Which Internet Browser do you use?

[blackpeter]

Originally posted by AlphaTech

I am rather picky about my hardware (main reason I buy Mac systems) and I am just as picky with software. If it doesn't perform to my standards, I dump it and get something that does. You might remember the times I sent my rev. a TiBook to Apple for repairs, and it had to go in a total of three times before it was fixed to my standards.

I think Alpha and I share the same philosophy of pragmatics. I just don't get this browser debate. There is no question that IE is the best overall choice for Mac users.

I respect everyone's desire to migrate away from MS products (I think just about every Mac user can sympathize) but use your heads.

Is IE "faster" in respect to rendering pages? Maybe not. But is raw speed the judge of a good browser? The P4 2.4GHz is a faster chip than the G4 1GHz, but for some reason, I continue to use the G4. Go figure...

 

[szark]

I recommend Mozilla -- it's pretty much the only browser I'll use anymore on any platform. I admire the standards compliance and functionality of it -- much better than IE.

As a student web developer, one of the main things I didn't like about IE was that it tended to "fix" pages when it displayed them. It would "add" missing tags so that the page displayed perfectly in IE -- but no other browser would be able to display the page. Definitely not a great help in learning proper HTML coding.

 

[AmbitiousLemon]

Alpha you are very knowledgable about most hardware issues, but i think software is your weak spot and it shows in the above discussion. the other browsers are "alternative" browsers because they are not microsoft, and that is the only reason. the fact that you seem to think netscape and mozilla somehow display pages differently is rather interesting, and really calls into question your knowledge on this topic. If i hadnt read past discussions by you regarding browser i might simply say that everyone has different perceptions about what stable is and what is best, but knowing what you have written in the past i knwo this is not the case with you.

you refuse to download betas so when you use omniweb you attacked it because youw erent using the latest version. then strangely you downloaded a nightly build of mozilla instead of one of the more stable releases. and you base every bit of your mozilla experience on that on event.

before you mouth off why dont you try actually giving the other browsers a chance. this is exactly what i was talking about above. if people actually give the browsers a chance the wouldnt be using ie. you act like iw as trying to tell people what browser to use. makes me wonder if you even read what i wrote before hitting that reply button. i went back and forth on which browser was the best so much i cant understand how you could find any endorsement in there.

ive told you this before but ill say it again... Alpha, you are a great guy, but you dont always have the answer and you arent always right. sorry to break it to you kid. just because the browser you are using isnt the best, and just because you had difficulty understanding some of the advanced preferences in Omniweb doesnt mean you have to attack people who use other browsers.

of all the browsers ie has some strong points. it is bundled with the mac and it rarely has render issues. but this does not make it the best browser. omniweb beats it in the preferences and configurability. as does icab. mozilla and chimera have tabs, as well as many more features that make browsing easier. all the other browsers are faster. and lastly contrary to your ignorant stubborn notion its not the only browser that renders pages correctly. mozilla is just as good at rendering pages. chimera is a close second, and icab and omniweb are not too shabby either.

like i have said all you need to do is download these browsers and use them for a couple days. i really dont understand why that is so very difficult for some people.

you like to use ie? great. use it. but dont come and attack people who know that there are better browsers. you just remind me of all the pc users out there who blindly attack macs even though they have little to no exposure to them.

 

[King Cobra]

Oh, no! It's starting to get hot in here!

I'm running to a place no browser can compete with security:

 

[AlphaTech]

Hey lemon... I may not know everything about web browsers, BUT I do know what works and what doesn't... IE works, the others are struggling, and constantly updating to get to the same level.

How would you feel is an application that you just downloaded/purchased didn't show documents correctly??? If it showed you part of a page proper, but then dropped the rest... Would you give it another shot when an update was there (and not sure if it would fix the issue)?? I don't think so.

IF/when the other browser can display pages correctly (which they still don't do) I might give them another shot. As for them being faster then what I am currently using, you ever stop to consider that you internet connection and the web pages you are using them to test has something to do with that??? Some of you might have found this site dog slow last night, but I wouldn't blame my browser over that. Also, there are settings you can do (hopefully to your alternates) to make the browser render pages faster. One is to reduce the disk cache amount. Anyone with a connection that is faster then dial-up should drop that size (I have mine set to 1MB, as opposed to the 10MB it came set to). You can also shorten how much history your browser keeps. Reducing that shortens it launch time.

As for my areas of knowledge... Considering my background, the ONLY area that I have a weakness is in the alternate browsers. I know about the software that actually matters, since browsers are a VERY MINOR part of computing, I don't see the point in devoting time to the alternates. I would much rather get to know Illustrator 10, Photoshop 7 (when I get a copy) or any of the other applications I either have, or we have at work.

The reason I call them alternates is NOT because they are not from m$, but because they are late comers to the market compared to either ie or netscape. Both of those have been around forever for users to have, and are NOT recent additions to the field. How long has omniweb been available compared to netscape??? Never mind ie.

Oh and something else... I really don't care what your opinion of me is. There are a few people that I care as to what they think about me, and you are not even close to being on the list. Rant all you want about omni this or iCab that, in the end, you could shove a lemon where the sun never shines (if it does, you need serious help) and whistle dixie from there for all I care.

Major changes will have to take place before I download any of the alternates and give them a twirl again. Until THAT happens, I will use what works best for ME, you use what you want to. Try and covert me and I hope you have a kevlar vest handy. I put people there with those that say my father is in hell because he didn't 'find jesus' before he died (and we are jewish)...

 

[AlphaTech]

Originally posted by King Cobra
Oh, no! It's starting to get hot in here!

I'm running to a place no browser can compete with security:

ROTFLMAO!!!!! Good call KC....

 

[mmmdreg]

I'm going to have to admit I use mainly IE, although I do use Chimera every now and then (it seems to have slown down heaps since I d/loaded it..is this something to do with caching and all...it has that spinning cursor every few seconds)...but anyway, I'll probably stick with Chimera when a suitable, nearly full-featured version comes out..

 

[AmbitiousLemon]

Alpha, now yo are just getting insulting. i didnt mean to insult you by saying this was your weak spot. all i meant to say is that perhaps since you are not strong in this area perhaps you shouldnt attack people. i rarely walk into the physics department and start yelling at professors telling them their views of physics are all wrong.

your inflamatory remarks are really not necessary. perhaps you should take a more positive stance and download one of the other browsers and take it for a spin before unveiling your ignorance to the world.

your statement that these other browsers "are newcomers" just further shows yor ignorance and inability to listen or learn. the mozilla project was started by netscape. it got its name because this is what netscape called ALL versions of netscape before they hit market. when netscape went opensource they kept the name mozilla. mozilla therefore can hardly be thought of as an alternative browser by your measure. also omniweb isnt new. it didnt just appear when osx started up. the omnigroup had been working on a linux browser for a long time before osx came around. you act like ie was the first browser when it was actually a late comer itself. and then you act like updating software is a crime. maybe you enjoy the fact that ie for the mac has not been updated since the inception of osx, but it bothers me. shows a lack of commitment to the browser and to the platform. while all the other browsers have been making thinking more user friendly, faster, and feature rich ie has been stagnating.

and you keep talking about page rendering. seriously now, you couldnt make yourself sound like more of a fool. mozilla does not have rendering issues. if it did i dont think i woudl be able to trash ie. you act like your standards are somehow higher. id say you are blind and ignorant. ive said this repeatedly. download the damn things and use them before you make a fool of yourself! this is clearly a case of someone who has turned of his brain and invited microsoft in to make all his decisions for him. im sorry i am getting so insulting. but you seem not to mind, and seem to respond to it more than politeness. seriously. try actually using the other browsers before you make claims about what they can and can not do! and if ie is crashing on you so much that you cant finish a download just let us know and we will send you a copy of whichever browser you would like to try out.

 

[AmbitiousLemon]

ok i am a moderator so i think i need to go and moderate myself. this has gotten way out of hand.

all my and alpha's insulting back and forth aside all i have to say is go and download each browser and see what is best for you. if you use mozilla be sure to get a skin (see above), if you use chimera be sure to visit the chimera discussion board and also download the chimera chamleon and chimera icon addons (can be found at version tracker) they are a lot of fun.

but lets try to get thinks a little more firendly and get back on topic.

[and people say the browser wars are over! ]

 

[AlphaTech]

Hey lemon... stop slamming people because they decided to NOT use your favored browser... If you put ignorance in another post referring to me, I will have to get medieval on your ass.

Leave it alone, show you are at least moderatly mature and shut the F up. I said that I don't care about the other browsers, and will NOT be downloading them to use UNTIL they get out of beta. I checked to see what omni has to offer... the latest non-beta is the same that I tried. They haven't released a new non-beta in a long time (by computer standards).

As for talking with physics professors... that is NOT even close to what I am trying to convey here. If you are too dense to see that, I pity you.

Oh, and IF you read what I put, I was talking about how long the browsers have been available to the public (for the Mac) NOT in existance. iCab is recent, as are others. How long has the PUBLIC been able to download AND USE mozilla??? Compare that time frame to how long NETSCAPE AND IE have been available AS NON-BETA browsers. I don't CARE if you think that this or that release of netscape or ie was a beta or not... the fact is, they don't list them as such. Rant all you want I'll be doing something more productive then listing to your gums flappin.

 

[mmmdreg]

calm down you two..

 

[jaykk]

Netscape 7 preview is very promising

I think Netscape 7 is really going to start another browser war.. I showed the TAB feature to some of my poor PC coworkers ; since then most of them started using Netscape 7 preview..( they never really enjoyed the advancements in browser technology) .. and ver 7 seems pretty fast. both launch time and rendering time...faster than IE to render some pages..

If AOL-time warner along with APPLE start using Netscape as their main browser, chances are that IE's market share is going to come down pretty soon.. at least, Nestscape is still having a big chance to bounce back..

 

[chmorley]

Whatever

"Don't confuse me with the facts. I have my mind made up."

If people choose to make up their minds about what is good without trying what's available, that's its own punishment. Some are stuck with IE because they choose not to try stuff that works better. Others are stuck with PCs because they *know* they are better. Oh well. That's their problem.

I got frustrated with one of the Lieutenants the other day because he was sure my presentation wasn't working because I was using a Mac. Turns out it was his projector. He has never tried a Mac, and is sure they're inferior. He is ex-military and a cop. He is *supposed* to be closed-minded. He has probably not tried any recent build of Mozilla, either.

Netscape 7 seems like it might be marginally faster than Mozilla. This is confusing, since Netscape is Mozilla. Also, the small icons that are associated with certain web pages are displayed more universally than in Mozilla (RC3) and in the tabs, as well. I haven't found a page either can't render. If you haven't tried it, it's probably worth a look.

These discussions always seem to get heated. People seem pretty intense in their beliefs about and choices of browser. Maybe that would be fun if I was a kid or thought this mattered in some way. For me, it's pretty pointless. As a result, I'm outta here.

Have fun.

Chris

 

[jaykk]

Another cool feature of Mozilla/netscape

I just noticed that i can actually drag the HD folder to the browser window, and can navigate through the files just like finder..and open any HTML file by clicking on that..cool feature.. also the pinball strip is one of the best theme.. check it out..

 

[Mr. Anderson]

I use to use Netscape, but its started to show its age. I had to revert to 4.7 since I never got the 5 to work correctly and it was too much like AOL in a lot of ways. So I moved over to IE and things are working nicely. I've had some curiousity about the other 'options' but it seems that they're just not stable enough or handle all the plugins I require. Once this changes, I'm thinking I'll move on.

 

[chmorley]

Originally posted by dukestreet
I use to use Netscape, but its started to show its age. I had to revert to 4.7 since I never got the 5 to work correctly and it was too much like AOL in a lot of ways. So I moved over to IE and things are working nicely. I've had some curiousity about the other 'options' but it seems that they're just not stable enough or handle all the plugins I require. Once this changes, I'm thinking I'll move on.

You might be interested in trying Mozilla. It is fast, stable, and handles plugins well. I'd recommend trying it for at least a few days (using tabs) and see if you can bear going back to IE or any other non-tab browser.

Chris

 

[SilvorX]

i'm back on moz , after using ns7 for a while u notice that it starts to get more n more buggier....

ya some ppl dont know when to stop using netscape 4.7x even tho its one of the buggiest internet browsers out there (since it freezes up each time right b4 a page is fully loaded)

 

[Backtothemac]

I have been using Mozilla, and Netscape, Chimera, and Omni Web in an attempt to see which is best. I personally think that Mozilla and Omni Web are the best. Omni Web is by far the best looking. I think Chimera is showing a lot of promise. Mozilla is just the tops though. It is very fast, and appears as though it will be great when it is release in a final.

Now Netscape 7 pr1. If this thing comes together like it looks like it will, then it can compete very well against IE.

 

[Biggles]

I just downloaded Netscape 7, and i found myself a nice little surprise. Everything seems to render faster and move quicker than in the latest mozilla. As long as the bugs arent too apparent, I think i just found myself a new main browser.

 

[AmbitiousLemon]

thought some of you would want to know that the chimera skin for mozilla has been updated for the RC3 release.

http://140.107.24.64/mozilla/navzilla/


still waiting for pinstripe...

 

[chmorley]

Pinstripe

It is now available for Mozilla 1.0RC3 at:

http://www.kmgerich.com/pinstripe/pinstripe.html

Chris

NB: Per the notes, make sure you uninstall the old version first or it will crash Mozilla.

Update: I followed these instructions and still had Mozilla crash. Please let me know if you have better results.

 

[AmbitiousLemon]

Re: Pinstripe

Originally posted by chmorley
Update: I followed these instructions and still had Mozilla crash. Please let me know if you have better results.

Same crash here. and mozilla wasnt happy when restarted. took a long time to reload. looks like we need to let Kevin know Pinstripe isnt playing friendly just yet.

ive become quite found of the navizlla skin (the chimera look-alike), but like how the pinstripe theme is narrower vertically. i wish someone would make a chimera skin without the titles so that it would be smaller vertically (hint hint )

 

[macfreek57]

netscape for x has so far sucked
in fact, it's sucked since aol/time/warner got a hold of it!( )