Best internet browser?

[Rhezuss]

Yo all, i've been using IE since my first comp. Heard about other browsers but I don't know them at all except for their names. I know they all have strenghs and weaknesses but I don't know which one to use.

Mostly I'm on the webs to read stuff like on sites like anandtech and mostly for forums and shopping (newegg, ncix, etc) and listen/watch things on youtube and stream shows. Extremely rarely do I play flash games and other things like that.

Is there a browser better than the other for that kind of use?

Thanks a bunch!

 

[Chiefcrowe]

Well this is very subjective but I personally prefer Firefox since it has all my favorite addons.

 

[gsaldivar]

Can't beat Firefox's addons.

 

[zCypher]

Firefox is certainly the most feature rich. Chrome will give you faster initial loading times and an overall snappier browsing experience. Internet Explorer may display some pages correctly that Firefox will not, but I find this is becoming less and less true with time.

Opera is one of the best alternatives to the major browsers. I was never a fan, but the latest release I must admit is really fast and works really well. Still, none of the browsers hold a candle to Firefox as a whole browser experience.

If you want something really basic, really light weight and really fast try out Kameleon. Don't expect the functionality of the major ones though.

 

[AFurryReptile]

I love Chrome. You can't beat the 6-week update cycle and incredible speed in comparison to some browsers (*Cough* Firefox with addons *cough*)

The syncing of passwords, addons, settings between browsers on multiple PC's is really nice too.

 

[lxskllr]

My order of preference...

Firefox - Open source, best addon system in the biz. Second place doesn't even come close. Faster than IE8, but slower than the other popular 3rd party choices. Don't forget to try the Firefox 4 beta.

Opera - Closed source, some addons, but has a ton of functionality built in. Speedy, but a touch slower than Chrome.

Chrome - Open source, and as close to nothing as you can get out of the box. Generally lame addons, but very fast. Good if you just want a stripped down speeder.

Safari - I don't do Apple anything, so I have no idea.

 

[stargazr]

Firefox, been using it for over two years.

 

[Chiefcrowe]

I think opera is quite good but it isn't fully compatible with yahoo mail, even the classic version!

 

[KeypoX]

Ive been going back and forth between FF and chrome.

Chrome sounds like the best choice for the op. Opera is good too try them all.

 

[bruceb]

Firefox is my first choice as it is very versatile. Opera is my second choice, as it opens and works very fast, but for me it is not easily customizable and it has some sites that don't quite work right. IE8 is third choice and only when I absolutely must. Some sites only render properly in IE or in Firefox with IE Tab Plus installed. Haven't really give Chrome much of a try just yet.

 

[jjmIII]

Lovin IE8, and can't wait for IE9 to get outta beta...

 

[VinylxScratches]

chromium

 

[shortylickens]

Well, you would find it difficult to browse the whole internet with just one piece of software, but for browsing the web and FTP I like Chrome, based on the Chromium project. Does everything I need except for those handful of sites that flat out refuse to run on Chrome. And truth be told, if you can find some way to spoof them, they still work under Chrome.

 

[cressida]

Both are free, try each one and see which suits you I tend to switch between Chrome and Firefox

 

[Raghu]

Firefox is slow compared to Opera. Chrome UI is broken and uncustomisable. Opera built-in functionality is way better than the other browsers and addons are catching up to Firefox/Chrome quite quickly.

I use Opera and IE (for sites that dont work with Opera, rare but happens).

@Chiefcrowe. Opera does work with Yahoo Mail and classic.

 

[pcslookout]

Firefox is my first choice as it is very versatile. Opera is my second choice, as it opens and works very fast, but for me it is not easily customizable and it has some sites that don't quite work right. IE8 is third choice and only when I absolutely must. Some sites only render properly in IE or in Firefox with IE Tab Plus installed. Haven't really give Chrome much of a try just yet.

My order of preference...

Firefox - Open source, best addon system in the biz. Second place doesn't even come close. Faster than IE8, but slower than the other popular 3rd party choices. Don't forget to try the Firefox 4 beta.

Opera - Closed source, some addons, but has a ton of functionality built in. Speedy, but a touch slower than Chrome.

Chrome - Open source, and as close to nothing as you can get out of the box. Generally lame addons, but very fast. Good if you just want a stripped down speeder.

Safari - I don't do Apple anything, so I have no idea.

This is the truth of the matter! Can't wait to see how Opera does in a year to see where addons have gone. The question will people embrace it or actually create addons once again for a new browser. The one thing that will always be the case though no browser can ever compete with the customization of Firefox. None of them are open enough to. Now of course that is a double edged sword but being able to make your browser work and look the way you want it is hard to beat. No matter how much faster or better it may be.

 

[biostud]

FireFox for the addons

Chrome doesn't have a left pane bookmark list which I use a lot so that's a game stopper for me.

IE just annoys me for the lack of customization.

 

[oslama]

Firefox for addons
Maxthon for downloading

Havent used Chrome, but previous versions were awful.
opera is too cluttered with menus, toolbars and panes.

 

[Rhezuss]

So theres Firefox, Opera and Chrome which look like to be the most appreciated...

I know some of you will recommend using more than 1 browser...but i'm so not a fan of this. I just want to click on the icon and go read ATOT without having to decide which browser would be the best for this or that.

I dunno, maybe i'll try Chrome and Firefox and keep only one...

 

[Gooberlx2]

Chrome for me. I'd been using it part-time since it came out, and full time since extensions were introduced in the dev builds. Between the simple UI, speed, extensions, auto bookmark/settings syncing, security and cross-platform compatibility (linux specifically), it's been the best solution for me.

One weird quirk is that the java plugin stopped being recognized on my iSCSI equallogic array that I manage....though that may have more to do with a firmware update on the array that could have browser specific coding for the web-management control panel. I'm not sure. Works fine in the other browsers. :\

edit: Duh, a little google-fu found an explanation and workaround.

 

[zokudu]

Opera. Its trades blows with Chrome in rendering speed and has infinitely more built in functionality. Also its extension support is more advanced than that of Chrome. I don't need 90% of the addons in Firefox and everything I would want or need is either built into or available for Opera.

 

[lxskllr]

So theres Firefox, Opera and Chrome which look like to be the most appreciated...

I know some of you will recommend using more than 1 browser...but i'm so not a fan of this. I just want to click on the icon and go read ATOT without having to decide which browser would be the best for this or that.

I dunno, maybe i'll try Chrome and Firefox and keep only one...

I have them all installed, and they all get some use. Firfox is my default browser, and I use that for almost everything. Chrome I use exclusively in incognito mode, and it starts that way via switch. I use that when I don't want to leave tracks, or accept cookies of any kind from a site. Opera is my least used, but I like keeping an eye on what they're doing, and I'll sometimes use it for specialized research, when I have a browser load of tabs dedicated to 1 subject. I could do that with the other browsers, but I like using Opera, and that gives me a chance to.

For the complaint above regarding Opera's cluttered interface... It's HIGHLY configurable, and you can make it as spartan as Chrome if you desire. It isn't as mindless a task as it is on Firefox, but it should be easy for anyone who's into computers.

 

[zokudu]

For the complaint above regarding Opera's cluttered interface... It's HIGHLY configurable, and you can make it as spartan as Chrome if you desire. It isn't as mindless a task as it is on Firefox, but it should be easy for anyone who's into computers.

Almost all of Opera is like this. If you take the time to learn though you will be able to set it up in any way you'd like. For instance Opera has had a quality built in adblocker for years but because its not as easy to get setup as ABP in Firefox most people don't know about it.

 

[pcslookout]

Almost all of Opera is like this. If you take the time to learn though you will be able to set it up in any way you'd like. For instance Opera has had a quality built in adblocker for years but because its not as easy to get setup as ABP in Firefox most people don't know about it.

Can you edit the tab and right click context menus in Opera yet or will you ever be able to?

 

[zokudu]

Can you edit the tab and right click context menus in Opera yet or will you ever be able to?

http://my.opera.com/Tamil/blog/edit-menu-setup