Internet Explorer 7 vs. Firefox 2.0 vs. Opera 9 vs. Safari 3.0!!

[Omega Weapon]

Apple has compared the performances of Internet Explorer 7, Firefox 2.0 and Opera 9 to its own browser transitioned to Windows Vista and Windows XP and has concluded that Safari is top dog. The Cupertino-based company made Safari 3.0 available for download as a public beta on June 11, 2007, following an announcement by Apple Chief Executive Office Steve Jobs at the Worldwide Developers Conference 2007 in San Francisco. Apple has compared the four browsers and calculated the
HTML and JavaScript performances and the time it takes its product to launch. In every category of the benchmarks delivered by Apple, Safari 3.0 public beta came on top.

By accessing the image integrated toward the bottom you will be able to access graphics produced by Apple indicating what the company refers to as the "blazing performance" of Safari. As the benchmarks come directly from the Cupertino-based company, the results have to be taken with a grain of salt. After all, Apple also applauded Safari as secure from "day one" and in the browser's first day of availability on Windows Vista and Windows XP, independent security researchers dug up eight security vulnerabilities impacting the product.

"Performance measured in seconds. Testing conducted by Apple in June 2007 on a 2.16GHz Intel Core 2 Duo-based iMac system running Windows XP Professional SP2, configured with 1GB of RAM and an ATI Radeon X1600 with 128MB of VRAM. HTML and JavaScript benchmarks based on VeriTest’s iBench Version 5.0 using default settings. Testing conducted with a beta version of Safari; all other browsers were shipping versions. Performance will vary based on system configuration, network connection, and other factors," Apple revealed.

And Apple goes on to praise Safari as the fastest web browser on any platform, not just Mac OS X. "Blazing performance. The fastest web browser on any platform, Safari loads pages up to 2 times faster than Internet Explorer 7 and up to 1.6 times faster than Firefox 2. And it executes JavaScript up to 2.8 times faster than Internet Explorer 7 and up to 1.6 times faster than Firefox 2. What does all that mean for you? Less time loading pages and more time enjoying them," Apple added.

Apple touts the fact that Safari handles HTML content in just 2.14 seconds in comparison with 3.67 seconds for Firefox 2.0, 4.63 for IE7 and 6.22 for Opera 9. As far as JavaScript performance is concerned, the beta version of Safari managed the content in 0.88 seconds. In contrast, Firefox 2.0 took 1.72 seconds, IE7 2.48 and Opera 9 just 0.98 seconds. Additionally Safari 3.0 launches in 1.74 seconds, faster than Firefox 2.0 with 2.22, IE7 with 2.34 and Opera 9 with 1.82 seconds.

Now, what is your favorite web browser ?

[Victoria]

I still have to stick with FireFox.
Whether using OSX or Windows, I use FireFox. I've used Safari before, but I just prefer FF.

And Apple can say all that stuff about Safari, but... that's cause they made Safari. They're being biased. =\

[darkViVi]

Heh don't get Safari for Windows
It got hacked 3 minutes after launch, yes three minutes
And then it got hacked two more times. haha

That aside, there's not a browser I really like, IE sucks, and will always keep sucking. Firefox is a little resourcehog plus it can't handle CSS, Opera can't handle CSS either and Maxthon 2 doesn't come in Norwegian... Bleh..

Opera is the fastest browser of the ones I mentioned but it's too basic, though that'll make it safer..

[Angantyr]

Most programs are resource hogs, that seems to be the major complaint about Firefox, and this was a guy who had 8gb Ram... rather pointless if you ask me.

Eitherway FireFox wins by far, as mentioned Safari was hacked in 3 minutes so I wouldn't trust it. Only draw back with FF is it doesn't see CSS code which makes some stuff weird, kind of wonder why they didn't implement it. Other than that I have 1.2gb ram and it runs almost perfectly.

[Omega Weapon]

Great Writer Vicky, darkViVi and Winter, Thank you for your posts.

Currently, FireFox is my favorite web browser, I was using Internet Explorer 7, It has a great interface but doesn't works great with Windows XP.
Opera sucks, nothing special and you have to pay at least $25 dollars to register ! besides IE, FF and Safari are free, there is no meaning to use Opera.

Safari, I have to try it but I guess FireFox would be better

[Crazy Chocobo]

I have Firefox and always will probably because I love it. I haven't tried the new IE because I don't want to. I have had IE in the past and it is hopeless in my opinion, it is so slow and doesn't run as good as Firefox. Firefox is quick, simple to use and doesn't annoy me. Opera 9 would probably be alright as well, it's reliable but it took ages to start up on my computer when I had it.

Good ole Firefox does the trick for me, I won't be changing anytime soon. IE = a big NO from me. I am never going back to it. Firefox 2.0 pwns all.

[Kaos_Dragon]

I love Firefox. It's just a really great browser.

I use Safari when I'm on a mac only because the only other optional browsers that are on there, for the macs I used at my school, was Internet Exploder. I despise that browser. It's the worst when it comes to popups and it just makes my journals look out of whack.

I used Opera once and hated it. So my vote goes to.........Firefox

[Victoria]

25$ to "register" Opera? -_-;

Yeah. That's why nobody registers. Opera's free. Registering is a waste of money. It doesn't do anything. =\

I've used Opera. It sucks. =(

[Omega Weapon]

I guess FireFox is taking the lead now

I have had IE in the past and it is hopeless in my opinion

In my opinion, IE is one of the best web browsers, IE 7 is doing great at Windows Vista, Actually its doing better than FireFox, But we still like FireFox because its so simple to use, You can simply clear your whole private data by one click !

Anyway, I just want to give ( FireFox Fans ) a small gift

Thank you for your posts guys!

[darkViVi]

Most programs are resource hogs, that seems to be the major complaint about Firefox, and this was a guy who had 8gb Ram... rather pointless if you ask me.
.

Well, I multitask, often with games in the background, so right now I use Opera if I'm running a game and Firefox if I'm not. Anyway Opera is a faster browser.
And there are browsers that uses 10 megs of RAM, Firefox uses 60 at best with one tab...

Whats so bad with Opera anyway? It's faster, more secure and uses less resources than Friefox... Isn't that what Firefox users are bragging about?

[Omega Weapon]

And there are browsers that uses 10 megs of RAM, Firefox uses 60 at best with one tab...
Whats so bad with Opera anyway? It's faster, more secure and uses less resources than Friefox... Isn't that what Firefox users are bragging about?

But your vote went to FireFox , It seems you like Opera alot!
Anyway, Opera is not faster but more secure, FireFox had many security issues in its first versions but now, FireFox is %100 secure.

Opera has many features but I believe in Apple's statistics, Opera HTML Performance is great and took the highest score but Java Script Performance is truly sucks. Application Launch is not important since you have a high-speed PC

I was taking a quick tour at Download.com looking for FireFox and Opera:

Editor's review of FireFox : 5 Stars Rating * * * * *

A skillful and secure Web-surfing tool

Even though Internet Explorer dominates the Web browser market, you might wonder why if you spend some time with Mozilla Firefox. This light and nimble Web wonder brought tabbed browsing into the mainstream (IE7 recently jumped on the bandwagon) and offers countless ways to customize it through extensions and themes. Drag-and-drop tabs with individual close buttons help keep your content organized the way you like, and you can further streamline your browsing through the use of extensive hot keys. You'll find all of the regular options and features required for surfing the Web in the default setup, but the groundbreaking features come with the thousands of third-party extensions. Likewise, if you don't like the look of the default interface, there are hundreds of slick themes to use, though many weren't updated for version 2 at its release. Firefox is the perfect browser for those involved with Web design and coding. A JavaScript debugger comes standard, and Firefox displays the page-source code in a new window, using indents and color-coded tags similar to an HTML editor. The built-in pop-up blocker works great for most sites, and new antiphishing protections and enhanced security for extensions are in the version 2 release. Anyone looking for a full-featured browser with seemingly endless ways to customize should download this powerhouse.

Editor's review of Opera : 5 Stars Rating * * * * *

Speedy and Safe
The premise of Opera has always been the same--develop the fastest, smallest, and most full-featured browser available--and the latest version maintains the tradition. Opera has all the basics covered, including tabbed browsing with mouse-over preview, a search bar, advanced bookmarking tools, and simple integration with your favorite e-mail and chat clients. Mouse-gesture support, keyboard shortcuts, and drag-and-drop functionality further enhance your surfing experience.
With solid basics, Opera's extra features push it to the top of the class. Integrated theme support lets you preview themes from within the interface so you know what you're getting before you download. Widgets (akin to Mac OS X dashboard applications) are small, useful programs that appear in a window from any app while Opera is running. The Wand utility combines autofill with saved passwords. We really like the addition of torrent support and real-time fraud protection for safer browsing.
A new feature in version 9.2, Speed Dial, permanently assigns bookmarks and tabs any digit from one through nine. When you enter one of those numbers into the URL bar, the corresponding site loads when you hit enter. Overall, we think Opera might have what it takes to unseat even the biggest-name browsers if users give it the opportunity. Opera is a must-download for those looking for a full-featured browser with added extras.

If want to take a look at the Most Popular Web Browsers Downloads List:

• Mozilla Firefox
  
  63,343 downloads
• Avant Browser
  
  35,315 downloads
• Internet Explorer
  
  19,321 downloads
• Opera
  
  15,989 downloads
• Slim Browser
  
  8,323 downloads

FireFox total downloads : 10,378,694
Opera's total downloads : 6,785,455

Make your choice !

[Casanova[OCAU]]

To be honest, I like the interface of safari a lot better than FF or iexplorer. Whilst I don't buy into the resourse hog argument, given I have two gigs of ram for usage, iexplore 7 is too buggy for my liking. I like the range of extensions available for firefox.

As of now, I'm using firefox, but I do love safari.

[Zardoch]

I have yet to actually try Opera, but when I downloaded and installed it I couldn't get it to work. Probably my own computer being the regular POS it usually is. But besides that ever since I got firefox I haven't wanted to change to any other browser and even got most of my family into using it. It's funny though because I use to be a huge explorer fan before switching to firefox and now it just feels so primitive when I have to go into explorer to get/do something.

Eventually I will get Opera to work, but until then FF will be in my heart

[Omega Weapon]

]To be honest, I like the interface of safari a lot better than FF or iexplorer. Whilst I don't buy into the resourse hog argument, given I have two gigs of ram for usage, iexplore 7 is too buggy for my liking. I like the range of extensions available for firefox.
As of now, I'm using firefox, but I do love safari.

Yeah, FireFox extensions are great, I am using
FasterFox, Download Status Bar, ImageShack right-click upload and GMail checker
Actually this is a great ability, everyday hundreds and hundreds of extensions are available to download. This ability is missing in Opera and Safari but IE7 has it but not that popular.

I have yet to actually try Opera, but when I downloaded and installed it I couldn't get it to work. Probably my own computer being the regular POS it usually is. But besides that ever since I got firefox I haven't wanted to change to any other browser and even got most of my family into using it. It's funny though because I use to be a huge explorer fan before switching to firefox and now it just feels so primitive when I have to go into explorer to get/do something.
Eventually I will get Opera to work, but until then FF will be in my heart

You better keep FireFox in your heart, Opera is great but FireFox is awesome

Now, Lets take a look at CNet Download.com reviews for Safari and IE7:

Editor's review of Safari : 3 Stars Rating ***

Apple has published a Windows version of their native browser. No, the sky has not fallen and we have yet to see the spontaneous evolution of avian bacon.

What we do have is a major software publisher porting their heretofore mono-platform browser with decidedly lukewarm results. Much like iTunes, the Windows version of the Mac app works fine but lacks a certain tightness. It feels unfinished because it is.

Safari beta lacks most customization features. Skins and other aesthetic options exist in the Mac version, but not here. Hopefully that feature will come later. Just about the only thing you can alter is the font. Toolbar icons can be swapped in and out, but the Customize option is only accessible from the Menu bar. If you like right-clicking your way to a shapelier browser, Safari's going to make you feel fat and ugly.

Safari does load pages quickly and didn't have any problems rendering Flash, although it crashed several times on Vista while processing Java. It's a memory sink, too, sometimes using three times as much RAM as Firefox when more than a couple tabs were opened. Tab sessions are savable--well, they would be savable, if the Reopen All Windows option under History worked. The built-in Roboform is buggy, and although there are plenty of extensions for the Mac Safari, that functionality hasn't been ported over, either.

Having a Safari engine to work with is a great boon for developers. For the average user, though, we'd recommend taking your browser hunt to more familiar grounds.

Editor's review of Internet Explorer : 4 Stars Rating ****

Microsoft's next iteration of Internet Explorer is predictably a solid contender in the browser category. A sleeker and more spare interface will have some old IE users running for the preferences, but even with fewer buttons the new IE works fine right out of the gate. The adoption of tabs is a welcome change for more efficient browsing, and the Quick Tabs feature is an especially nice touch for viewing the contents of all of your tabs in one window. The addition of a RSS feed manager is nice for news addicts, blog fans, and hobbyists, but we would like a way to search for RSS feeds beyond only adding the ones we come across. We also like the integrated search bar that offers a pull-down menu, letting you add your favorite search engines and sites quickly.

A welcome addition is an antiphishing option to check a site's legitimacy, which you can enable at first launch. While Internet Explorer doesn't offer the user-made plug-ins, themes, and extensions found in other browsers such as Firefox and Opera, there are several useful plug-ins you can choose from at Microsoft's Web site. Finally, security concerns with what will undoubtably be the most used Web browser are always an important consideration, but with the proper security programs, most people will be able to surf safely. Overall, we find the latest version of Microsoft's megabrowser to be a fine way to browse the Web, with the addition of many long-awaited features that make the entire Web experience more efficient and enjoyable.

In my opinion I guess that FireFox will stay on top, Opera has a stable number of users, IE7 is losing it shine and Safari will be ignored...

[Secret Azn Man]

You people don't seem to realize that Safari 3 for Windows was released mainly to tie in with the upcoming iPhone. Apple limits 3rd party iPhone apps to web based apps only that runs in Safari. Since the iPhone, Mac OS X, and now Windows will run the same browser, this is a huge incentive to use and develop for Safari. If you own an iPhone, you'll most likely use Safari like you would with iPod and iTunes.

[Victoria]

Actually I knew that much, but I don't really plan on getting an iPhone anyway, so I didn't take that into consideration in my post. Though, I have recently discovered a modified version of FireFox called LoliFox. *cough*

But anyway... I do see the use of Safari increasing as people buy iPhones. You know they'll get'em. They're shiny. They're new. They're...i.

[Omega Weapon]

You people don't seem to realize that Safari 3 for Windows was released mainly to tie in with the upcoming iPhone. Apple limits 3rd party iPhone apps to web based apps only that runs in Safari. Since the iPhone, Mac OS X, and now Windows will run the same browser, this is a huge incentive to use and develop for Safari. If you own an iPhone, you'll most likely use Safari like you would with iPod and iTunes.

Maybe, But we are talking about Windows web browsers, Forget about iPhone and Mac now, Who is going to use Safari on his iPhone will use it on his Windows too but since we are not planning to buy iPhones we simply find Safari pointless.

[Casanova[OCAU]]

I've used the windows version of safari for a little while now, and it's quite buggy. Doesn't feel as polished as the mac one did.

[Omega Weapon]

]I've used the windows version of safari for a little while now, and it's quite buggy. Doesn't feel as polished as the mac one did.

I ve used the Windows version of Safari!! This browser has the same interface of mac but take a look at the attached image..NO MENUS!!!!

I guess Safari has alot of issue but since I don't have the ****ing menus I am not gonna be able to give it a full try so...uninstalling it is my only choice

[ultima_trev]

Anyway, Opera is not faster but more secure, FireFox had many security issues in its first versions but now, FireFox is %100 secure.

You are deceiving yourself if you believe any computer system and/or solution is 100% secure. While one may possess the latest patches for their OS and applications, no matter how first rate they may appear to be, it's only a matter of time until someone finds a vulnerability, all the while you just better hope it's one of software debuggers who will issue a patch rather than a cracker breaking into your system.

I do prefer Firefox, but only marginally over Opera. Safari and IE on the other hand can suck my balls.

[Omega Weapon]

A New Version of FireFox Available For Download!

The 2.0.0.5 release being available for download for any user. The latest version of the application comes with a lot of fixes that are meant to improve the security of the users browsing the Internet with Firefox. Secunia rated all the flaws as highly critical saying the only solution to avoid successful exploitation is to install the latest version of the program. Mozilla's browser is currently involved into an important battle with the rival built by Microsoft, Internet Explorer that tries to steal the same category of users.

To update your FireFox, Go to Help and click on Check For Update just in case your automatically-update option is not marked !

Fixed in Firefox 2.0.0.5

MFSA 2007-25 XPCNativeWrapper pollution.
MFSA 2007-24 Unauthorized access to wyciwyg:// documents.
MFSA 2007-23 Remote code execution by launching Firefox from Internet Explorer.
MFSA 2007-22 File type confusion due to %00 in name.
MFSA 2007-21 Privilege escallation using an event handler attached to an element.
MFSA 2007-20 Frame spoofing while window is loading.
MFSA 2007-19 XSS using addEventListener and setTimeout.
MFSA 2007-18 Crashes with evidence of memory corruption.

[Rinoa.Heartilly]

If it supports CSS and modern web coding, I'm pretty much alright with any browser. But seeing as lots of browsers pretty much fuck up CSS and any programming language that isn't html or html based, its irritating. I know there have been updates, but I've seen Safari screw up my CSS in places it didn't want to be screwed. If you want to see different interpretation of the same site, just use each of the 4 browsers mentioned in the title. IE looks the best out of them all, and to be honest I sometimes code with IE in mind because a lot of people use it because its the standard windows browser.

If you want a cruddy browser, use the Playstation 3 browser. There's something Sony should never be proud of. My site looks like a bunch of broken links and pictures in that thing, and only 1 of the iframes shows up. Mehh. I need to find someway to get a different browser for it.

[Crazy Chocobo]

I despise IE so bad, I clicked on a link today off of my Windows Live email and a box came up and then it would just keep loading the same page over and over again. It had a HEAP of tabs by the time the computer decided to get rid of it. It slowed my computer down and I was about ready to delete IE, it's utter trash in my opinion and I barely ever use it.

Long live Firefox! It's such a great browser and I don't think I have had any problems with it at all ever since I got it. I even introduced my brother to it, telling him it's a lot better than IE. It's quicker, more reliable and very simple to use. Plus you can add things on to it. I don't think I will ever change browsers because Firefox is just wonderful. Opera is alright too but I found it wasn't as fast as Firefox either.

[some guy]

I use the good ol' Firefox, cos I.....I dont know i rekon it stores passwords better......and I like the delete history short cut, and just rekon its better. but then again mine keeps f**king up so now im using IE

[Anthiena]

I like Firefox best of all, but I'm going to guess that some supergeek will hack together a PS3-friendly Firefox. I know they got RedHat Linux for it (I think.... I might be wrong...) so getting FF for a PS3 might not be too far off...