What\'s the Best Mac Browser?

[amk285nyu]

I've been trying to maximize my internet experience, so I've been testing out the new browsers. The only problem is that dedicated testing takes a lot of time, so I thought I'd ask everyone's opinion.

What are the best features of your favorite browser? What are its unique features? Why can't you live without it?

[RobW]

Hi Andrew! Welcome to TS!      

Good luck with your poll about the great browser wars. A couple of things you'll probably find out along the way. People's preferences can vary based on a great deal of factors--from their OS, to their machine, to the version of the browser, how they use it, etc. There are also some very strong political feelings about the companies involved that effect people's opinions about a browser. It's kind of amazing to read the strong feelings that this question will bring out--here and at other Mac forums. When it comes to browsers, no matter what others will tell you, as the saying goes--"Your mileage may vary."

FWIW, I've been using IE for a year or two now after being unhappy with Netscape, and since I've been happy with it, haven't played around with any others. However, is it the best or the fastest??--I don't have a clue. It works for me and I don't have the slightest desire to start messing around with anything else--for now.        
 
 [ 04-23-2003, 07:21 AM: Message edited by: RobW ]

[RogerF]

The answer is there is no "best" browser.

If you like it simple ( like me), stick with something you feel comfortable with. My browser of choice is Netscape 7 and having said that I also hate it, but it's not IE.

I use Internet Explorer for things I've no other choice about, and I'm not totally unhappy about that. My own opinion is that the browser software people get FAR TOO much input from the "professionals".

But thats only my opinion

[Gary S]

IAWRAR

There is no "best" browser.

[Mrious_be]

Hi  Andrew  
Welcome to TS, always nice to see a new face, and even one who jumps to post a poll for his first post... amazing  

Maybe there isn't a "best" browser, but i'm deff. for Safari.
Even 200% sure now it handles tab browsing.
The first thing about Safari that drew me over the line is the way it handles bookmarks (how you can add them straight to a favorit folder).
Safari does have problems handling some pages and sometimes the downloads don't work (downloading some sort of php file).
In those cases, i grab to the standard.. IE here

[cdub1988]

Hey Marcel -

In Safari, when you say you have trouble with downloading files like "download.php", does it download the full file with just that filename, or just some bunk link?

Just curious.

Chris

[Spartacus]

I had that .php problem when using IE. But it always loaded the complete file so by re-naming the file when the download was finished the problem could be fixed.

[amk285nyu]

quote:Originally posted by Gary S:
IAWRAR

There is no "best" browser.    

Okay. Maybe I should have phrased it "What is your favorite browser?" But your comment didn't really help me much.

Here's my scope on things.

1) Internet Explorer
I used this longer than any other on my Mac, and it's great, but it's slow: really really slow. I keep it because of Scrapbooking, which I find indispensable. Also I love Pageholder, and think it's more useful than Snap Back on Safari.

2) Safari.
Fast. So fast. My favorite feature is the bookmarks and the way they are toolbarred by FOLDER, not bookmark. I also love the way you can add them by folder, not randomly. I dislike the lack of a downloading manager (I've only messed around in Prefs a little with this). But the inability to save the bookmarks as an .html file is crippling- so much so I've decided to switch in the case no one can help me out on the other thread on how to export a .plist file.

3) OmniWeb
I love the toggle drawer with the bookmarks more than I love tabbing. Just a personal preference. It reminds me of Acquisition, the top filesharing program, hands down. Plus the bookmarks are displayed in the bookmark toolbar like Safari, maybe the #1 thing for me right now. It also layers your bookmark folder in the bookmark toolbar, allowing you more control than Safari. Like IE, it has a lot more cool features than Safari. Plus it saves them as .html files. It's also fast, faster than Opera, but not as fast as Safari. For the moment, this is the browser I'm looking to switch to, once I get my Safari bookmarks figured out.

4) iCab
Has the best preferences. Maybe I'm just in love with the fact that it is similar graphically to the Systems Prefs on my OS X.

5) Opera
If the Mac version had the motion gesturing that the PC versions do, this would be my default browser in the blink of an eye. Everything looks solid, but like most PC hybrids, such as Netscape, everything in the Mac version seems neglected (no skins). Too bad. Maybe the best preference is the ability to specify sizing and placement on new windows opened. Awesome. Cool feature in the preferences is the ability to supply my personal information so I see specific related ads when I go to sites. Cool. All in all, this program looks to have more unique, creative features than any other browser. Let's all lobby for motion gesturing.

6) Camino
Not impressed. I do give it props for letting me join this forum last night when the cookies in all my other browsers were freaking out, but otherwise, it's flat. I recognize it's only Beta version.  

7) Mozilla
I used Netscape growing up on PC, and it's a solid, huge, fast program. Maybe one day I'll go back to it. For now, I'm jaded. They're basically the same program, I understand.

Yeah, so for now, OmniWeb has my vote, but I've only surveyed the 5 programs outside Safari and IE. I may change my mind.

[Spartacus]

I love Safari.

However, there are two things I don't like about it and one feature which I am missing.

1) the bookmarks.
I'd prefer to have a "normal" bookmarks menu like there is in IE, Netscape, etc.

2) the windows at startup.
They are often in the wrong place or have the wrong size although the window I used before quitting Safari the last time was at the correct place with the correct size. That is sometimes annoying.
E.g. when I open the pop-up window of this poll. Although I continue browsing the web with this window (after closing the pop-up) Safari will start with a window with the size of the pop-up at the next start-up.
IE (and probably the others) can to that better.

3) auction manager (the missing function)
I really started to like the auction manager. In fact, a lot of my PC friend envied me because of that feature.
I'd love to see that in Safari. But it's probably not going to happen.

[Gary S]

Sorry Andrew. I answered the question as truthfully as possible. I don't think there is a "Best browser", it's a personal preference.

Now as for my Favorite browser......I use Netscape 7.02 because it's fast enough, is stable and I like the tabbed windows.

I tried Safari right after I got my G4 and I haven't tried the newer version yet.

I've never liked IE.

[Mrious_be]

quote:Originally posted by cdub1988:
In Safari, when you say you have trouble with downloading files like "download.php", does it download the full file with just that filename, or just some bunk link?
Originally posted by Spartacus:
I had that .php problem when using IE. But it always loaded the complete file so by re-naming the file when the download was finished the problem could be fixed.

Woooow, i didn't know this people.
Cause, i do think the file was like the size needed, but mostly i saw the wrong name on the download window, so i just cancelled it.
Renaming the file might work, but than i'll have to know the correct file name? not?

[RHPConsult]

Andrew:

Welcome to TR.

You're getting started with a very interesting discussion.

I guess I agree mostly with the view that  Everyone's mileage will vary!

'Tis interesting that browers can/do excite a measure of internet emotion.

FWIW, let me add my 2¢ about my "favorite" . . . Netscape. I've felt since I first started engaging the internet that having a solid mail function arm-in-arm (so to speak) with a browser was the most convenient and easy for me.

I've not found any of the competition adopting such a strategy and that I find compelling.

I would tweak your somewhat off-hand comment about Mozilla, just a tad. It's NOT Netscape, really. It's what NS may become in a year or so, depending upon what AOL decides to mess around with.

I only recently loaded Mozilla, because NS 7.0.2 (as neat as I felt it was) was not handling junk mail and pop-ups nearly well enough for my taste. Mozilla is waaay out in front of NS on those scores, probably because AOL is struggling how not to shoot itself in the foot. Who knows?

Anyhow, thanks for this thread.

[gapstr]

Hi Andrew. Good name.

I tried only answering only the first question in your poll, because quite honestly I have no idea which browser is fastest. But the board said that leaving that question unanswered was not a valid response, so I just said Internet explorer again. It probably skews your results, but I can't help that.

I mainly use Internet Explorer 5.2 for OS X because the OS X installer put it there, it works acceptably, all my bookmarks and settings are as I want them, and I understand it well enough that I am able to use it efficiently. I occasionally use Netscape Communicator 7 to download certain files that I can't get to download normally with either browser, but sometimes I am able to recover the download from Communicator's cache folder, or to use interactive forms on some websites that don't recognize Internet Explorer for Mac, but do recognize Netscape Communicator for Mac. It's happened maybe 3 or 4 times since I started running OS X, I don't know what the issue is, but apparantly there is one.

I have tried Safari, and generally like it, but the beta version I tried doesn't display marquee tags. I realize they are nonstandard HTML, but they are extremely useful in certain websites I visit and help maintain. So I use a browser that displays them, which is Internet Explorer. I don't notice any significant speed difference between these browsers on my system. If Safari supported marquee tags, I might consider trying it more.

I tried Mozilla a few years ago, before OS X, but it didn't work. I understand it's gotten better, but I haven't tried it again. Nor have I tried the others you mention.

You haven't mentioned MacWeb, which was the one of the first browsers I used, back on my Mac Plus with 4 MB RAM under System 7.1. Just for giggles I tried it again today. It doesn't seem to work under Classic. Too bad, because there once was a time when I could answer your question about which browser was fastest. Back when Netscape Navigator was still Mosaic and I don't know if there even was a version of internet Explorer for Mac, MacWeb was fastest.

Andrew Gapstr.

[RogerF]

Question for Netscape users. I noticed your comment RHP, about pop-ups. I also recall our earlier discussion about this issue.
Are you on X, cause I'm not and I've not had a pop-up problem: not once. Maybe the feature is more effective in OS 9. Either way Netscape 7.1 is not as stable as I might like; that's why I still keep IE around