Well, it's my third day as a Mac user, and I'm still amazed at all terrific software people are making for Macs. Today's pleasant surprise was the web browser OmniWeb. I'd heard the new beta of version 5 had some nice features, so I decided to try that out (there's a free demo at the site) instead of the current version 4.
When I was using Windows and Linux, I thought Firefox was revolutionary. And it is, on those two platforms. But on the Mac, where Firefox has Safari and Camino as its peers, it is OmniWeb that has raised the bar. Let me list a few things I like in particular:
1. The tab-drawer. Instead of having text-only tabs along the top, OmniWeb has a drawer that represents the tabs with thumbnails of their respective web pages. This is too neat. When I use Google, I middle-click to send new links to the drawer, and I can tell by looking at the thumbnails when they're loaded.
2. The ad-blocking feature works very well. OmniWeb can block ads based on banned URLs and image dimensions. Since most ads are standard sizes, OmniWeb can guess which images are ads and which aren't. Even nicer, you can set separate ad-blocking preferences for specific websites, in case legitimate images are being blocked (or you want to see the ads). Of course it goes without saying that OmniWeb also blocks pop-ups (IE users know what those are).
3. Bookmarks in the bookmark bar use the site's favicon if one exists. I wish Safari did this.
4. OmniWeb looks really nice, possibly nicer than Safari, although Safari is more minimalist. OmniWeb's globe icon is so pretty, I'd probably keep it in my dock even if I didn't use the program.
That might be a minor point, but using a Mac is all about being in a more aesthetic environment than is possible on a PC.
5. OmniWeb is more configurable in every way, from display options to source-viewing options to language options. I love going through all those settings and making everything just how I want it.
Computer users may not be used to paying for web browsers these days, but if you want a superior experience on the World Wide Web, I highly recommend you try OmniWeb out.
When I was using Windows and Linux, I thought Firefox was revolutionary. And it is, on those two platforms. But on the Mac, where Firefox has Safari and Camino as its peers, it is OmniWeb that has raised the bar. Let me list a few things I like in particular:
1. The tab-drawer. Instead of having text-only tabs along the top, OmniWeb has a drawer that represents the tabs with thumbnails of their respective web pages. This is too neat. When I use Google, I middle-click to send new links to the drawer, and I can tell by looking at the thumbnails when they're loaded.
2. The ad-blocking feature works very well. OmniWeb can block ads based on banned URLs and image dimensions. Since most ads are standard sizes, OmniWeb can guess which images are ads and which aren't. Even nicer, you can set separate ad-blocking preferences for specific websites, in case legitimate images are being blocked (or you want to see the ads). Of course it goes without saying that OmniWeb also blocks pop-ups (IE users know what those are).
3. Bookmarks in the bookmark bar use the site's favicon if one exists. I wish Safari did this.
4. OmniWeb looks really nice, possibly nicer than Safari, although Safari is more minimalist. OmniWeb's globe icon is so pretty, I'd probably keep it in my dock even if I didn't use the program.
That might be a minor point, but using a Mac is all about being in a more aesthetic environment than is possible on a PC.5. OmniWeb is more configurable in every way, from display options to source-viewing options to language options. I love going through all those settings and making everything just how I want it.
Computer users may not be used to paying for web browsers these days, but if you want a superior experience on the World Wide Web, I highly recommend you try OmniWeb out.
