It shouldn't come as a shock that Google Chrome recently moved into the number three position in the Internet web browser wars. Microsoft Internet Explorer (MSIE) is number one, followed by Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and then Apple Safari. When Chrome passed Safari, I wasn't surprised since they're based on the same underlying code, with the difference being in the front end interface. That difference, of course, makes all the difference in the world.
MSIE's Edge
Whether you want to call it unfair or not, it doesn't matter. MSIE has a built in edge against all the other web browsers. It's bundled with every version of Microsoft Windows and most new computer users will use it until they find a better web browser. Sure, it can be uninstalled but uninstalling it removes the ability to get automatic updates from Microsoft. Let's face it: More computers are sold with Windows installed than any other operating system.
If Macs were dominant in the PC market, then Safari would probably be the number one browser, but it's hardly the case. While there's a huge crowd of loyal Mac users, their numbers are dwarfed by the Windows users worldwide.
Chrome vs. Firefox
When Firefox first came onto the scene, it quickly developed a following and mostly from the tech community. It was better at following web standards and was extensible in more ways than MSIE ever was and was helped along by the fact that Microsoft appeared reluctant to make a web browser better than MSIE 6. The horror!
Over time, Firefox has become bloated and cumbersome. It doesn't take much to turn it into a memory hog. You can make it behave, but it requires you to follow some specific instructions to tweak the configuration parameters. Chrome showed up just as Firefox started getting bloated (slower) and the tech community is now rallying around Chrome because it behaves like Firefox used to behave. Chrome is faster, complies with the same web standards and is just as extensible. And it's still a beta!
In 2009, I questioned the infatuation with Google Chrome infatuation on another of my blogs but I no longer question it. After using multiple web browsers on both Windows XP and Ubuntu Linux, I'm confident that Google Chrome is now the best web browser there is and that it can only get better.
Windows vs. Mac vs. Everything Else
As long as Windows remains the dominant operating system in the world, MSIE will remain the dominant web browser. Of course, just because it's installed doesn't mean it has to be used for anything other than Microsoft updates. Unfortunately, trying to tell the new computer user that anything (any web browser) is better than MSIE is usually like talking to a tree. You have to show them the difference in speed, stability and extensibility to win them over.
Because MSIE usually has more holes in it (security holes) than Swiss cheese, I consider it the worst web browser there is and there's nothing Microsoft can do to make it more secure. Of course, this is the difference between proprietary browsers like MSIE and Opera and open source web browsers life Firefox and Chrome – you have to wait until they fix it while the open source community fixes anything that breaks almost immediately.
I understand the Mac's OS X is extremely stable and that the Safari web browser works well with it. I've never been able to check it out for myself, but I'm not surprised because the front end is built on top of a UNIX back end. UNIX has been around a long, long time (preceding any kind of GUI operating system). The problem is that the user base is extremely small compared to other operating systems, including Linux. Safari should work well on the operating system it was initially designed for and it does. Chrome, on the other hand, works well on Windows and Linux. I have no idea if it even works on a Mac.
Since I recently had to reinstall Windows XP on my aging computer, I opted not to reinstall Firefox – I'm now using Chrome exclusively and I'm extremely happy about it.
Similar Articles:
- Who's Afraid of Linux? – Microsoft Windows is Still the Market Leader
- Cross-Browser and Cross-Operating System Password and Bookmark Management
- The Google Chrome OS Netbook – What's the Big Deal?
- Using Self-Signed SSL Certificates with Modern Web Browsers
- Fonts and Typography on the Web
I use all three. I like different browsers to do different things. My favorite is Firefox followed by Safari and then IE.
Chrome is just an Internet browser. It doesn’t do anything that most other browsers don’t do—except that it’s really fast. I was also able to import my bookmarks from Safari.
SRWare Iron is the best internet browser out there. It's based on the Chromium source code without all of Google's spy-fecies. Get it now! You will not regret it.
Chrome is just an Internet browser. It doesn’t do anything that most other browsers don’t do—except that it’s really fast. I was also able to import my bookmarks from Safari.
twittnot recently posted..5 Danger Dating on the Internet