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What Browser Do You Use?

Jake, Colossus of Clout

20:31 / 26.05.06

I just upgraded my PC to Windows XP Service Pack 2 yesterday, which means I can go download the shiny new IE 7 beta. Should I? Is there something newer, cooler, shinier and more functional? What do you use? And why? Try to sell me (and others) on your cool browser.

20:41 / 26.05.06

I use Firefox on my XP box. I loathe IE. It's a security risk, it breaks CSS, it doesn't function especially well, no tabbed browsing, no plug-ins...

I know that IE 7 beta claims to fix the tabbed-browsing, security and CSS issues, but I don't believe it for a second. I'll be waiting for IE 7 to go Gold before I download it, and even then I'll only use it to test websites.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

20:44 / 26.05.06

Firefox. I'm assured it's more secure, though knowing nothing about computers all I can say about that is that I haven't had any security problems since using it. Tabbed browsing rules, and my first browser was Netscape so the interface seems more intuitive, probably because it's familiar.

20:47 / 26.05.06

It helps that Firefox isn't a virus-laden piece of shit like IE was.

Also, Firefox has plenty of neat downloadable extensions. I'm sure it's the only browser that lets me know if Abe Vigoda is still alive at all times.

And tabbed browsing is pretty much the most useful thing ever, though it's killed my attention sp

20:53 / 26.05.06

Firefox all the way. I utterly despise IE, and from what I've heard IE7 is still rubbish. Everything which everyone else has mentioned plus the fact that Firefox is so skull bendingly fast. I don't like sitting there and finishing my breakfast before IE has even loaded up; I much prefer sitting there and munching away at hot toast whilst reading Boingboing and Barbelith.

Jake, Colossus of Clout

21:05 / 26.05.06

Okay. I'm sold. I'm typing this in Firefox right now.

So! What cool add-ons do I need?

Kiltartan Cross

21:13 / 26.05.06

Firefox. I don't use any add-ons, or owt, really. Although if you're busy going for open-source software, Open Office would be the second thing I'd recommend you install after Firefox.

The only caveat with Firefox is that Macrosfot don't like it, and so Windows update doesn't work from within Firefox, or at least, it didn't the last few times I tried. Not really a major problem, more of a nagging irritation.

From my brief looks at the IE7 beta, it's much the same as Firefox, only with a nastier front-end. I wouldn't bother with it.

21:23 / 26.05.06

Firefox...

I like the IP checker it just shows the IP right at the bottom og the status bar.

There's also the color checker and size checker that allows me to spot check any color (like the R188, G196, B207) of the grey used in the reply box. The size check lets me measure the pixil size of any portion of a web site.

Fasterfox is cool if you're on a network. Blue frog is neat for spam reproting... not that I'm sure it helps any. and There's a bunch of script protectors you can inclue to prevent pop-ups or limit tracking by unknown site etc...

Firefox rocks.

21:27 / 26.05.06

So! What cool add-ons do I need?

You need, need Adblock. Seriously, that extension has saved my eyeballs from certain death at the hands of hit-the-monkey banners. Flashblock is also nice.

If you are a nerd, and you want to customize your maximally X-treem browsing experience, check out Greasemonkey and the various tab manager extensions - I like Tab Mix Plus but there are several viable competitors.

Tryphena Absent

22:06 / 26.05.06

I'm using Netscape. My only excuse for this is that I don't like the font on Firefox.

22:09 / 26.05.06

I'm going to be the big misfit here and admit that I use IE. (And I'm still on v6! I'm so uncool.) I used Firefox for months and then it fucked up my computer to the point that I could literally do nothing online. I reinstalled IE, got rid of Firefox, and haven't had a problem since. I miss tabbed browsing but, honestly, other than that there is no notable difference to me other than that my browser actually WORKS now.

22:36 / 26.05.06

I use Firefox on Windows and on Linux for pretty much all of the points above. Browsing without tabs is like running without feet, and the general buggyness and vulnerability of IE make it a non-option in my mind. The fact that it's Microsoft doesn't help either, but that's more just your general predjudice. I've seen people who use generally use Firefox have their computer borrowed by someone using IE, only to virus check and be swarmed with nasties.

On OSX I tend to use Safari as it offers a pretty similar experience to Firefox. Firefox offers better functionality, but it doesn't match OSX anywhere near as well as Safari in terms of looks and integration.

22:51 / 26.05.06

I'm on a Mac and I like Safari better than FireFox. Safari handles RSS very nicely.

Here's a screen shot of Barbelith (linked because it's kind of big).

Jake, Colossus of Clout

22:51 / 26.05.06

I used Firefox for months and then it fucked up my computer to the point that I could literally do nothing online

How so?

Also, is there any way to change the font on Firefox? I don't like it either.

23:23 / 26.05.06

Yeah, I use Safari rather than Firefox on my powerbook too. It's even faster.

00:35 / 27.05.06

How so?

I had a wee thread about it last year. My problems started in January 05 but it was in November that things collapsed -

"My computer is fucked. Freezing up on me, power button doesn't even work when it freezes (have to unplug). Browser keeps crashing. Periodically all my bookmarks and other personal settings just disappear. It's getting to the point where I can barely use my computer. I'm only using Firefox for the Internet, and I've run Spybot and AdAware numerous times, rebooted, stood on my head, tapdanced while juggling fire..."

People here tried to help me - I posted a scan log at Hijack This as recommended but no one there got back to me - in the end I said fuck it and went back to IE.

00:51 / 27.05.06

I remember that, ibis. You had to go back to IE to fix it? Have you tried Opera? It's free now and gets great reviews.

I use Safari on my Macs, but not by preference. For some reason I can only get about two month's worth of Firefox usage on a Mac before Firefox simply won't load. To make matters weirder, reinstalling Firefox never seems to help, and the glitch seems to take Camino and Netscape with it. It's really a bummer because Safari doesn't like javascript-based wikis like Tidlywiki.

00:54 / 27.05.06

I did try Opera and it didn't work at all even the first time I tried it. I can't remember exactly what was going on but I think it was just freezing up.

09:15 / 27.05.06

I use Camino on my mac. Firefox, shiny as it is, just snarls up my machine in a big frustrating memory leak. I used to use Slimbrowser on the PC, which was a very nice, slim, er, browser, with tabs and groups and all the basics.

I've gone through so many browsers in my quest. Opera is reliable and has a lovely restore function but it does this completely mindbogglingly annoying thing where it automatically jumps to the next page when you get to the bottom. You can't turn it off and it makes reading LiveJournal impossible. OmniWeb is really fun and great to navigate through, with its drawers of thumbnail pages, but I have a 12" screen and its fun drawers take up half of it. Shiira, I just found impossibly slow; I am very impatient. I've tried others, but they weren't memorable, I'm afraid.

So I use Camino. It's out of beta now, I think. It doesn't crash, it has tabs (although nowhere near the tab functionality of Firefox), it renders CSS in a sensible way, it's clean and simple and undemanding. That's all I want really. I use Safari every now and again too, for my secondary accounts on LJ and stuff, so I can stay logged in.

09:18 / 27.05.06

PS. Jake, go to [Firefox]>[Preferences]>[Content]>[Font and Colours] and you shold be able to change your default font to something you prefer.

13:27 / 28.05.06

Dody -
I've just started using camino on your recommendation above. It seems pretty damn nice. Like you said; clean fast and simple. Just wondering though - does it not support RSS or am i just being a bit stupid?

semioticrobotic

14:45 / 28.05.06

I've just started using camino on your recommendation above. It seems pretty damn nice. Like you said; clean fast and simple. Just wondering though - does it not support RSS or am i just being a bit stupid?

I'm very glad to hear this. Camino uses the same rendering engine Firefox uses, but is programmed in Cocoa and designed specifically for use in the OSX environment. As already noted above, Firefox on the Mac is bulky, leaky and cumbersome. Camino, on the other hand, does not support RSS and is not yet extensible with the same plugins and extensions available for Firefox. However, you'll find it nevertheless reigns supreme.

semioticrobotic

14:50 / 28.05.06

Oh yea-

Also, Jake, to add to the Adblock recommendation above: if you plan on using it (and by all means, you should), you might consider Filterset.G, an automatically updating set of ad filters that really does the trick.

17:26 / 28.05.06

.trampetunia

No, it doesn't seem to have a handy-dandy reader. You can always access the unstyled document tree by typing in the address ( http://www.barbelith.com/underground/rss.php?forum=4,5,6,7&create=1 , frex).

I syndicate my favourite feeds (like this) to my LJ friendslist and use that instead. Then I can finely customise my information intake by including different feeds in different reading groups.