Tech This Out

Though it’s only a few decades old, the Internet is already a staple in our lives. The software that allows us to surf the web, however, is constantly changing. And not all browsers are created equal.

Here’s a comparison of the five most widely-used web browsers: Microsoft Internet Explorer, Apple Safari, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Opera.

Speed

Beyond the speed of an Internet connection, the speed of the software being used to browse it can dramatically affect how pages load. Speed is also an arguing point for many browsers. All five of the major browsers love to claim they have an edge over their competitors, often using complicated graphs as evidence. Opera even claims to be “the fastest browser on Earth.”

In a simple test done by PCWorld, however, there were two distinct winners. In timed loads of seven often-used websites (plus PCWorld.com), Chrome emerged the winner with an average page load time of 1.70 seconds. Firefox wasn’t far behind at 1.76. But that test was performed on a PC. Had it been done on a Mac, Safari would have most likely beaten Chrome. In my own experience, Apple’s browser is the fastest on its own operating system. Internet Explorer, meanwhile, is unbearably slow, even though it only runs on Microsoft’s OS.

Conclusion: Safari for Macs, Chrome for everything else.

Features and Customization

With the rise of social media and web applications, browser developers now focus on features that let users do more than just load web pages.

All five major browsers have become very good at giving suggestions for websites as soon as you start typing in the address bar, and Chrome has combined the address and search bars as part of its simple interface. Safari, Chrome and Opera also feature pages that show thumbnails of your favorite or recently visited websites when you open a new tab, and Opera can also show thumbnails of tabs that are already open. Safari lets you search your history with CoverFlow, just as you search your music in iTunes. And Opera has developed groundbreaking features like Opera Link, which allows users to send a link to files on their hard drive, rather than emailing those files or uploading them to an online server. Opera also has a built-in mail client.

When it comes to customization, Firefox has been a leader as well. Because it is open-source, the browser offers thousands of add-ons created by community members, with functions ranging from blocking ads to translating instant messages. All of the major browsers also offer themes or skins to give the browsing window a different look, with the exception of Safari. Internet Explorer, however, doesn’t offer much else when it comes to add-ons or customization.

Conclusion: Firefox has an impressive library of add-ons, but when it comes to overall features, Opera wins easily.

Reliability

Browser developers constantly argue about who’s fastest, and tout new features that enhance users’ browsing experience, but perhaps the most important aspect of a browser is reliability. And when it comes to simply getting the job done, Firefox is the clear winner in my experience. Chrome has been known to hog computer power and have problems with security, and both Chrome and Opera will occasionally fail to load a page due to compatibility issues. As previously mentioned, Safari doesn’t work as well on a PC as on a Mac. And Internet Explorer fails in this category as well; Microsoft’s browser, like most of its other products, suffers from constant crashes.

Conclusion: Firefox is the most reliable browser, regardless of which operating system you use.

In summary, Safari and Chrome are great for users looking for speed, while Opera offers great built-in features for moving large files and managing email. Internet Explorer, despite being the most-used browser, isn’t even in the same league as the other four. Firefox, which is extremely reliable, offers infinite customization, and doesn’t fall far behind Chrome and Safari when it comes to speed, is the best web browser available.

Do you have a computer question or problem? Email it to Andrew Phillips at [email protected] and your solution could be in the next issue of the Peninsula Pulse.