Posted by Nikoletta Ventseslavova

Read if: you are wondering which PC browser to install to your computer

Find out: the differences between the top browsers worldwide

Browsers are like cars. We always look for a model which can give us not only a fast ride, but security and stability as well. A few years ago we were clicking the “e” icon at the bottom of the screen. In 2011 only 40% of computer users bother with Internet Explorer. Browsing is developing at a rapid clip: the big-name packages deliver seriously speedy browsing on every conceivable device. But there are big differences in their approach, in their flexibility and in some cases, in their performance – so what’s the best browser for you? Let’s find out.

General criteria

Simplicity – Internet browsers should be simple to use so anyone, from a computer specialist to your grandmother, can feel comfortable using the web. The feature set of Internet browsers is also very important, making web surfing faster and easier. A few standard features are: tabbed browsing, thumbnail previews and an integrated search engine.

Security – We need browsers that ensure protection against pop-ups, viruses and phishing frauds. Plus they have to keep our personal information, so we can feel confident while we are online.

Speed and accruracy. – Our internet browser should help us surf fast and efficiently. Of course, the speed of our computer depends on our internet connection as well, but not all browsers are created equal regarding how fast they start up, process HTML and JavaScript. Likewise, not all internet browsers will open all pages correctly.

Review of the top browsers:

Mozilla Firefox 6 comes with thousands add-ons and many upgrades. Categories include: entertainment, humor, news, etc. It has many themes and we can decorate our browser in accordance with our preferences. Mozilla’s newest version is faster than the previous ones. Firefox 6 supports HTML 5, DOM level 3, server-sent events which help developers build advanced Web applications. The Web Developer Menu provides access to developer tools from the Aurora Menu Button, while the new Scratchpad tool helps in JavaScript testing . With Firefox we can easily jump from site to site using tabbed browsing. The newest Panorama feature allows us to load saved tab groups and has an improved start up time.  It allows us to change the order of our tabs, or group them; it has a redo function for accidentally deleted tabs. Firefox’s superb interface also offers an add-on for voice navigation. Further, the innovative Smart Location Bar adapts to our use and preferences. It makes it easy to return to websites previously visited, even if we don’t remember the exact URL. This clever bar helps us locate sites based on titles and content. The improved “Awesome Bar” now includes privacy settings. One-click bookmarking makes it easy to organize our favorite places on the web. Firefox 6 also gives us more control with its newest Data Management Window with site-based interface, helping users to control the access of particular web sites to their browsing data. In addition – the new add-ons Manager has a Plugin Check, which verifies the compatibility of installed plugins. This browser lets us enter and leave private mode and browse in a total stealth, without a change in the interface. It also contributes to our safety : it has an integrated password manager and protects us against viruses, spyware, malware, phishing and pop-ups. Firefox 6 has all the essential features to make a great browser, making the web a whole new experience. It supports all Windows 98 to XP and Vista, Mac OS X and Linux varieties and offers customer support for possible problems. Firefox is considered as the best browser for add-ons, according to Techradar:

“The king here is undoubtedly Firefox with its extensions and Greasemonkey scripts. IE9 and Chrome lag behind but are catching up fast, while Opera has the fewest available add-ons – although Opera also has Unite, which turns your PC into a media server, and Widgets, which resemble Dashboard widgets in OS X or Sidebar Gadgets in Windows.”

The next great Internet browser worth looking into is Google Chrome. It has easy to use features and tools. It has a tab-centric focus and gives us the opportunity to rearrange tabs and open new windows. Each tab runs independently ( known as “sandboxing”) and if one crashes, this won’t ruin our whole session. Also, this technique helps prevent malware and stops one tab from taking control of all others. This contributes to safe and secure browsing, protecting us from viruses and phishing schemes. Chrome features Incognito mode for private browsing, a download manager and an integrated find on page tab. The drag-and –drop feature allows us to copy text or a link from anywhere and put it directly into the search bar. Chrome’s smart toolbar gives us suggestions while we are typing and this is an easy way to revisit a previously viewed site. The simple and well-organized interface gives users the opportunity to run a web application in a designated window and create desktop shortcuts that when opened, disclose our preferred web applications without tabs and address bars. That’s how Chrome links the gap between our desktop and our favorite online applications. It also offers dynamic tabs, which can be pulled out from the browser to create a new window. Further, there are visual tabs that get smaller and still display all tabs, rather than in a side-scrolling variant other browsers use. Google Chrome 10 comes with built- in viewers for Flash and PDF content, saving us from having to install separate plug-ins. It is attractive to users, not only because of its minimalist design, but also because of its advanced support for HTML 5 and super fast JavaScript performance. The online Help Group offers support for users and an official Google Guide. It also gives them the advantage to check on known problems, post issues and interact with other users. PCMagazine experts find some negative aspects of Chrome: “No built-in “do not track” feature. Still some occasional minor site incompatibilities.“  Techradar evaluates Chrome as the best browser for HTML5 : “the major browsers’ HTML5 support is very good, but there are distinct differences: if you click on Browser Comparison you’ll see that Chrome leads the pack, with Firefox in hot pursuit and the others trying to catch up.”

After some hard work, Microsoft’s development team released the newest version of IE – Internet Explorer 9. It is upgraded and is better than the other Internet Explorers in terms of speed, trimmed down interface and HTML 5 support. IE 9 gives the most space to the webpage, due to its cropped top-window frame, which takes up just 63 pixels (in comparison Chrome takes up 89) and is a perfect fit for graphic-intensive sites. Another unique feature is the new Tracking Protection, which gives us more control than Chrome and Firefox over privacy issues. Internet Explorer 9 is notable with its integrated search window – it allows us to search with our favorite search engines, or through other informative websites like About.com. Internet explorer offers a smart toolbar, offering search suggestions based on previous browsing and even visual previews. This browser offers some tricks when dragging tabs to a new window: For example if we are watching video, it continues playing as we drag it; when we drag to the left or right edge of the screen, the new IE window we create fills exactly one half of the screen – it cleaves to Aero Snap in Windows 7 – something other browsers don’t do.  Another handy feature that this browser provides is the “pin” ability. We can drag a webpage’s icon down to Windows 7 taskbar and create a pinned site. This gives the site equal billing with an application and gives IE 9 extra points in comparison with Chrome. It also provides web application shortcuts, but they don’t have Internet Explorer’s operating system integration. Pinned sites get their own icons, placed in the left corner of the window and remain the same as the original even if we navigate to a different domain. It has one inconvenience: it can be used only for users of Windows 7 and Vista. Internet Explorer 9  is considered as  the best browser for privacy and the perfect fit for Windows 7 and Windows Vista:

“Chrome has Incognito mode, Firefox and Opera have Private Browsing and IE9 has InPrivate browsing. IE also has Tracking Protection, which can help you block third-party tracking systems that might infringe your privacy.  IE’s solution is the most interesting, as it will enable any organisation to create a “do not track” list that you can subscribe to.” “If your priority is speed, then the best browser for Windows 7 is IE9: it’s the fastest here by a considerable margin, and its Windows 7 integration – in particular, its ability to pin sites to the Taskbar to make them more like applications – is well executed.  Vista users don’t get IE9′s ability to pin sites to the taskbar – that’s a Windows 7-only feature – but they get the same speedy browser, which makes IE9 another winner here.”

Another fast and well designed piece of browsing software is Opera 11.50. Opera has unique features like: Unite, which turns the browser into a server and allows us to serve up our photos and files directly without needing to pay – something other browsers don’t offer; Turbo – which speeds up even the slowest connections; Opera Link – which offers syncing for bookmarks and other settings. Also, Opera’s 11.50 version has Widgets (mini applications that run outside the browser in several categories), Notes, Build-in mail connection. In addition, Opera has Speed Dial Extension for the sites we want frequent access and let us see live updated information. This tool can display the local weather information, stock quotes, news, a Twitter timeline, etc. Opera extensions use W3C Widgets and JavaScript so that programmers can use it as well. Another standout feature of Opera is Thumbnails that appear as you mouse over a tab, so you can visually jog your memory without going to the site. One thing Opera is missing is parental controls. However, Opera allows us to customize our security settings and protects users against pop-ups, spyware, viruses and phishing schemes. For most of the websites we use a Web globe icon, which has a small panel showing us whether the site has a clean security record or not. For secure sites we see a green area in the address bar saying “Trusted”. Opera also has a search hijacking protection against malware tactics. The next innovation from Opera is the Tab stacking – a useful organizational tool for heavy Web sessions – it lets us drag and drop one tab onto another to create a stack. It is compatible with Vista, Windows XP, Linux and Mac. Michael Muchmore, a leading software analyst has the following evaluation about this browser:

“Opera 11.50 is not only among the speed leaders among the current crop of browsers, it also arguably offers the most in features. True, its new extensions capability trails those of competitors Firefox and Chrome. Opera also offers a smaller library of extenders to choose from, but it can stand up to the rest with unique features like Unite, Turbo, bittorrent, widgets, mail, and more. Opera has long been a leader in HTML5 support, with HTML5 video, canvas, and much more available early on. Opera also supports WebP—Google’s new Web image format.”

To conclude, the winner of the top most popular browsers is Firefox: “If sheer expandability matters then Firefox is the best bet, with Opera and Chrome close behind. And Safari? It isn’t a bad browser, but there’s nothing about it that really jumps out.” Techradar affirms.

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