Which Browser Suits You Best?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around preferences for web browsers, including comparisons of functionality, performance, and user experience. Participants share their experiences with various browsers such as Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Internet Explorer, and Netscape, discussing updates, crashes, and usability. The conversation includes both technical aspects and personal anecdotes.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express frustration over the lack of a "more than one" option in the poll, indicating they use multiple browsers.
  • There are mixed feelings about Firefox, with some users noting it has become a memory hog and crashes frequently after updates, while others report no issues and praise its functionality.
  • Chrome is mentioned as being fast and simple, but some users also report crashes.
  • Safari is described as visually appealing, particularly for Mac users, but its availability on Windows is acknowledged.
  • Internet Explorer is criticized for being slow and outdated, with some participants expressing a strong dislike for it.
  • Participants discuss the historical context of browsers, including mentions of Netscape and older browsers like Webcrawler and NCSA Mosaic.
  • Some users highlight the advantages of open-source software, particularly in relation to Firefox.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

There is no consensus on which browser is the best, as participants express a variety of preferences and experiences. Some agree on the shortcomings of Internet Explorer, while opinions on Firefox, Chrome, and Safari vary widely.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference specific versions of browsers and their experiences with updates, indicating that performance may vary based on individual setups and operating systems. There are also mentions of browser statistics from the forum, suggesting a potential shift in user preferences over time.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to users exploring different web browsers, those experiencing issues with their current browser, or individuals curious about the historical evolution of web browsing software.

Which browser you use?

  • Internet Explorer

    Votes: 8 11.9%
  • Google chrome

    Votes: 20 29.9%
  • Mozilla Firefox

    Votes: 38 56.7%
  • Opera

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Netscape Navigator

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Safari

    Votes: 1 1.5%
  • Mozilla SeaMonkey

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Camino

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • OmniWeb

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • iCab

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Konqueror

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Epiphany

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    67
Saitama
Messages
4,244
Reaction score
93
Just for the sake of fun! Let's see which browser wins.
 
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You have neglected an option for "more than one" so I have no answer for you.

Looked at from various points of view, each of the browsers can be either (1) really useful or (2) total crap, so I use more than one.
 
phinds said:
You have neglected an option for "more than one" so I have no answer for you.

Looked at from various points of view, each of the browsers can be either (1) really useful or (2) total crap, so I use more than one.

How can i edit the poll?
 
phinds said:
You have neglected an option for "more than one" so I have no answer for you.

So post your answer as a post! :wink:
 
Is Netscape still around? I thought Netscape morphed into Firefox.
 
Pranav-Arora said:
How can i edit the poll?
For some reason the option to allow mutiple choice is lost once the poll has posted.
 
I use firefox, but I have noticed that it crashes a lot after it's most recent update. It used to be light and fast, now it's a huge memory eating program, I simply don't know what to switch to, so this thread is very relevant to my interests.
 
I had a Mother Goose relationship with Internet Exploder (you stick with the one you grew up with) but I have finally gotten sick of it.

I'm switching to Firefox (or maybe Chrome, we'll see).
 
Chi Meson said:
Is Netscape still around? I thought Netscape morphed into Firefox.

I still used Netscape 7.0 (from about 2003) occasionally, till my PC hard disk died a few weeks ago and it went to the great recycling bin in the sky.

Microsoft have managed to put most of the same functionality in IE 8, except N7 ran quicker and looked pretter.
 
  • #10
Wow! Mozilla is winning
I thought Chrome would win.

DaveC426913 said:
I had a Mother Goose relationship with Internet Exploder (you stick with the one you grew up with) but I have finally gotten sick of it.

I'm switching to Firefox (or maybe Chrome, we'll see).

Chrome is much better, Firefox crashes a lot of time and its really annoying.
Firefox is my past and Chrome is my present. :biggrin:
 
  • #11
Here's my 2 cents:

Firefox has the most functionality and is the most user friendly.
Chrome is the smallest and fastest.
Safari is for Mac users.
Internet Explorer is the standard set by Microsoft and there are still web sites that only work (properly) on IE. It's also the slowest.
 
  • #12
I prefer chrome because of its simplicity, yet it too chrases but not as much as firefox. :smile:
The great advantage of Firefox that it has a lot of add-ons compatible with it to play around.:wink:
And IE...hmm

I like Serena said:
Safari is for Mac users.

Safari is available for Windows too.
 
  • #13
I like Serena said:
Safari is for Mac users.

Pranav-Arora said:
Safari is available for Windows too.

And a lot of Mac users use Firefox (yo!).

Safari is "OOH la LAH!" pretty, but Firefox has been the most consistently working and workable software I have encountered. Nothing against Chrome, haven' tried it yet.

By the way, Firefox doesn't crash on me. Sometimes it hiccups, and puts up a window that says "Well, this is embarrassing..." and then apologizes for something that went wrong. Very endearing.
 
  • #14
Chi Meson said:
Safari is "OOH la LAH!" pretty

I guess I should have said: Safari is the prettiest. :smile:
 
  • #15
QuarkCharmer said:
I use firefox, but I have noticed that it crashes a lot after it's most recent update. It used to be light and fast, now it's a huge memory eating program, I simply don't know what to switch to, so this thread is very relevant to my interests.
That's hard to believe. What is your most recent update. It should be Firefox 5.0. It's a screamer compared to Firefox 3. And I have yet to have any crashes. What trouble are you having? My operating system is Windows 7 but I don't see that as an advantage as Firefox programmers are very diligent with making it compatible with most OSs IMO.

I did have a situation where the right scroll bar would sometimes refresh and leave stuff between the slider and the right edge of the window, but I asked the question on their forum and receive a solution the next day, which was to turn off/ un-check the "use hardware acceleration when available" in the tools advanced options. Personally I think this version is the best yet.
 
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  • #16
WTH! No one uses Opera! :eek:
 
  • #17
Well, there are definitely advantages of open source - you can get many, many improvements as is the case in Firefox. It's probably one of the best known open source programs around there. Sadly, other good stuff which is open source, eg, Ubuntu (Linux), isn't bought up as much.
 
  • #18
Pranav-Arora said:
WTH! No one uses Opera! :eek:
I believe Borek uses it among others. IIRC
 
  • #19
Chrome, rarely firefox, safari on Mac/iPhone
 
  • #20
Looking at the poll result,I think I might have to try mozilla now :approve:
 
  • #21
Interesting.

In the thread where the history of physicsforums is given (I forget where it was), there's also statistics about the browsers members use.
And the PF server would collect data like that I think.
Anyway, it said that the majority of browsers was IE.

EDIT: Found the history link. It's in the signature of dlgoff :smile:
https://www.physicsforums.com/library.php?do=view_item&itemid=83So has that changed?
Or do we mostly see non-IE voters here?

I'd be interested what the PF server statistics say now...
As an aside, I see that Borek has not been along yet, who's using Opera IIRC.
Since he's an admin now, perhaps he could find out...
Or we might see, that almost everyone is using Opera! :smile:

Btw, firefox is definitely my preferred browser!
 
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  • #22
ILSe, the heavy IE usage is probably from the people who show up through Google searches...

---------------------------------

Personally, I use Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome about 50/50. I voted Firefox since I've used it longer, but I really like Chrome. I wish it had better addon support.

IE, on the other hand, needs to be doused in kerosene and lit on fire for the sake of the internets.
 
  • #23
dlgoff said:
That's hard to believe. What is your most recent update. It should be Firefox 5.0. It's a screamer compared to Firefox 3. And I have yet to have any crashes. What trouble are you having? My operating system is Windows 7 but I don't see that as an advantage as Firefox programmers are very diligent with making it compatible with most OSs IMO.

I did have a situation where the right scroll bar would sometimes refresh and leave stuff between the slider and the right edge of the window, but I asked the question on their forum and receive a solution the next day, which was to turn off/ un-check the "use hardware acceleration when available" in the tools advanced options. Personally I think this version is the best yet.

I have Firefox 3.6 on the lappy and it never crashes. I assume it's the same version on the desktop at home.
 
  • #24
I use FF since screwing up IE on an update last year. Chrome sucks.
 
  • #25
Jack21222 said:
I have Firefox 3.6 on the lappy and it never crashes. I assume it's the same version on the desktop at home.

At first I didn't want to upgrade to 5.0 as I didn't like the new look. But it turns out that you have plenty of control to customize and can make it look like 3.6. Now I'm glad I upgraded,
 
  • #26
Curious, but are there any other old-timers out there who used "Webcrawler"?

Evidently it's still around as a "metasearch," but back in the 90s, before Netcape, it was the thing to use when us Compuserve folks wanted to venture outside the gates.
 
  • #27
I use firefox for the greasemonkey tweaks etc. some people I know have set up for some certain sites.
 
  • #28
NCSA Mosaic 1.0.
 
  • #29
I agree with Phinds. I voted for Safari because that is the only one that I ever use under normal circumstances. That is under Leopard on this here Intel MacBook. It also holds Firefox, Chrome, and Opera, but I've never used anyone of those. My 2 G-3's and my 200c have Explorer and Netscape. Netscape is the second most useless thing that I've ever encountered (second only to nipples on a nun).
Safari rocks.
 
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  • #30
Chrome because Firefox was getting fussy. I only bust out IE if I really, really, really want to see something, and it won't function in any other browser save IE. Otherwise, I can't stand the Explorer-type-thing.
 

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