There are a lot of web browsers out there and some are better than others. Which one is the best? There is no answer. It is all about what you want from it.
I have tested five of them, some of them because they are famous and many of them are using them or because they have some cool functions. I have tested Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Space time and Opera. I have downloaded the most recent version of the programs. They are all free except Microsoft Internet Explorer. It requires a legal version of Windows.
NOTE: I will not test the speed. I will test interface, how user friendly it is, the installation, functions and such. Not the hardest parts.
Let's start with Microsoft.
I downloaded this immediately when it was released (not the beta versions, only the real one). But I have to say that I was disappointed. It was slower than the 6th version and I had some troubles with the installation. One good thing is the interface. Finally they have added the tab function. It was about time. But average it is not improved that much. It has become more user friendly. Even my grandmother can use it. It has a pop up blocker that really blocks. I couldn´t open any pop ups in the beginning. Microsoft hasn't added any special functions that are unique. If you press ctrl+ the number of your tab you get that one and you get an overview of all the open pages if you press ctrl+Q but this is not new. Opera have had it for years. Let´s hope the 8th version will be better.
Not impressed by Microsoft.
I´m not sure but I think that Firefox was the first one to use tabs, but I´m not sure at all. But I can say that it is the most popular web browser. Most people recommend uninstall Internet Explorer and install Firefox instead. And I can understand them. The burning fox is a really, really good browser. It is fast and reliable, easy to install and it has a lot of cool functions. You can skin it and download cool plug-ins like mouse gesture control and similar stuff. Firefox is awarded for best web browser several times at websites like cNet and PC magazine.
For being open source software this is really great. I use to say: “Either it is free and very good like Linux and open source or it is very expensive like Mac OS X. Then between these two things it come cheap a little bugging software like Microsoft.” Go open source!
Free and reliable software that you can reprogram however you want.
This has been my primary web browser for a long time now. Mostly because I like Apple very much but can't afford a Mac. It has a very nice interface and tab control like I don´t know what. Everything floats around and there are animations for everything. The installation was very fast and easy. The browser it self is actually noticeable faster than Internet Explorer which I used before. It is user friendly but uses a total different technique than IE so you don´t have functions like scroll but you learn all that after a short time. Functions are very unique:
There is an auto fill function that automatically fills out the forms with your name and address. If you have entered a password that is stored too!
If you drag a tab out of the tab bar it will open as a new page.
The shortcut I mentioned when I was writing about Internet Explorer, Ctrl+Number, is also integrated in Safari. It will open the bookmark at that Number.
What´s not so good with Safari is that all web pages isn't compatible with it. Therefore you must have an option installed. Any of those I have written about here will work!
Very good browser but unfortunately it will require a second one too!
This is just SO cool. If you like cool and new stuff you have to check this out. It is a new kind of version. There is no installation; the whole program is just one .exe file. But when you open it… You can browse and search in 3d! It´s so cool! You have a 3d landscape that you can play around with. Turn, zoom… The different searches and browser windows are organized in stacks that are showed either in your 3d landscape or a field at the bottom of the screen. This uses IE as browser and all your favorites and your history is loaded there. Settings are the usual IE settings. The interface is very similar to the interface in iPod Touch and iPhone.
Highly recommended browser, it is only to bad that they are using IE to surf!
Also very fast browser, it has a very easy interface. It was installed in less than 30 seconds, isn´t that something? What I noticed with Opera was that it didn´t slow my computer down that much. It was running fast all the time, even when I was loading heavy pages. Opera is very cool! You can download small games and small applications that run with opera. It is a good way to take a break from your work and just chill with a mind free game! It is also possible to skin this one too like Firefox. It is a very advanced browser and I am sure that I don´t even know half of them. I can't write much more.
Very, very good and easy, fast, reliable web browser.
My Ranking
- Mozila Firefox, independent, free web browser that is very advanced and highly trusted, highly customizable.
- Opera, also independent. It has a lot of cool features and is free of charge, skinning possibility.
- Safari, independent but can´t show all web pages. Nice looking Apple interface, not possible to skin.
- Space Time, cool application but not independent. Uses Internet Explorer to surf. But very cool!
- Internet Explorer, pretty boring and standard. Nothing special except how slow it is. No skinning possibility.
