Best web browser for my mac?

[Jason Beck]

I am switching back to safari. I have only been using macs for 2 months, previously a lifelong pc user, and i of course started with safair when I got my macbook. I installed firefox because i heard it was good, and it progressively has only gotten slower. I don't have a lot of addons either. The slow start is also irritating. I have been contemplating going back to safari usage mainly.

 

[splitpea]

And yet you claim Firefox is "a dog of a browser" when I've never had any problems with it. I guess people just have different experiences.

Firefox performance depends heavily on the extensions you have installed. A naked installation of Firefox isn't quite as snappy as Safari or Camino, but is perfectly usable.

Once I install Tab Mix Plus (which I find essential for usability), plus Firebug and the Web Developer Toolkit (which are the reasons I'd use Firefox over another browser in the first place) it starts to crawl.

 

[skye12]

The new Firefox 3.5.4 is much quicker than older versions. Use it primarily.
Safari is ok but don't use too often. You just get used to a browsers style.

 

[BigMacLoven]

Thanks for all the advise, and info on all the browsers. I wanted this information so I wouldn't have to waste anytime or space adding another browser on my computer.

Honestly, safari hasn't let me down so far, so I guess what I'm implying is, "Don't fix it, if it's not broken."

The only thing about safari is, I hate not being able to customize the looks of my tool bar... I'm searching through pimpmysafari.com... any suggestions?

 

[Jayomat]

Safari is quick and has a clean, simple interface.

Firefox can get annoying with all of the extensions and add-ons that need updating all the time.

Both are in my dock, but Safari is used 99% of the time. I've removed other web browsers from the dock - Opera, Chrome, etc.

Opera is cool and has a lot of built-in functionality, but I found myself using Safari majority of the time due to MobileMe and 1Password support (though 1Password works with other browsers), as well as being fast and uncluttered.

I've read about some people complaining about Safari crashing all the time for them. Not sure what the cause is because Safari has rarely crashed on me and I use it daily with my computer on for at least a week at a time.

first of all, you don't have to install any of them. secondly, add-ons get updated on startup automatically, if necessary.. you just have to hit "restart to install" and you're fine.. dunno what should be annying about that..

 

[Zedsdead185]

I find safari far superior to Firefox in my opinion. Firefox feels slow and clunky, whereas Safari is much smoother and really feels like its built into the machine. I know you can't get addons or change the themes of safari, but i've never needed to so it suits my needs perfectly.

 

[fuziwuzi]

I used to love Firefox, but I couldn't live with the slow speeds, beach balls, and terrible performance. Firefox used to be great on the Mac, but now Safari blows Firefox away in speed and stability. Safari is a no brainer for anyone who wants speed on the Internet. I don't care for all the plugins that destroy speed either. About half of them cause crashing bigtime, especially with the 32/64 bit thing SL is now going through.

Go Safari!

i have sworrn by firefox for ages. but recently i have been playing with other browsers, and switched to safari. it's much liter and faster than FF. i never realised firefox was slow :/

Just wondering, in all seriousness, does Safari have addons, like Firefox does?

not the same amoung, but i switched to safari when i found a tab and adblock add-on for it.

stainless is by far the fastest!!!!

but I use safari, IDK why though... lol I just like it

stainless if a port, and is not a native OSX app. there are developer versions of google chrome for mac, you should try those.
http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/10962684

 

[fuziwuzi]

first of all, you don't have to install any of them. secondly, add-ons get updated on startup automatically, if necessary.. you just have to hit "restart to install" and you're fine.. dunno what should be annying about that..

yeah, but it's very 'windows' in it's implementation.

firstly it blocks you going straight into forefox with a nag window. then forces you to wait as i updates one app after the other (not all at once, even though i have adsl2, there is a lag with each update as it connects to the server, and since they don't all update at once, you have to wait through teh lag of each one).

then it doesn't auto restart, and will wait there until you click restart. it's not totally easy, intuitive or automatic, and if you want to get into firefox quickly and skip the update, and forget to update while it's open, you get nagged again next reboot.

it's hardly an optimal implementation.

 

[mac-ho]

browsers

I keep a couple spares in the dock (Opera, Camino) in case Safari is having a bad day.

 

[cmcbridejr]

I keep a couple spares in the dock (Opera, Camino) in case Safari is having a bad day.

Yeah, I used to keep a few other web browsers in my dock for when I came across a site that doesn't work well with Safari. However, I rarely find a site that doesn't work with Safari, and so, I rarely use any other web browser since Safari is my preference.

So, I have taken them out of the dock and I now use Spotlight to bring them up quickly if I need them. After all, the dock should be reserved for only the most used applications.

 

[boston44]

I think if you have a mac, you have to use safari. My favorite browser by far.

 

[Eric S.]

I think if you have a mac, you have to use safari.

Thankfully that's not true.

My favorite browser by far.

From this thread you can see that others prefer another choice.

 

[SkyBell]

Firefox all the way for me. Safari seems to hate PowerPC machines and runs terribly slow. FF is always quick and responsive. Plus, you know, the thousands of useful add-ons Firefox has compared to Safari's limited options make it that much easier to choose.

 

[Bennieboy©]

firefox is great depending on how you use it, it shouldnt be too heavy on ya system depending what plug ins and add ons you have installed,
though for sheer speed, im still waiting for chrome lol, used it on vista and wow it flew!!

 

[Happy Luppy]

Definitely FF because the addons are a big plus for me

 

[Eric S.]

Firefox all the way for me. Safari seems to hate PowerPC machines and runs terribly slow. FF is always quick and responsive. Plus, you know, the thousands of useful add-ons Firefox has compared to Safari's limited options make it that much easier to choose.

If you're running OS 9 on your iBook, do you use any browser with it? I don't know of a single really decent browser for OS 9.

 

[Loono]

Firefox - plenty of customizations.

 

[Gatteau]

When Google Chrome comes to the Mac it'll be great. For the time being, I'd just stick with Safari, unless you need the plugins Firefox offers.

 

[xupcua]

I'm currently using both FF 3 and Safari 4. I can tell (in my experience only):

- Start-up: FF take longer to open while Safari is extremely fast. Just lick on Safari icon then "bump" ...the screen popup. Click on FF and wait at least 15 seconds.

- Add-on: FF has more add-ons than Safari. I use FF because I like the Adblock Plus plug-in. It block all the add and make the site open faster. I could find any similar add-on on Safari

- Interface: I like a simple Safari interface. FF interface hasn't changed since version 2.0 and look boring.

- Speed: I couldn't realize which one is faster/slower. Some review on Internet say some browser is faster but just a few seconds difference. For me, I can't see any difference between FF and Safari (in my case only and your experience may be difference)

- Stability: I haven't suffered any crash in both browsers so far.

- Other:
+ I like FF in one more thing: when you click on the address bar, all the address is highlight then you can copy whole address. In Safari you have to use a mouse highlight all address. I prefer the way FF does, save a bit of time

+ My FF has small issue: it doesn't remember the pages I last open even in Preference I select "When FF start: Show my windows and tabs from last time". This function work well on Windows but not in my Mac. I don't know why

+ Update: My FF doesn't automatic update or even I click on update but they always say No update. I currently use 3.5.3 but the newest is 3.5.5. I observed this issue few times from 3.5.0 to 3.5.3. No idea why!

Hope it help

 

[EasyRider]

Stopped using firefox for the most part, too slow with add ons, and if I can't use add ons what's the point of using firefox?

Safari is my main browser, don't have crashes, maybe 1 in the past month.

I have been using google chrome on os x, so far I am digging it, feels faster then safari 4. Use it as secondary browser for gmail and google apps. Haven't used it more because 1password does not support it yet.

 

[boston44]

Thankfully that's not true.



From this thread you can see that others prefer another choice.

Everyone's entitled to their own opinion

 

[SkyBell]

If you're running OS 9 on your iBook, do you use any browser with it? I don't know of a single really decent browser for OS 9.

Classilla works great, and it's still being developed AFAIK. (In case you don't know, it's a mozilla based browser developed specifically for OS 9.)

 

[miles01110]

Thanks for all the advise, and info on all the browsers. I wanted this information so I wouldn't have to waste anytime or space adding another browser on my computer.

Yeah, because you don't have 50 MB to spare on your 100+ GB hard drive....

 

[Jodlesx]

The only browser on OS X that I've had that has crashed the least, and opens every page I've hit it with, is Opera. The only thing I don't like with it is the looks. But otherwise, it is IMHO superior.

I like using Safari because it looks elegant and is neat when it works. But I'm getting too much beachballing whenever I open a new tab and lately a lot of sites simply don't work with Safari (my bank f.ex. (Safari doesn't support the certificate), and some other sites which doesn't work at all...). Some of these sites Firefox had problems with as well. But they all worked perfectly with Opera, and Opera never hangs or beachballs on me either (something Firefox is also prone to do IMO).

My $0.02

edit: Oh, and I like how the first item is immediately highlighted when entering something in Safaris address bar. So you can just type and then hit enter. In both FF and Opera you have to either tab first or use the arrow keys.

 

[covisio]

Safari is preferred choice for day to day, but I always have Firefox in reserve - Safari is not as reliable on all sites as Firefox, that's just a fact. Usually seems to be Java issues which feck things up, which when you're 4/5ths of the way through an online insurance application is effing annoying.
I realise this is often the fault of the constructors of those application forms or whatever, but nonetheless, Firefox seems to cope with them where Safari fails. It's not often, but it happens enough to be irritating.