Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Browser War

Something interesting happened this week. (Maybe sooner, but I only noticed it last night.) Netflix stopped requiring Internet Explorer to operate it's "Watch Instantly" online service. This is a significant thing for me. It means that I can stop using 2 to 3 different internet browsers. Frankly, it means I'll be finally moving (almost) exclusively to Google Chrome.

Before today, I've been alternating between Chrome & Firefox for my routine browsing then swapping to Internet Explorer for Netflix. I've been a big supporter of Firefox, but Chrome feels so amazingly fast in comparison. My unscientific stop-watch tests support this theory. On average, new browser sessions load twice as fast on Chrome over Firefox. Internet Explorer seems to taken it's place in the middle of the pack. It also feels more stable than either FF or IF. This again, may be subjective.

What about other Browsers like Safari & Opera? Mostly, I don't use them because neither seem to offer any additional benefits for swapping. Safari's bookmark management is really convoluted and when I first tried it there were some security holes. I'm sure they've been plugged, but there's been no reason to go back. My experience with Opera was fine, but there wasn't anything eye-catching enough for me to keep using it over Chrome or Firefox.

I'll keep watching for a reason to return to Firefox. I miss Foxmarks (great multi-computer bookmark sync) and No Scripts (which lets you manage the scripts on pages you visit. Great for visiting new sites.) Sadly, neither of these add-ons are enough for me to stick with Firefox.

The good news, IMHO, is that all browsers seem more secure and reliable than they were a few years ago. I think this is the value of competition. I used to worry about family and friends using Internet Explorer. Microsoft seems to have stepped up their game with IE8. I think this is a direct result of the pressure from Mozilla & Google.

This means, I no longer care which browser people choose. They're all good. Just keep your applications up to date, run a good spyware scanner, & clear your browser cashe on a regular basis.

2 comments:

Andrew said...

AdBlock is the one reason I cannot move to Chrome yet. Until they support robust ad destruction, I cannot handle it.

Nothing Knew said...

I run FF and Chrome in parallel. I use FF as my main browser due to noscript, adblock, and greasemonkey.

I use Chrome in order to maintain my second "real" alias online. The easiest way to have two Google accounts at one time is to use two different browsers.

So, in order to handle all my different Google aliases, I run, at least once a week, seven different browsers; FF, Chrome, IE8, Flock, Safari, Opera, Sea Monkey.

It may be overkill but it works for me.