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Browsers: Safari or Firefox?

K

keirius

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Hi. I'd like to ask which is a better browser, Safari or Firefox? 🙂
Besides that, does Spyware, browser hijacking and trojans affects a Mac?

Thanks... 😉
 
I prefer Camino to Firefox but my favourite browser would have to be OmniWeb. At the moment though I actually use Safari because of an app (written in Apple Script) that allows me to program my EyeTV 400 here in Australia even though El Gato don't support it.

As for the question Safari versus Firefox try them both and see which you like, Camino is a much more Aquafied Gecko based browser.
 
Speed-wise for most sites, Safari is the fastest browser for me. It also isn't over-populated with features that I don't need, but I am always testing websites in other browsers as a part of my job as a web designer. I also think that most sites look best with the Safari metal interface as opposed to the regular aqua that most other (all?) browsers use.
 
dontmakemehurtu said:
Safari is one I'd stick with. That is, until the official "Mac-optimized" version of Firefox is released by Mozilla. But, even if now it looks like a port of an app originally made for another OS, I use it more often than Safari due to the extensions.
Click to expand...

I'm waiting for the Mac-optimized Firefox as well. In the meantime, I'm using Camino which is for all intents and purposes the same thing, but I think based on earlier code version. It also doesn't have firefox plug-in support.

Both Camino and Safari are good IMO, I'd be satisfied with either.
 
I'm kind of split on this. I think Firefox renders more pages correctly than Safari does, probably because of its multi-platform development. But I find the tabs system better on Safari, especially that you can delete them individually. On Firefox, you get one (X) button that you can only use on the active tab. Also, Safari's automatic fill in for various fields and URLs is better overall and so are the bookmarks.

I find myself using Safari most of the time, but Firefox for certain websites that work better with it.
 
I hear Camino is the best or at least GOING to be the best browser out there. It simply blows everything away AND it's still Beta(i think).

~e
 
aloofman said:
I'm kind of split on this. I think Firefox renders more pages correctly than Safari does, probably because of its multi-platform development. But I find the tabs system better on Safari, especially that you can delete them individually. On Firefox, you get one (X) button that you can only use on the active tab. Also, Safari's automatic fill in for various fields and URLs is better overall and so are the bookmarks.

I find myself using Safari most of the time, but Firefox for certain websites that work better with it.
Click to expand...

Thats exactly the point, why I use Firefox - Safari suffers one some pages. Got to try Camino out sooner or later..

 
eclipse525 said:
I hear Camino is the best or at least GOING to be the best browser out there. It simply blows everything away AND it's still Beta(i think).

~e
Click to expand...

Camino will be better when it is not beta, right now it is to slow for me. Guess I'm staying on FireFox. 🙂
 
For me firefox really seem to be a bit faster loading pages than safari! And with the skin I've got for it it looks just as stylish. But I use them both... Perhaps I should give camino a go then...

A
 
As far as browsers go, I can't really recommend Camino due to lack of support for Firefox 1.0 extensions.

Here's what's in Firefox's favor:
-secure extension system
-easy for switchers that are used to Firefox for Windows to use

Here's what's in Safari's favor:
-bookmark integration with .Mac
-great 3-tier bookmark manager (bookmarks bar, bookmarks menu, bookmark collections)

What I consider to be even:
-Speed
-Rendering sites well

I'll let you make the final decision.
 
risc said:
I prefer Camino to Firefox but my favourite browser would have to be OmniWeb. At the moment though I actually use Safari because of an app (written in Apple Script) that allows me to program my EyeTV 400 here in Australia even though El Gato don't support it.

As for the question Safari versus Firefox try them both and see which you like, Camino is a much more Aquafied Gecko based browser.
Click to expand...

OmniWeb - and don't get me wrong on this b/c I'm a longtime licensee - needs to be faster. It renders pages beautifully using a modded WebCore engine, but the outstanding featureset just seems to slow it down ridiculously on my 2x2.0 G5.

I tried G5-optimized Firefox for a while and generally liked it except for the fact that some extensions didn't care to be on a 1.0+ browser.

Right now, I'm back to Safari with PithHelmet and AcidSearch tacked on. For me, the biggest things are Mac-like styling (pref. Aqua, not brushed metal) and ad blocking.

If only OW 5.1 was faster!!!!
 
I've been using Safari since it came out. I've only experienced a few minor problems after all this time. I also use PithHelmet. PithHelmet would most likely keep me from switching to another browser. Yeah, it's that good. 😉 My 2nd choice is Firefox. There's even an ad-blocker for FF. I also think FF has a lot of potential--especially in getting PC users to dump MSIE. Whatever you choose, make sure it's not MSIE!
 
In my opinion, i prefer FireFox. Quick page rendering and simple interface.

I also like Camino but page rendering sucks. Keep in mind its a beta, i might be switching back when its in regular production.

I dont care for safari, slow page rendering and a hassle to get a new tab.
 
I like the fact that Mac users are willing to try different browsers and choose the best one for them. It keeps the browsers from becoming stale if only provided by one vendor.
 
These days I'm finding myself split between Safari and Camino. I love Firefox on Windows, but the Mac version is desperately lacking. It just feels horrible. (The extensions rule, however, so not all's bad.)

If you get Camino, make sure to get the Camino Extra Prefs add-on for it. I've used it to metallise my browser window and loads of other stuff. Definitely worth doing.

There's also an option to remove the default delay that's there in the browser, so for those of you complaining Camino's slow, try this. You'll be pleasantly surprised I think. 🙂
 
wrldwzrd89 said:
Here's what's in Safari's favor:
...
-great 3-tier bookmark manager (bookmarks bar, bookmarks menu, bookmark collections)
Click to expand...

indeed. you can accomplish the same thing in firefox, but it is a lot harder to do. stupid clunky interface...
 
keirius said:
Hi. I'd like to ask which is a better browser, Safari or Firefox? 🙂
Click to expand...

Download them and try them for yourself. Otherwise, look at one of the millions of threads on the same topic.
 
I find Camino fastest... There doesn't seem to be a single rule for which browser is best. You really have to try them all and make your own mind up.
 
Perhaps the problem is my system, but Safari has been crashing a LOT on me lately. I'm trying Firefox, but I have no scrollbars on the right! It's just a grey bar with nothing in it.. Is that right? I miss the close tabs X that Safari has. It hasn't crashed on me yet, so that's good.

I used to use Camino, back when it was Chimera, but lost interest..

Omniweb was always the most beautiful when it came to page rendering, but it's slow on oldermachines.

Opera has a nice page scaling feature that scales the entire page, not just the text.

IE... What you go to when there's no other choice...

Uh... just realized my Firefox scrollbar problem was theme related... heh, heh...
 
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