Next Question
RSS
Whether on Mac, Windows, or Linux, my favorite browser is Firefox. Right now I'm using a nightly build of Firefox pre-3.1.
Here are my reasons for using Firefox (and in particular version 3.1):
1: It complies with almost all web standards (it passes the Acid 1 and 2 tests, and it gets a 93/100 in the Acid 3 test -- compare it to Internet Explorer which gets a 22 in the Acid 3. Currently only developer builds of Opera and Safari score higher).
2: It is universally supported. With over 20% of the market share and climbing, Firefox is supported by pretty much every website. As a web developer, I can also tell you that it is even significantly easier to support Firefox than Internet Explorer.
3: Lightning fast. Whether dealing with Java or not, Firefox 3.1 is FAST. It opens fast, it runs fast, it loads pages fast, everything is fast. I noticed that it's even faster than Opera and Safari, and WAY faster than IE.
4: It's a safe browser to use. This browser is very secure, and it also has very frequent security updates.
5: Community supported, so if I see something that could use some improvement, my voice gets heard.
6: This is a big one: Plugins. AdblockPlus, and all the other easy-to-get plugins out there really push this browser ahead of the competition. Other browsers have plugins, but not nearly as many as Firefox does.
7. Ease of use. I kind of like how Firefox is not too complicated, and they even make it specially to fit in with whatever OS you use.
8. Modern features. With things like phishing protection, private browsing, sophisticated session restore options, and such, you're not going to miss out using Firefox.
9. Stable. Yes, even though I'm using a developer build, it's very stable.
There you have it for Firefox. After that, I have a preference to Chrome, Safari, and Opera, because they kind of all sort of have many of the pros that Firefox has. And then there's Internet Explorer. Bottom of the list. This is a very bad browser to use, though it does keep improving (even if it is always a couple years behind the competition). Aside from being generally slow and a prime security target, Internet Explorer 6 has HORRIBLE standards compatibility. IE 7 even doesn't comply with last year's CSS specifications. And while IE 8 is now only a few years behind with modern standards compatibility, it has lots of problems with graphic alignment and things of that nature.
Bottom line: I use Firefox because it is the complete package.
Source(s):
LOTS of research and experience over the years.
Permalink | Report
The primary reason, however, is extensibility. The addon community for FireFox kills all the others, hands down.
I know Chrome will likely have a rich community as well, but until then, it's relegated to the back burner.
Permalink | Report
Permalink | Report
Permalink | Report
I have not personally used it, but found it interesting when researching browsers most recently.
I use a few: I like Safari or Camino on Mac, yet I like Safari the best because of the finger gestures. If you haven't tried Camino on a Mac, give it a try. Also, I like Firefox on Mac. Browsers that would be cool for Mac, yet are not available would include Google Chrome, SpaceTime, PogoBrowser, and Madcat.
Permalink | Report
Always finding great new extensions is nice.
I am curious of Chrome, but I not curious enough to leave my FF
Source(s):
http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/
Permalink | Report
I use Safari 3.2 as my main browser because it is fast and light and with MobileMe allows me to sync my bookmarks between my desktop and my iPhone.
I use FireFox 3 occasionally because some sites don't display properly in Safari (although the number does seem to be reducing). FireFox 3 seems a lot slower than Safari which is another reason that I only use it as a backup browser.
I don't use any plugins in my browser which is probably another reason why I use Safari more than FireFox.
I also like the feature in Safari where you can expand edit boxes within web pages to any size you want. This is very useful when entering text into small edit boxes that only allow a few lines to be shown at once (in fact, I'm doing that now !!).
Finally, I think Safari looks "nicer". This is obviously very subjective, but I just think FireFox looks a bit clunky and old when compared to Safari.
Source(s):
Personal usage
Permalink | Report
I could go on for a while. I've used Opera for a long time, and it allows me to browse so smoothly (talking about both rendering pages and the interface) and quickly that I quickly grow impatient if I'm forced to use anything else for more than 30 seconds.
See my sources for more information.
Opera is a diamond in the rough. Most people have never even HEARD of it, but it is a REALLY solid browser that shouldn't be ignored. The only reason Firefox is more popular than it was because of its aggressive ad campaign, in my opinion.
Source(s):
http://www.opera.com/browser/
http://nontroppo.org/timer/kestrel_tests/
http://files.myopera.com/Rijk/blog/extensions.html
http://www.howtocreate.co.uk/browserSpeed.html#testresults
Permalink | Report
Permalink | Report
Source(s):
http://www.avantbrowser.com/
http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/
Permalink | Report
Anyway... downsides? Before, I was using Firefox, which I ditched because it's not as fast... however, it does have better recognition of usernames. If you log in once to something on Firefox, it remembers you the next time; not so with Chrome, so far. Personally, I quite like this; makes me feel a bit safer. But it's a bit annoying sometimes.
Chrome is also prettier than other browsers, not having the masses of toolbars at the top that seem to take up about a third of the screen. I like this. Tabs are little; there's a toolbar, but it's not ugly; and I like the blue.
All in all, a winner.
Permalink | Report
For my phone: Opera Mini. This is a great mobile brower that lets you view full, real online pages with easy-to-use zoom features. It consolidates text and images to fit on your screen and load promptly.
As a secondary desktop browser, I also use Maxthon, a lesser-known but very useful browser. The interface is completely customizable, you can enable/disable word aliases, hot keys, mouse gestures; almost anything you can think of can be tinkered with without apps or extensive tech knowledge.
Source(s):
http://www.maxthon.com/
Permalink | Report
FireFox 3 is my primary here, least amount of problems, best speed, best extras, nuf said
If I have to use anything else I use IE or safari if im on a mac
Permalink | Report
Source(s):
Personal experience
Permalink | Report
Answered Question
M$1
January 13, 2009 08:55 PM
What browser do you use and why?
Do you use IE, Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Opera, perhaps something else? What
version of the specific browser are you running? Please explain why you
feel the need to run the browser that you are.
version of the specific browser are you running? Please explain why you
feel the need to run the browser that you are.
Interesting Question?
Yes (0)
No (0)
- In From Email |
- |
- Report |
-
Share
RSS
Best Answer Chosen by Asker
| January 14, 2009 04:54 AM |
Here are my reasons for using Firefox (and in particular version 3.1):
1: It complies with almost all web standards (it passes the Acid 1 and 2 tests, and it gets a 93/100 in the Acid 3 test -- compare it to Internet Explorer which gets a 22 in the Acid 3. Currently only developer builds of Opera and Safari score higher).
2: It is universally supported. With over 20% of the market share and climbing, Firefox is supported by pretty much every website. As a web developer, I can also tell you that it is even significantly easier to support Firefox than Internet Explorer.
3: Lightning fast. Whether dealing with Java or not, Firefox 3.1 is FAST. It opens fast, it runs fast, it loads pages fast, everything is fast. I noticed that it's even faster than Opera and Safari, and WAY faster than IE.
4: It's a safe browser to use. This browser is very secure, and it also has very frequent security updates.
5: Community supported, so if I see something that could use some improvement, my voice gets heard.
6: This is a big one: Plugins. AdblockPlus, and all the other easy-to-get plugins out there really push this browser ahead of the competition. Other browsers have plugins, but not nearly as many as Firefox does.
7. Ease of use. I kind of like how Firefox is not too complicated, and they even make it specially to fit in with whatever OS you use.
8. Modern features. With things like phishing protection, private browsing, sophisticated session restore options, and such, you're not going to miss out using Firefox.
9. Stable. Yes, even though I'm using a developer build, it's very stable.
There you have it for Firefox. After that, I have a preference to Chrome, Safari, and Opera, because they kind of all sort of have many of the pros that Firefox has. And then there's Internet Explorer. Bottom of the list. This is a very bad browser to use, though it does keep improving (even if it is always a couple years behind the competition). Aside from being generally slow and a prime security target, Internet Explorer 6 has HORRIBLE standards compatibility. IE 7 even doesn't comply with last year's CSS specifications. And while IE 8 is now only a few years behind with modern standards compatibility, it has lots of problems with graphic alignment and things of that nature.
Bottom line: I use Firefox because it is the complete package.
Source(s):
LOTS of research and experience over the years.
| Asker's Rating: |
• This was explained very well! Nicely done
Permalink | Report
Reply
Other Answers (21)
January 13, 2009 09:04 PM
FireFox 3. Stable, less of a memory hog than 2.x for starters. The primary reason, however, is extensibility. The addon community for FireFox kills all the others, hands down.
I know Chrome will likely have a rich community as well, but until then, it's relegated to the back burner.
Permalink | Report
Reply
January 13, 2009 09:23 PM
Chrome is quite a nice browser, but every time I start it up I have to authenticate against my proxy server and have to type in my username/password which I don't have to do with other browsers. I find that very annoying.
Report
January 13, 2009 09:06 PM
Firefox 3.1b2, I found that it runs much smoother than the 3.0.5 version. I use-it primarily for the extended functionality provided by addons, especially tab mix plus, where I can set my tabs to be opened "on mouse over". After that, I use-it for development, the web developer toolbar and firebug addons being huge time savers.
Permalink | Report
Reply
January 13, 2009 09:14 PM
I do love my web developer toolbar and firebug... I don't know how I coded before such wonderful extensions!
Report
January 13, 2009 09:07 PM
I use the Safari Browser on a Mac, because it is one of the fastest, most stable, and easy to use browser out there. It provides for all my needs on a day-to-day basis, but when I go into web-developer-mode, I go to Firefox, because of the great addons.
Permalink | Report
Reply
January 13, 2009 09:14 PM
Good choices to use on Mac and Windows, but why do you use them? I would like to hear more about Maxton since I don't have personal experience using it.
Report
January 13, 2009 09:08 PM
I like to use a browser that is user friendly and fast, but then again I use a Mac, so my best options now are Safari or Camino, unless Google Chrome or the Lunascape browser ever make it to the Mac. The world's fastest browser is only available for PC, and it's the Lunascape browser. I have not personally used it, but found it interesting when researching browsers most recently.
I use a few: I like Safari or Camino on Mac, yet I like Safari the best because of the finger gestures. If you haven't tried Camino on a Mac, give it a try. Also, I like Firefox on Mac. Browsers that would be cool for Mac, yet are not available would include Google Chrome, SpaceTime, PogoBrowser, and Madcat.
Permalink | Report
Reply
January 13, 2009 09:14 PM
I stand beside you 100% when it comes to the comments about IE... however, you might be surprised when IE8 comes out... I'm still not leaving Firefox but I have found myself not hating IE8 when using Windows 7.
Report
January 13, 2009 09:08 PM
I use Firefox and have been since 2005, its been very reliable over the past few years and has all the tools I need to make it through the work day..of working online. Always finding great new extensions is nice.
I am curious of Chrome, but I not curious enough to leave my FF
Source(s):
http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/
Permalink | Report
Reply
January 13, 2009 09:09 PM
I use 2 browsers. I use Safari 3.2 as my main browser because it is fast and light and with MobileMe allows me to sync my bookmarks between my desktop and my iPhone.
I use FireFox 3 occasionally because some sites don't display properly in Safari (although the number does seem to be reducing). FireFox 3 seems a lot slower than Safari which is another reason that I only use it as a backup browser.
I don't use any plugins in my browser which is probably another reason why I use Safari more than FireFox.
I also like the feature in Safari where you can expand edit boxes within web pages to any size you want. This is very useful when entering text into small edit boxes that only allow a few lines to be shown at once (in fact, I'm doing that now !!).
Finally, I think Safari looks "nicer". This is obviously very subjective, but I just think FireFox looks a bit clunky and old when compared to Safari.
Source(s):
Personal usage
Permalink | Report
Reply
January 13, 2009 09:11 PM
I use Opera. It's the fastest of the major browsers, it's stable, has tons of features right out of the box (many of which you have to go hunt down extensions for to get something similar in Firefox...who wants to do 5-10 or more installations just to get one browser to have the functionality you need? Despite this, Opera with all those features is still a smaller download than Firefox), a better security record than either IE or Firefox... I could go on for a while. I've used Opera for a long time, and it allows me to browse so smoothly (talking about both rendering pages and the interface) and quickly that I quickly grow impatient if I'm forced to use anything else for more than 30 seconds.
See my sources for more information.
Opera is a diamond in the rough. Most people have never even HEARD of it, but it is a REALLY solid browser that shouldn't be ignored. The only reason Firefox is more popular than it was because of its aggressive ad campaign, in my opinion.
Source(s):
http://www.opera.com/browser/
http://nontroppo.org/timer/kestrel_tests/
http://files.myopera.com/Rijk/blog/extensions.html
http://www.howtocreate.co.uk/browserSpeed.html#testresults
Permalink | Report
Reply
January 13, 2009 09:12 PM
Firefox 3.1. Fast, and I loooooves my extensions. Ubiquity rocks! Love my Evernote and Read it Later plugins, too. Earlier I had some common memory leaks, but some Mozilla fixed and some I fixed, and now it's terrific. I also have Safari and Opera, and I keep looking at Chrome, but I have so much customized functionality I don't want to leave behind.
Permalink | Report
Reply
January 13, 2009 09:16 PM
I was using Avant for a long time, I know it is basically a skin over IE, but I like the features of how it worked the tabbed browsing and it had good security features to make the engine of IE a lot more secure and stable. I recently switched to FF3 for the reason being the last few update version of Avant would not work well with windows vista, there was a lot of hanging and crashing. So far FF3 is fast and stable and I have been able to capture great tab browsing features the Tab Mix Plus Options add on.
Source(s):
http://www.avantbrowser.com/
http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/
Permalink | Report
Reply
January 13, 2009 09:20 PM
In the past few weeks, I've become a Chrome convert. Google wins yet again. Heaven only knows how they've done it; a browser that doesn't slow down, regardless of how many tabs/windows you have open whilst online. That was its major selling point for me. I tend to have rather a lot of tabs open, being a multitasking woman, and all that jazz. I have a little count going with my husband; sometimes when I'm at work I'll drop him a line to let him know that the amount of tabs has risen to six, or whatever. Anyway... downsides? Before, I was using Firefox, which I ditched because it's not as fast... however, it does have better recognition of usernames. If you log in once to something on Firefox, it remembers you the next time; not so with Chrome, so far. Personally, I quite like this; makes me feel a bit safer. But it's a bit annoying sometimes.
Chrome is also prettier than other browsers, not having the masses of toolbars at the top that seem to take up about a third of the screen. I like this. Tabs are little; there's a toolbar, but it's not ugly; and I like the blue.
All in all, a winner.
Permalink | Report
Reply
January 13, 2009 09:33 PM
For my deskop: Firefox 3.1, it runs quickly, and that's all I really need. I'm not a huge fan of all the add-ons, but it's nice to have them available as an option. Firefox is always reliable and I like the (somewhat new) save & quit feature. For my phone: Opera Mini. This is a great mobile brower that lets you view full, real online pages with easy-to-use zoom features. It consolidates text and images to fit on your screen and load promptly.
As a secondary desktop browser, I also use Maxthon, a lesser-known but very useful browser. The interface is completely customizable, you can enable/disable word aliases, hot keys, mouse gestures; almost anything you can think of can be tinkered with without apps or extensive tech knowledge.
Source(s):
http://www.maxthon.com/
Permalink | Report
Reply
January 14, 2009 06:25 AM
Chrome has its perks, but untill it gains popularity/support I cant use it as my primary browser, too many sites run into problems with java and active x for me to be able to use it all the time, i actually have chrome and FF3 open at the moment. FireFox 3 is my primary here, least amount of problems, best speed, best extras, nuf said
If I have to use anything else I use IE or safari if im on a mac
Permalink | Report
Reply
January 14, 2009 06:39 PM
I use Firefox 3 on my Mac. I've been using Firefox since I used Linux, and Windows before that. It does what I need it to, and the plugins are great for me. Even if I lose compatibility when Firefox gets updated, the benefits easily outweigh any inconvenience for me.
Source(s):
Personal experience
Permalink | Report
Reply
Answer this Question
Related Questions
Ask a Question
Buy Mahalo Dollars with Credit Card or PayPal
Top Members
Most Popular Tags
Categories
- Anonymous
-
Arts & Design
-
Beauty & Style
-
Books & Authors
-
Business
-
Cars & Transportation
-
Consumer Electronics
- Coupons Deals
-
Education
-
Entertainment
-
Environment
-
Fitness
-
Food & Drink
- From Email
- From Iphone
- From Twitter
-
Health
-
History
-
Hobbies
-
Home & Garden
-
How Tos
-
Humor
-
Jobs
-
Legal
-
Local
-
Love & Relationships
-
Mahalo Answers Community
-
Money
-
Music
-
News
-
NSFW
-
Parenting
-
Pets
-
Science & Mathematics
-
Services
-
Shopping
-
Social Science
-
Society & Culture
-
Sports
-
Technology & Internet
-
Travel
-
Video Games
Welcome New Members
- lovetocook, November 27, 2009 05:13 PM
- hoyas27, November 27, 2009 05:06 PM
- reb123, November 27, 2009 05:05 PM
- britishairways, November 27, 2009 05:02 PM
- yiika, November 27, 2009 05:00 PM
Mahalo Dollars are the currency of Mahalo Answers.
Each Mahalo Dollar costs $1.
Once you earn more than 40 Mahalo Dollars, you can request to be paid via PayPal. Each Mahalo Dollar is currently worth $0.75 when paid out via PayPal. Learn More
It can be more of an annoyance/liability than a "killer", frankly.