The Definitive "BEST BROWSER" thread

[saud_o1]

firefox doesn't open links properly from emails...

check out the extensions, they might help

extensions

[Crazysah]

I have been a hardcore Firefox (Firebird, Phoenix, etc) user since it was 0.1 but the other day I downloaded and tried out Avant Browser for the first time ever. I have tried MyIE2 and didn't like it so I just assumed I wouldn't like Avant either. How wrong was I! I LOVE Avant! It is awesome. Yes it uses IE so still has some issues regarding security but I have tweaked my settings so it isn't as insecure. I still have Firefox installed just for surfing some of those "dodgy" sites :ninja:

There are 2 things I love about Avant more than anything else. These are a proxy list! My ISP (NTL) have several local proxies that I can use. I like to be able to switch if one of the proxies is a bit slow however before (in IE and Firefox) I had to go into the options and change it by deleting the old one and typing in a new one. Very annoying as I do this almost daily. With Avant I have a button on the taskbar and I can click it to get a menu of all the other proxies :woot: Genius idea! This is also great at work for using different proxies for different things, eg the US proxy to get to US areas on the network, the gigibit proxy for MSDN and the standard 100Mbit proxy for internet :)

The second thing is the tabs. I love the way it has an MDI instead of just tabs. It is great for side by side surfing. So nice when buying stuff online as it makes surfing several sites very easy as you can just press the "align vertical" button at the top and it does it for you however it does it in the Avant browser window unlike if you do this from the taskbar which makes it uses the whole screen!

Avant > Firefox IMO. Great bit of software and free!

Same here! I love Avant Browser and its tabs. It just rules.

[Jambooo]

Firefox? I don't see what all the fuss is about to be honest.

I'm sticking with IE..

[Elliott]

i like safari because of the tab browsing. but it's got compatibility issues that IE doesn't have. really dont see what's so special about mozilla, just a dumb craze! thunderbird is the worst email client ever by the way.

If a site looks wrong in Safari, I would suggest validating it through some W3C tests. You'll probably find the site isn't valid, and therefore displaying wrong in Safari. If you find a perfectly valid site, you'll probably find it displays incorrectly in IE unless it's been hacked up the wazoo with awful fixes. ;)

[LingeringSoul]

Netscape, baby!

Seriously though, I've just recently been converted to Mozilla Firefox. I found out about it competely by accident through my regular web surfing routine. I was quite angry at the moment with Internet Explorer (some stupid Lycos spyware found its way in and I couldn't get rid of it), so I decided to give it a try. I was skeptical at first, with all the websites out there that are designed for use with Internet Explorer, so I was expected a broken mess that would be unusable for most sites with order forms and that sort of thing.

Wow, was I ever wrong. Firefox has quickly become my default browser, and I've already converted my sister over to Firefox, and I've told my brother about it too. Faster loading speed, built in popup stopper, so many skins available, and tabbed browsing.

K-Meleon isn't bad either. It's the IE alternative I used on my notebook, only because I didn't know about Firefox at the time. It's a good solid browser that works for most sites and never gave me any real headaches.

[Smartweb]

Firefox? I don't see what all the fuss is about to be honest.

I'm sticking with IE..

Did you even try it?

[SENSEY]

MYIE2(Maxthon) The best! ;)

[Eisbaer]

I have used IE for years, never liked Netscape and then Firefox appeared on my horizon - love it, have had no issues with it, am not getting any pop up ads and have not had any crashes :)

[Blade2004]

Used Ie for years and I am now using Firefox :D

[krmathis]

My vote goes to Mozilla Firefox! ;)

With Safari #2 and Camno #3...

[null_]

In my order of preference:

Windows: Mozilla Firefox, Avant Browser

Mac OS X: Safari, Camino, Mozilla Firefox

[Marshalus Veteran]

* Moved to new Web Browser Discussion forum.

Firefox all the way.

[Chode]

This post, been the 1337 post, supports Opera.

[Monkey Man]

Has to be Firefox!

[Crazysah]

Where is Avant Browser?

It's based on IE right?

[Jeffredo]

Opera is defintely the most polished, feature-packed browser out there. I only use the browser (M2 mail client really isn't to my liking). Here are some of the features I like best:

1. Imaze Zoom (20% to 1000%)

2. The Wand password manager

3. Fast Forward and Rewind

4. F12 key to change pop-up, cookie, Java, image and user agent settings.

5. Infinitly configurable GUI

6. 240 (and counting) different skins.

And lest I forget - great speed! And I haven't even scratched the surface of what Opera offers.

:)

[mswarts]

Let's compare Opera to Firefox based on Jeffredo's post:

1. Firefox has it as an extension (not everybody needs that functionality)

2. Firefox has it as an extension (not everybody needs that functionality)

3. Huh? I don't even understand that feature...

4. Tools>Options...>Web Features

5. Firefox is open source (the very definition of infinite configuration)

6. I'm scared. Isn't it better to have the default skin be beautiful?

Opera is fast, but isn't that ad at the top annoying? Doesn't paying $40 kinda suck? Isn't cracking it illegal?

[Jeffredo]

I don't mind paying for good software! :)

1. Firefox's image zoom is a lot less configurable as far as degree of zoom.

2. The wand password manager is far superior to a Mozilla based in that it recognizes password sites that a Moz password manager won't (Hotmail, Yahoo! mail). Also, it can save a password for an entire server, so if there are multiple login sites you don't have to set up a password for each.

3. Fast Forward and Rewind work something like this: If you go to a website, click on a link, then click on two or three more from there, "Rewind" with one click will return you to the starting page (instead of hitting "back" a half dozen times). Fast Forward anticpates where you are going based on what you have clicked so far and advances you to the next page. I don't use it nearly as much.

4. I would much rather hit F12 than have to navigate through a menu tree! ;)

5. & 6. Being Open Source has nothing to do with how configurable a GUI or interface is. Oh yeah, the default skin is fine, but variety is the spice of life! :)

[vcv]

Jeffredo, good post. You listed some of operas best features that are not available in firefox or not as good.

Rewind/Fast Fwd is one of my favorite features. It's GREAT for browsing open directories! Simply go to a url that is a directory listing, and hit FF or do the forward mouse gesture, and bam! it goes to the first image. do it again and it goes to the next image listed. Can firefox do this? NO.

5. Firefox is open source (the very definition of infinite configuration)

I am a professional programmer, and not even I would be able to EASILY configure firefox's source. It would take weeks to study and get a feel for, JUST so you can modify it. With opera, you can completely customize all the toolbars and menus without editing the source code. Just edit the file or do it via options. It's SIMPLE. Again, you can't do this EASILY with firefox (the menus at least).

Now, let's review some of the other features. Yes, I know a lot of these are available as extensions in Firefox. But let's face it, sometimes the extensions simply are not as good as the original. All-in-one mouse gestures works good, as well as the tabbed browser extensions, but beyond that, the extensions that try to emulate opera features are simply not as good.

Sessions

Opera lets you save a collection of open pages as a session, allowing for retrieval on later start-ups, or in the middle of another session. Opera can also be set up to start with the pages you had open when the browser was last closed. So if opera crashes (I haven't had it crash on me in 2 months), it can reopen all the pages you were looking at.

Multiple languages

You can just download a language file and install it, and bam! foreign language. Does firefox offer this? I honestly haven't looked.

Images

Images are easily toggled on and off. You may also choose to display only cached images, thus speeding up page loading.

User mode

Opera lets the user selectively override parts of the styles set by the author to make pages more legible.

User style sheets

Opera comes with a set of ready-made style sheets that can be used to override a Web site's set style completely -- for increased accessibility, or just for the fun of it. You may of course also make and include your own user style sheets.

Cacheing

The way opera caches pages allows it to display just viewed pages almost instantly. This is great for reading the newest threads at a forum without losing track... and do it with such quickness. Like ninja. If I start to read a thread and decide it sucks, I do the rocking gesture and bam, in under half a second (usually instantly), im viewing the thread listing again.

-----

Oh, and for the record, I use both browsers. Opera at home, firefox at work.

[xxdesmus]

IE user for a long time, started using opera, hated the bloat, back to IE, then I got onto Firefox and have loved it since ;) it just keeps getting better

[vcv]

IE user for a long time, started using opera, hated the bloat, back to IE, then I got onto Firefox and have loved it since ;) it just keeps getting better

Oh, you mean those oh maye 5-6 toolbars and panels you can right-click and choose "remove"?

Otherwise, I simply don't understand what you mean by "bloat".. because opera is not.

[TrickFinlay2]

FF but i wanted to try opera

[vcv]

Let me just stage that Firefox is NOT for everyone. The same goes for Opera. I enjoy Opera because I've been using it since 3.x and I know the ins and outs, all the features.. and it is simply better when you learn it all. Firefox is better for people who are just switching over probably, and dont want to waste any time configuring to their liking.

[Rushnak]

Firefox ALL THE WAY!

• - Excellent features
  - Nice and clean look
  - Skinnable
  - Uses less resources then most browsers
  - Overall a bloody good browser
  

P.S - Opera is junk :yes:

[couture]

I recently 'switched' from opera to firefox. I have to admit I didn't see what all the hype was about. I have used it for almost a month and I haven't switched to any other browser yet. Very happy with firefox, it's now my default browser. :yes: