What'z your favorite browser?

[mitr]

I don't know whether this is the right place to discuss this topic or not.

Y'day I had to deal with a client who is not sure of the range of his potential customers, thereby no knowledge if the viewers of his site would be people with advanced tools and settings or also guyz with old and outdated tools and settings.

That brought a question of what could be the browser that is used by most of the people. What do you guyz think? What do you use, normally, if you have to only browse the web, not designing a web site for someone? What does most people around you use? What's your favorite browser?
What kind of an experience you had with your browser?

Sorry, if the question itself is boring and confusing? This question is just sitting on my mind all the time and bugging a lot.

[sfhazel]

It's a toss-up between IE and FF. I like FF because of its tabs. It also follows web standards well. It has a nice DOM inspector, and javascript debugger. So when I'm debugging my swiss cheesie websites, I prefer FF. However when I'm just browsing, I prefer IE because it opens fast... and because I can type in local addresses and poof! it turns into windows explorer. Now that's magical.

[mitr]

Yeah, so is the case is with me. But, I guess that happens only when you're on Microsoft's Operating Systems. When you are on Mac or Linux or..., your default browser to open the system files would be different. Isn't it?
But one minus point with FF is that you can't view the temporary files that you visit through FF. I normally like to access them. Escpecially when I have to retrieve a pic or .swf file from the web sites that I have visited. With FF, you can't do that. And also there is a danger that the passwords you use on sites, if configured to be stored in FF, can be shown to anyone who can access your system. Beware with that.
I am looking for more. I guess some are using something unknown to most of us.

[Cota]

IE all the way.....I am probably the only Microsooft fan around......

[outlando]

I recently started using FF, and can't believe I've been using IE for so long! I find FF to be so much better - although running XP I still use IE for OS updates etc. Plus I still find lots of sites which don't render properly in FF (not that that is the browser's fault, of course).

I tried Netscape 8 for a while, because I liked the passcards feature, but it wouldn't let me save more than one passcard - and then tried to tell me that the one passcard I had was relevant to any page with forms that I visited!! Bizarre...

Looking forward to FF1.5 :cool:

[CyanBlue]

Lynx rocks... Uh... It rocked some time ago... :D

Got the FF 1.5 installed last night and I like it so far... and love the movable tabs... ;)

[outlando]

Just got FF1.5; niiice :D

[tg]

firefox for browsing the web.
ie for development and browsing the intranet at work.

firefox at home.

[snapple]

What are you all talking about? It's Opera all the way!!!

Regards, snapple

[tg]

It's Opera all the way!!!


i would probably use opera... it was the first to turn me on to tabs... but since i don't know the tool very well, and it doesn't seem to be easily customizable, i use firefox. the simplest browser to customize.

this is what my tool bar looks like in firefox:

if i could easily do that with opera, i probably would use it.

[Xeef]

IE all the way.....I am probably the only Microsooft fan around......

no are you not ! :p

i prefer IE also
i think mostly because i don't need to install it
i hate to install extra stoff wich is already there and FF, Opera ... has no such big advantage over IE (if any) to by worth to install


and i also think most PC will by PC :p (not MAC)
and most will run Win and not Linux
so the most spread browser is definetly IE

there are definetly more UNexperienced user then the opposite and they barely fight around with instalations !

[sfhazel]

Well, I think it's always good to have more than one browser installed, being a web designer/devloper. You gotta test to make sure you site isn't pooping on itself when other, less informed users, of other, less good browsers, happen to view it.

[Cota]

I agree, I do have FF installed also, but I only use it to test a site, nothing more..

[farafiro]

I like Opera the best (especialy now it's free), tried to move to FF for a while but I couldn't leave Opera

tg, see this image for my Opera toolbar

[Grant B]

I like Firefox...

You mentioned SWF's. In case you don't know - you can save them (or the initial ones) by going to tools, page info, media and locating the embed listing.

I used to run spybot and adaware all be it incorrectly...

Each time i ran them i would clean my system, then i would access the net using IE and run them again and loads of spyware and stuff would list. Happened a lot less using FF and the others.

When designing sites (Hobbie) I find Opera to sometimes differ from all of the others. But that happens with IE too sometimes.

I like Netscape's design, but it's a little slower for me than FF.

Also like FF web developer plugin/extension.

Haven't tried the latest IE with tabs yet, but I'll keep my fingers crossed and use it in the next windows release if it's proven to be secure enough.

So I would have continued using Internet Explorer apart from all of the security issues we were informed about and the lack of tabs after having tried all the other browsers. I have no other reason to not like Microsoft, just don't want too many complications.

[tg]

my favorite extension for firefox is sage.... its the first thing i open when i fire up the computer.

[oldnewbie]

I never though I'd admit it, but FireFox is great... Much better than IE!

[catbert303]

I like Opera the best (especialy now it's free), tried to move to FF for a while but I couldn't leave Opera

tg, see this image for my Opera toolbar

I like the skin you're using :)

I use Opera as my main browser too.

[farafiro]

my favorite extension for firefox is sage.... its the first thing i open when i fire up the computer.
what is that?/

[CyanBlue]

That's an RSS feed reader or sort...

[tg]

I never though I'd admit it, but FireFox is great
we never thought you would either. heh.

[tg]

another really nice extension for folks who want to learn css, it a css editor, that allows you to go to a web site that uses css, open their style sheet in the sidebar. so what you say?
well you can edit the css file and see the changes in the browser window. it the coolest thing since sliced bread for folks who want to see quick non-permenant changes to a site using css.

[senocular]

I use Firefox. The extensions I use most are:

Web Developer Extension
http://chrispederick.com/work/webdeveloper/
- View/edit CSS dynamically, validate html/css instantly, and quick access to displaying and disabling most all parts of the browser/page rendering (among many other things). Essential for a developer

IE Tab
https://addons.mozilla.org/extensions/moreinfo.php?application=firefox&id=1419
- View a webpage using IE directly within Firefox as an IE tab. Awesome for checking compatibility, at least between FF and IE. With this I've never needed to open IE.

--------

Speaking of browsers, does anyone know of a source code browser? Something that will let me browse pages seeing their source code? I can kind of do that in Dreamweaver using CTRL+D, but Id rather do it through a browser and by clicking.

[tg]

yeah... i love the first one you post there senocular... never tried the ie tab tho.

[mitr]

:eek: Oh no!! Where is my last post that I had posted y'day? I'll have to type all, once again. :(

In case you don't know - you can save them (or the initial ones) by going to tools, page info, media and locating the embed listing.
Thanx Grant. I didn't know that. Yeah, that would be a good one to save what you want. But, still somehow I think the IE way is better. Anyway, both have their own advantages and disadvantages.

Well Cota, I am also a good admirer of Windows/Microsoft products. i.e IE. One, like Xeef said, you don't have to install it when you are on Windows, which I am and I don't have broadband at home to download and install other browsers/applications. Two, most of the web sites are designed with IE as default browser for most net users and it provdes better compatiability.

"Lynx" something new I heard. I'll try that. I got Netscape, IE, FF and Opera on this system. I don't see much difference in all, except that IE don't support extra tabs(directly). So, FF is my default browser now.

[outlando]

Isn't Lynx a text-only browser? It used to run (and prolly still does) on my host's OpenBSD server.

[tg]

and its not new... been around a long time.... i think the lynx reference was originally a joke.

[sfhazel]

Isn't Lynx a text-only browser? It used to run (and prolly still does) on my host's OpenBSD server.

Woah. Imagine a Flash player for an All-Text browser. It would be the ultimate ASCII art/animation compiler.

[Flash Gordon]

FireFox baby, I find it to be MUCH fast than IE and it doesn't hog RAM like IE does.

However, next time a buy a new PC, I'll probably spend most of my time on Konquer. I have too much info on my current PC to risk partitioning it off.

[seeFresh]

Opera on my powerbook, IE or Firefox on the pc. I use firefox to browse, sometimes, but it has some problems with certain pages... I use IE to develop.

I hate microsoft, but IE is so stunning, it has no hangups or problems with any site that might in another browser.

[cahlan]

two things to try: FF and extensions.

Try them and you'll never go back.

[Headshotz]

I like FF but safari looks nicer.

[Flash Gordon]

Ok, check out my latest statistic (in my sig) of people web browser.

Does this look right to you all? FF looks way to high.

[Cota]

I'm still rooting for IE

[Headshotz]

Ok, check out my latest statistic (in my sig) of people web browser.

Does this look right to you all? FF looks way to high.

Yeow, thats cool.

[tg]

as close as its gonna get for me.... the ip address is not for my particular box, but for the company server that connects to the internet.

[tg]

@fg. i would imagine that if ff users viewed as.org using ie tab, then it would screw the ie numbers higher.

[sophistikat]

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/ie7/default.mspx

[Flash Gordon]

@fg. i would imagine that if ff users viewed as.org using ie tab, then it would screw the ie numbers higher.
hm.....I never heard of an IE tab for FF. Does it mask the browser like how Opera can parade as 3 different browser?

[tg]

don't know, but its good enough to fool a bunch of ie only sites.

like the windows update page.

[Headshotz]

don't know, but its good enough to fool a bunch of ie only sites.


Never encountered one of them...

[Flash Gordon]

Who the heck is still using FP 6?!

[Headshotz]

Oldskoolers

[Xeef]

Hmm

if you reinstall flash Mx it will install it !?

P.S

i have FP 8.5 but it shows FP8

[Flash Gordon]

I only record the first number, such as 8, 7, 6, or 5. Didn't get specific version.

Nevertheless, I'm still surprised with the FP numbers as well.

[sophistikat]

Flash Gordon, have you ran your app with regular users? I checked my dads labtop and he still has 6, my wifes' labtop has 7 and i'm stuck on 2 :D

[Flash Gordon]

wow!

No I haven't. Doesn't FP automatically update? So how the heck is your Dad still on 6?

But yeah the numbers will be screwed here. This is a development board. I'd expect higher number for FF and Opera and for FP than in the really world.

If you want the sources there are here:
http://actionscript.org/forums/showpost.php3?p=448029&postcount=23

I didn't include the FP scripts but I'm sure it is easy enough for anyone to add.

But yeah, it would be nice to put that script on Google or something to see what "real" people use.

[sophistikat]

No I haven't. Doesn't FP automatically update? So how the heck is your Dad still on 6?he only visits his own site and its in html, he also doesn't trust the internet and anytime FP pops up asking to update or not...he choses not too

[Cota]

he also doesn't trust the internet and anytime FP pops up asking to update or not...he choses not too
hahahahah.....no one trusts the internet..

[Headshotz]

FP1 = the bomb?

[Xeef]

is autoupdate not just since FP8 ?

[Xeef]

P.S

All properties of the System.capabilities object are read-only.

Availability: ActionScript 1.0; Flash Player 6

so the only way to detect 5 woud by if it returns undefined
if the rest of the script is working at all


to know FP8.5 woud by intresting because the only way to get it is to install
flex 2 beta

[Flash Gordon]

I'm using getVersion

[Xeef]

O.O


there is a "getVersion" ?!

:p

learned something new :)

[Flash Gordon]

var player = getVersion();
num = player.indexOf(" ", 0)+1;
player = Number(player.substr(num, 1));

[farafiro]

or as the getVersion() always comes in this format WIN 8,0,22,0
u can do it in 2 linesvar ver:String = getVersion()
var verNum = ver.charAt(4)

[Headshotz]

var ver vir vor vur ?


Im not helping

[Flash Gordon]

Well here are the Stats after about 20,000 hits.
Image attached:

[Headshotz]

FP5 got cut ;)

[goliatone]

wow, and ff is not that far away from ie...interesting.

[sophistikat]

wow, and ff is not that far away from ie...interesting.i think this only applies to web developers... i have a sister in college and another one in her last year of high school, they are, what i think, your typical internet users; they only use the software that comes with their computer. I have mentioned FF to them and had absolutly no idea what i was talking about nor do they know the name Netscape.

To get a better idea for the battle of browsers visit a like http://www.echoecho.com, scroll down a bit and look at their right column and you'll see that they keep track of such information (it hasn't been updated in a year) but you'll get the idea.

I think it would be more interesting if someone knows of a similar site but with last month stats or at least this years stats.

[sophistikat]

http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_stats.aspW3Schools is a website for people with an interest for web technologies. These people are more interested in using alternative browsers than the average user. The average user tends to use Internet Explorer, since it comes preinstalled with Windows. Most do not seek out other browsers. EDIT:
http://www.thecounter.com/stats/2006/February/browser.php
http://www.thecounter.com/stats/2006/January/browser.php

[goliatone]

yes, i think it only applies to web developers, you're right...and those links seem to confirm. And also im able to see that im not the only one that hates Netscape...hehe.
M$ will have the lead for a long time (if not ever...)

So, that 25% are all web developers? :D i knew there was compentece but wow...;)

[theDude78]

ff all the way, I use IE only to test a site, and that bugs me.

[Headshotz]

Who the heck is still using FP 6?!

Youd be surprised how many people havent upgraded.

[sophistikat]

101 things that the Mozilla browser can do that IE cannot.
http://www.xulplanet.com/ndeakin/arts/reasons.html

[mitr]

Haha!! You're surely a "sophistikat". Thanks for that 101 things.

I do like IE, or, should I say 'I don't hate IE'. But, since now I have FF, Netscape, and, Opera along with IE, I believe I am better with Opera. I remember I used to hate it once upon a time. But now, Opera guys did a lot of good work to change that.

If now I have to rate these browsers, I'll put Opera at top and Netscape at bottom (next to IE).

[Headshotz]

=d