A browser is a program that allows you to view web pages on the World Wide Web. You are using a browser at the moment to read this article. And if you did not know you’re using a browser, I expect you’re using the Internet Explorer browser! (It’s the little ‘e’ symbol that you click when you need to search for something.)
OK, so why will I want to alter my browser?
Well, all browsers possess one common purpose and that is to enable you to view web pages. However, they all contain pros and cons. The main disadvantage for Internet explorer is quickness. It can take forever to open and a long time to open web sites. If this is causing you frustration – it’s time to look at setting up a new browser.
There are a lot of browsers out there. Underneath I have selected the main (best?) five and reviewed each. This is my personal judgment and you might find that what works for me, doesn’t work for everyone. For myself, I like things to be uncomplicated to use and speedy and not ask me stupid questions constantly or interrupt telling me about processes I have no interest in. I’m a pretty irritable person!
The five I have selected are: Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Safari and Opera.
Internet Explorer – Still the most popular browser on the net but why?
Whilst Internet Explorer 8 is no doubt a far superior browser to it’s predecessors, it’s still a very ordinary browser, IMHO. Yes, it has a new navigation bar. Yes, it’s better designed. Yes, it has tabbed browsing and so I am informed, it’s much improved with plug-ins and security. But, I don’t care. It’s so sluggish, I’ve had time for a wash and changed my clothes by the time it has booted up. For this reason alone I merely use it when I absolutely have to, e.g to check what a site I have developed looks like for most of the web population.
Firefox – Don’t believe the propaganda
Firefox has been growing in reputation for some time. I have been using it for several years. And I can inform you that it is definitely the best browser for customising your web experience. There are thousands of plug-ins and add-ons enabling you to run split screen browsing, dedicated functions for social networking, language translation and to change the background colours of the browser. And do you know what? I don’t care about that either.
Personally, I want to get onto the internet as soon as possible. If I want to check my facebook page I’ll log on. Ditto Twitter. In fact, I have those applications on my iphone. So, I let those inform me on that. My computer – I just want to get on and do some work as quickly as possible.
And here is the main problem with Firefox. While it used to be a pretty cool, fast browser, it’s now bloated and slow. From my experience it’s no quicker than Internet Explorer. And that’s a cardinal sin for a browser.
Chrome – all that and a bag of chips
The third most popular browser for me is Google, they have been pushing this computer software pretty hard, advertising it the world over. It has primarily been designed for speed. I rate it highly. I enjoy the fact that it is basic and uncluttered. I love typing searches directly into the address bar – very ingeniously thought out and a big space saver. But most of all, I love its speed. Boots up rapidly and finds pages fast. What more do you require from a browser? Nothing, as far as I’m concerned. My number one choice. The Prada of browsers.
Safari – Not bad, but does anyone really care
I always found it difficult to get excited about the Safari browser. Although I have it installed on my computer, I can rarely think of a reason to open it other than for work. (I design a lot of websites). I never use it for surfing. And I’m trying to think why this is.
The speed is average, it’s relatively stable, the bookmarking is very good, it renders very well (web pages look nice in it), but the browser itself is pretty unattractive.
And that’s what I think it is. It does everything OK. But it isn’t outstanding in any area as far as I am concerned. Better than IE, but that’s about all I can say about it.
Opera – Very good and not just for bearded weirdos
I’ve had opera running on my computer since God was a lad. And much like Safari I in no way had much cause to play about with it other than work. But just recently, and probably because it’s been in the press a lot, I’m beginning to like it more and more. I like the functionality and it feels good to use. I really like the preview screen when you hover on top of a tab.
But mostly I like it because it’s fast. Maybe as fast as Chrome – maybe faster. But this comes with a trade off on quality, because it does not render the web pages as neatly as other browsers. I suspect that is why it’s a notable application for the iphone. The screen is smaller and a mobile device has less power and often connects in the 3G network – which is still rubbish for surfing the net. So, a small, fast browser is key. I’d put Opera as my 2nd choice.
That’s my review of the top 5 most common browsers. If you have not tried Google Chrome, you should. But why not give them all a go and find out for yourself? You will be surprised how much variation it makes to your surfing experience. They all install quickly and they all uninstall even quicker, so it won’t take up too much of your time to try out….
A browser is a program that allows you to view web pages on the World Wide Web. You are using a browser at the moment to read this article. And if you did not know you’re using a browser, I expect you’re using the Internet Explorer browser!
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