I'm in the slow process of migrating from Chrome to Firefox 4. Chrome does not make moving bookmarks or passwords easy.

Nanuuk · 2011-04-09, 11:11 AM

I'ved used Safari as my primary browser for about 4 years now. I've run Firefox as well over that time and usually reverted back to the habit of Safari as they were very close in terms of speed. Since Hugh started this thread I downloaded Chrome and having been testing it along with the new versions of Safari and Firefox.

At this point Safari is getting left behind in terms of speed. Firefox is the next fastest and Chrome is faster yet.

I'm not one for a lot of functionality other than security and the look and feel of the browser. I have to say Chrome has won me over.

jsebean · 2011-05-03, 08:36 AM

I use Ubuntu and for a browser I use Chrome, FF4 is also on but i seldomly use it unless i want to see XML files (Chrome neglects to parse them still). IE9 on Windows is impressive but i still wont use it, Chrome and Firefox for me

Opera is also very nice, if I didn't use chrome i'd probably use it.

2011-03-22, 03:31 PM	#2
hugh Member #1 Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Toronto Posts: 47,492	I have experience with latest versions of Google, Opera and Firefox. I use two browsers Google and Opera. Today I downloaded Firefox 4 to see if anything would make me consider switching one of them. I was surprised at how Firefox now looks almost identical to Chrome. I had to look twice (to see the Firefox dropdown) to realize it wasn't Chrome. After an hour of use, I found Firefox to be a very good browser but could not find anything that would compel me to move away from Chrome or Opera. I checked out Safari 5 recently but did not think it performed anywhere near as well as Chrome or Opera. I am set up for Chrome now with my Google sign on so all my bookmarks follow me so I can't see changing for that reason alone. Still can't comment on IE. __________________ As of January 2012, I am no longer the owner of the Digital Home website. If you have questions about the operation of the site, please contact VSAdmin. For personal inquiries contact me at the Hugh Thompson website.

2011-03-25, 09:43 AM	#4
blueroomelectro Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 671	Goodbye Chrome, hello Firefox 4 (and sync) As a regular user of Chrome I recently installed Firefox 4 and love the syncing feature as it keeps EVERYTHING in sync (unlike Chrome) between multiple computers, it even has a little app for iOS for the bookmarks. All I miss about Chrome is I prefer its efficient screen layout (everything on the tab line) and merged search / url system. Oh yes Firefox 4 is very fast. __________________ Bill My blog

2011-03-25, 10:13 AM	#6
blueroomelectro Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 671	I'm in the slow process of migrating from Chrome to Firefox 4. Chrome does not make moving bookmarks or passwords easy. __________________ Bill My blog

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2011-03-22, 03:20 PM	#1
hugh Member #1 Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Toronto Posts: 47,492	What is your favourite NEW web browser? (read post #1 before responding) All the majors have released new browsers recently so which of these have you tried and which one is your favourite and why? Firefox 4 Google Chrome 10 IE 9 Opera 11 Safari 5 Please Read before posting If you have not tried at least three of these NEW browsers, then please don't comment this thread. The purpose of the thread is to compare features of the most recent versions of the browsers. Don't compare the latest IE with an old firefox or vice versa. We don't care what you think of Firefox 1-3, IE 1-8, Chrome 1-9, Opera 1 to 10 or Safari 1-4, just the latest versions. Restrict your discussion only to the new browsers. __________________ As of January 2012, I am no longer the owner of the Digital Home website. If you have questions about the operation of the site, please contact VSAdmin. For personal inquiries contact me at the Hugh Thompson website.

2011-03-22, 03:48 PM	#3
audacity Veteran Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: 127.0.0.1 Posts: 1,799	Looking at the recent browser releases I think the other browser vendors generally agree that Chrome 1.0 got their browser user interface right, since imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I think I'm going to to continue to stick with Chrome for browsing the web, and Firefox whenever I need to use Firebug. IE9 has a few nice features that I'd like to comment on though: - For a lot of web pages it feels at least as fast as Chrome if not faster - The scrolling is much smoother than Chrome - The default UI choice of having the tabs and address bar on the same line is a mistake, especially if you keep as many tabs open as I do. That said, I'm apparently unusual in my use of multiple tabs since on average people only keep one or two tabs open. IE9's "ripping" a tab from one window and attaching it to another is much nicer than FF4's, and almost as nice as Chrome's tab handling. When IE9 is set to "Show tabs on a different row" the address bar is above the tab. This doesn't fit my mental model of the address bar being "part" of the tab so I prefer Chrome's layout choice. I suppose IE9's layout would be better if you click on tabs more often than if you click on the address bar, but I use Ctrl-T, Ctrl-W, and Ctrl-Tab, Ctrl-Shift-Tab to manage my tabs. IE9 doesn't have the "pinned tab" concept, but it does have the "pin site to the task bar" concept which is arguably more useful. I think the best news is that if I worked at a company and was compelled to use FF4 or IE9, I wouldn't have a problem with it, even though I still prefer Chrome. They are all very good. Except for Safari. They're a bit behind the curve. Oh, and the reason why I'm a little more "locked in" to Chrome is because I absolutely love the Chrome sync feature between my different computers that keeps the Chrome instances all configured the same way.

2011-03-25, 10:06 AM	#5
billpaidJr Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 299	I actually use both...they actually run good along side each other. Certain sites perform better with chrome and vice versa. Leaving IE in the dust

2011-04-09, 11:11 AM	#7
Nanuuk Veteran Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Calgary, AB Shaw Exo Posts: 4,811	I'ved used Safari as my primary browser for about 4 years now. I've run Firefox as well over that time and usually reverted back to the habit of Safari as they were very close in terms of speed. Since Hugh started this thread I downloaded Chrome and having been testing it along with the new versions of Safari and Firefox. At this point Safari is getting left behind in terms of speed. Firefox is the next fastest and Chrome is faster yet. I'm not one for a lot of functionality other than security and the look and feel of the browser. I have to say Chrome has won me over.

2011-05-03, 08:36 AM	#8
jsebean Join Date: May 2010 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 46	I use Ubuntu and for a browser I use Chrome, FF4 is also on but i seldomly use it unless i want to see XML files (Chrome neglects to parse them still). IE9 on Windows is impressive but i still wont use it, Chrome and Firefox for me Opera is also very nice, if I didn't use chrome i'd probably use it.