Poll: Which browser should I use?

[VladG]

Chrome is my choice. Much lighter than IE, handles the interface much better (for one tabs actually use the same space as the close and minimize buttons so as not to occupy another layer) the search function is very well implemented, I have a series of extensions that make getting some information MUCH faster, bookmarks and history are better managed (and can become better still with extensions) and it's just MUCH faster at loading pages.

I used IE for a long time too, considered there was really no point to upgrade. Then at about the same time as I switched my ISP I switched to Chrome. I chalked the pages loading 2-3 times faster to the better ISP. Nope. It was all Chrome.

Now I find IE is my favourite browser to download Chrome.

 

[frizzlebyte]

I've used all the major browsers, including IE (which is nicer than it used to be, and the Windows Taskbar integration in IE 9 is awesome), and for my needs, Chrome fits the bill nicely. It is really stable (which IE is not at times), very minimalist (I don't need a ton of extensions), and is updated often.

Firefox is nice, but can be a bit hoggy with system resources.

Opera has some issues with site support.

Safari is just weird on Windows. Some nice features, but the weirdness outweighs the niceness for the most part.

So, I guess Chrome, but it depends on what you are going for. If you have the time, I suggest trying them all. It can't hurt, and you will be able to tell what you like that way.

 

[Empireth]

Okay, you're looking at browsers. Let me add in my two cents:

IE [http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/internet-explorer/products/ie/home] - Sucks, if you're using IE5, IE6, IE7. It got a bit better in IE8, but was still questionable. With IE9 things are looking pretty decent, though, personally, I just don't like the look of it. I keep it around, mind, because IE has a different standard for webpages, and some are still stuck in the past and won't load on any browser but IE.

Firefox [http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/] - It's not bad, if you're using something like 2.0. It's been getting more and more bloated, though. I quite like it because it is open source, and there are some great extensions for it. I used it for, oh, probably ~8 years or so. On the other hand, I've noticed over the past year it just kept having increasingly higher load times, would crash more, and would often have memory leaks. So, I decided to switch.

Google Chrome [https://www.google.com/chrome] - I don't like the idea of letting Google onto your computer. That's just a personal thing. I also don't like the Google Toolbar that IE would automatically install. But, for the idea of Chrome itself, I like. Which brings me to...

Chromium [http://www.chromium.org/Home] - It's basically Google Chrome, but without the Google. It's open source, too, so it's open to the community. Also, if you're a big enough geek, you do have the source code, so you can compile it, if you wish.

Iron [http://www.srware.net/en/software_srware_iron.php] - It's based on Chromium, but has better privacy settings. A much better alternative to having Google on your computer; it is what I'm currently using [well, that and Firefox still... Firefox is still my default browser, but I prefer Fe]. However, some people tell me that it's impossible to compile it without errors, so for some, it's iffy.

RockMelt [http://www.rockmelt.com/] - Which you may see referenced, it is yet another Chromium-based browser, but this time it is more social-media oriented. For example, Facebook is integrated into the browser in notifications/chat, etc. You can also integrate Twitter feeds, RSS feeds into tabs in the browser. It is, however, still in beta, and I believe you may need an invite to be able to use it. It's definitely not for everyone, but for some, it's a dream come true.

Pale Moon [http://www.palemoon.org/redist.shtml] - It's based on Firefox, and is optimized for efficiency, though is only available for Windows. Most Firefox extensions are compatible with Pale Moon, and is still open source and freeware. I haven't used it and thus cannot say anything about performance, but if you're looking at Firefox and are using Windows, you might want to give it a shot.

I am not well-versed in Opera [http://www.opera.com/], SeaMonkey [http://www.seamonkey-project.org/], Maxthon [http://www.maxthon.com/] or Safari [http://www.apple.com/safari/], so I can't really say much on them, other than that they exist. And that you can get a portable version of Opera. [You can also get portable versions of Iron, Chrome, SeaMonkey, Maxthon and Firefox from portableapps.com [http://portableapps.com/apps]; for those computers you use that aren't yours to mess with, but so you can still use your favourite browser.]

In the end, there are many browsers to choose from [the ones I listed are the the biggest ones], and it's up to you to find the one that's right for you.

 

[ThePS1Fan]

Firefox or Chrome are both good. I personally use Chrome but either or really.

 

[Nouw]

Chrome. It loads the fastest, has a clean and simple look and is easy to use.

 

[TheSear]

Chrome, it is easier to use, and IE has always been unreliable (or it at least was when I used to use it.) Also, Chrome just feels faster.

 

[Evilpigeon]

I use firefox because the icon is cute :3

 

[miketehmage]

I've used every browser in the poll (except other).

My favourite is chrome. It's light, and it's fast. That's what I want from my browser. I don't want 12319238123871238138718392719873918723918237198371982371 toolbars.

IE, firefox and safari felt too bulky. (especially safari)

Opera I loved until it stopped working for me. I can't remember exactly what went wrong, but that's when I decided to give chrome a try. And I haven't looked back.

Also I've always heard that IE is pretty bad in terms of security, since you're looking for a reason to switch away from it.




Also part of my reasoning is that if there is anyone that knows how to make shit for the internet, it's google.

 

[CrystalShadow]

IE sucks because it is the only browser that requires extra work to make sites work. I also find it tends to be last to catch up at all times you can even see it now with html5 and CSS3. I like Firefox and Safari but chrome is a great choice too I have also heard good things about Opera but I dunno how quick they are on the ball or how much support it gets.

As far as I've been able to tell, opera seems to lead in terms of implementing official standards, but in practice it's not the most compatible browser around, precisely because it implements the standards properly...

I use it, and I've seen it myself. The list of compatibility problems is endless, because it has only about 1% adoption, so no-one tests things properly for it. (The opera devs do make great efforts to change the browser to deal with this though, and you'd be surprised how effective getting opera to pretend to be something else.)

You might wonder why a browser that implements web standards properly could be so unreliable though...

Well, the answer is many web sites don't use those standards properly. Especially because IE never implemented them correctly.

So... What happens when a browser that expects pages to use the official specs hits a site using some messed up hacks so it'll work with IE?

Well... Usually, the browser breaks, and the site doesn't load properly.

Standards are only as good as the proportion of people that actually pay attention.

Having said that, this problem isn't as bad as it used to be. I run into a lot less compatibility problems with opera 11 than I did when opera 8 and 9 were in use.

It's possible this is because of efforts made by the opera dev team, but it's also just about possible that web developers are starting to make a lot less use of weird non-compliant code.

 

[Solid Reece]

I changed to Firefox because of this website. On IE, it just wouldn't let me stay logged in so I tried a different browser. Still use Internet Explore on some occasions thought.

OT: Form my recommendation, If IE still works fine for what you need from it, I would just say, use it. It takes time to move you favorites, and set up the browsers to your liking. Its just a waste of time if IE still works with you to switch.

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

I'm still using Internet Explorer.

Nothing wrong with IE. I use it for my RP forums because it has the best favorites system.

I use Firefox for the Escapist and YouTube because it loads fast.

I use Chrome for... everything else. Chrome loads a little slower, but when I don't trust a website, it's also the safest (best security features of the three, IMO).

 

[DazZ.]

I dunno...I want something...that's not Chrome...

Why are you open to Chromium but not Chrome?

there's so much hype and egotism surrounding other browsers that I don't much want to relate myself to them.

You seem to be at the exact same pettiness as this but for the polar opposite reasons.

No you wouldn't need to constantly update Chromium, it has the same style of silent auto update that Chrome does.

Download Chrome and open that at the same time as IE and see which loads seconds faster, that should help you visually see one minor improvement.
Then download every browser you can think of, try them all and pick the one that you like, if that happens to be IE then you can say why precisely to whomever gets uppity about what browser you use.

Just eventually move away from IE and make web development easier, it doesn't hold up to web standards very well (at least it didn't used to, which is where a lot of hate comes from it's better now but far from perfect).

 

[bullet_sandw1ch]

opera is the real innovator in the web browsing market, but chrome takes those implementations and does it better. firefox is slow, and IE is even slower.
WINNER: Chrome

 

[neonsword13-ops]

I just installed chrome.

I was looking for a picture to use for my own theme and it said the site with the picture (nothing porn related, I assure you, just Persona 4 wallapapers) gave me a trojan.

So, yeah, that scared the shit out of me.

 

[Olas]

Chrome has [a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/hehijbfgiekmjfkfjpbkbammjbdenadd"]an extension[/a] that creates an IE tab inside your chrome browser. So any advantage IE had over Chrome is now history. Apparently Firefox has [a href="https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/ie-tab-2-ff-36/"]something similar.[/a]

The only reason I ever use FireFox is for Download Helper. Otherwise it's not much of a step up from IE IMO.

Opera is a cute, and quite fast, browser. I'd recommend it for anyone using a very slow computer.

 

[sethisjimmy]

Firefox. It's faster, lighter, and has more available addons than Chrome in my experience.

Not to mention it has working adblock that can actually block video ads.

 

[justnotcricket]

I've used Firefox foe years, but recently, it just started to get slower and slower until it just started crashing my computer.

Now I uses Chrome and I'm impressed with how slick it feels. It's faster and just feels less cluttered than Firefox.

Exactly this.

However, in the case of anyone except myself, I'd say 'whichever one annoys you the least'. In my own case this is, obviously, decided.