What browser is best for OS X Lion? Chrome or Safari? I like the speed, full screen and smooth zooming on Safari but idk if chrome is better. Which ones do you guys use and why?
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Which is the better internet browser for Lion?
- Thread starter ZacNicholson
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I use firefox personally, I have for quite a while and I am accustomed to its layout, features, etc. I have never been too big a fan of Chrome myself, and Safari lacks a couple features that I prefer not to go without.
If you like your memory usage, Chrome. Safari eats RAM like Rosie O'Donnell at Golden Corral.
i downloaded chrome and the full screen is weird and the zooming in is kinda laggy. and idk how to get out of full screen there is no arrow next to the spotlight. it does seem to be a bit faster.
Shift+Cmd+F or View > Exit Full Screen
It looks like Google needs to update Chrome to work properly with Lion full screen
If you use firefox, make sure you use 5.0.1. Apparently 5.0 kept crashing for me for no apparent reason. After updating to 5.0.1, the crashes stopped.
Safari is fast too, but I never got used to the interface. I only use Safari for Netflix since Firefox 5 used 64-bit and the Silverlight plug in only use 32-bit.
Safari is fast too, but I never got used to the interface. I only use Safari for Netflix since Firefox 5 used 64-bit and the Silverlight plug in only use 32-bit.
Is that really so? I like Safari a lot and have used it as my default browser ever since I switched back to Mac a couple of years ago (even under Windows).
The "Top Sites" feature alone, along with cover flow history, is something I personally don't want to miss anymore.
Before that, Firefox was my favorite browser, no doubt.
Yes, Safari is a memory hog. The posted usage is on the low side.
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I like that expression
but has anyone actually ever seen Rosie O'Donnell at the Golden Corral?
Chrome has better extensions and the omnibar is much better solution than separate address and search bars.
Safari has a better download dialog but requires Glims to make its features anywhere even close to Firefox or Chrome. Safari doesn't handle wrongly typed urls well, just throws an error page with a search field at the bottom.
I go between the two on a whim. For most users either will be just fine, it comes down to preferences.
Safari has a better download dialog but requires Glims to make its features anywhere even close to Firefox or Chrome. Safari doesn't handle wrongly typed urls well, just throws an error page with a search field at the bottom.
I go between the two on a whim. For most users either will be just fine, it comes down to preferences.
I disagree, Safari for me has never reached those levels. It runs sweet as a nut.
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Always been a Chrome user but after installing Lion very happy using Safari. The full screen UI and the way it beds into the OS is really great. The new gestures and UI in Safari make it very good to use.
Chrome needs an update to better suit Lion. I know Chrome also has full screen and that but doesn't play nice with mission control atm.
Chrome needs an update to better suit Lion. I know Chrome also has full screen and that but doesn't play nice with mission control atm.
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You can run FF in 32-bit by selecting 'open in 32-bit mode' in the info view (cmd+i) for the app in finder. I didn't notice any speed difference between 64-bit and 32-bit.
That's great for you. The numbers don't lie on my system. I'm sure every situation is different, but the consensus is that Safari uses a lot of RAM.
I'm have 8GB, so I don't notice any slowdown, and it is kept open all day.
In my experience Chrome uses more RAM than Safari when you have lots of tabs (you have to count the separate Chrome processes for each tab along with the main app in Activity Monitor). Also, the omnibar is not very responsive for me on a 2.4GHz Mini.
The only browser that seems to keep its RAM usage in check with many tabs is OmniWeb. With 45+ tabs open, I'm under 400MB. With Safari or Chrome, it woud easily be in the 700+ range.
The only browser that seems to keep its RAM usage in check with many tabs is OmniWeb. With 45+ tabs open, I'm under 400MB. With Safari or Chrome, it woud easily be in the 700+ range.
I like Safari on Lion because of the support for gestures (especially double tap to zoom), speed and overall integration with the OS.
A japanese web browser which support more multitouch gestures.
It is fun
There is an English version of that too. I've got it on my iPad.
Gee. Everyone has recommended every browser known to man in a post asking for "the best". Imagine that.
I can't see the point of changing from Safari unless there are serious problems. I use Safari all the time on a MP and a MBP with no problems.
I prefer Firefox & Firebug when I am testing new websites but Safari, I find, is great for everything else.
So what if it is a memory hog. Unless you are short of memory then why worry? I have 6gb & 4gb on my two machines and have never noticed any problems under SL or Lion.
I prefer Firefox & Firebug when I am testing new websites but Safari, I find, is great for everything else.
So what if it is a memory hog. Unless you are short of memory then why worry? I have 6gb & 4gb on my two machines and have never noticed any problems under SL or Lion.
Chrome hasn't been made fully Lion-compatible quite yet. I mean, it runs fine, but the fullscreen mode still doesn't use the same method as other apps, as you found out. For the time being, you have to go to "View" > "Exit full screen mode" quit full screen mode.
Once that feature is fixed, I'd have to say Chrome is hands-down the best browser to use. It loads webpages the fastest, has way more extensions and flexibility than Safari, uses less resources than Firefox, and tends to be best at accurately rendering HTML. Some of the fancier HTML5 code that runs on Safari's version of the webkit rendering engine doesn't work in Chrome, but that's only because Apple is implementing features and animations that have barely been standardized yet. So for the other 99% of web content (basically every site other than Apple.com), Chrome reigns supreme.
Gee. Everyone has recommended every browser known to man in a post asking for "the best". Imagine that.
Certainly a better situation than, say, 5-10 years ago!