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how to manage more than 1 browser on my mac?

S

svpolaris

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 8, 2010
17
0
Hi...

I'm running an older version of Safari I don't want to give up. But for some sites I visit a newer version of Chrome, Firefox, etc would work better.

I have a macbook air OSX 10.7.5 (which I don't want to update).

Questions:

- Is it possible to have more than one browser on my mac?

- Once its installed is it easy to go from 1 browser to the other?

Thanks....K
 
As a browser is just an application, and you can install as many applications as you want, you can install as many browsers as you want to.

To use them, you just have to open them I primarily use Safari, but often have to resort to Chrome or Firefox or Opera, and thus sometimes have three or four browsers open and switch between them sporadically.

As for switching between open browsers, you can use CMD+TAB or Exposé or Mission Control or just the Dock. It is just like using any other applications.
 
I use multiple browsers, download and use Chrome, just make sure you don't let it be the primary or default browser when prompted (if you want safari to be your main browser).

I also believe you can import the Safari bookmarks into Chrome.
 
Thanks...

Thanks everyone for the quick and concise info...I love this site and the community support.
 
I use:

Safari - general browsing

Chrome - Flash/video sites

Firefox - Firebug for webdev
 
svpolaris said:
Hi...

I'm running an older version of Safari I don't want to give up. But for some sites I visit a newer version of Chrome, Firefox, etc would work better.

I have a macbook air OSX 10.7.5 (which I don't want to update).

Questions:

- Is it possible to have more than one browser on my mac?

- Once its installed is it easy to go from 1 browser to the other?

Thanks....K
Click to expand...

just curious, but why do you not want to update from Lion, for goodness' sake?
Mountain Lion - and Mavericks for that matter - are way superior to 10.7
 
robvas said:
I use:

Safari - general browsing

Chrome - Flash/video sites

Firefox - Firebug for webdev
Click to expand...

I've been a Chrome user since the dawn of time, but I find Flash works much better in Safari. Chrome can be very resource heavy and it's nowhere near as light as Safari.

I used to hate Safari, but Apple have done a great job with the latest version. It's still far from perfect, but Apple are getting there.
 
I use Firefox, Chrome, Safari and IE. All have their purposes, which is why I have a few for use. Never hurts to have a different perspective on things either and each browser will have different add-ons & plugins for you to customize to your liking.
 
I also have installed Firefox, Chrome and Safari. Use them all, but I do most of what I do in Safari.

Lou
 
Staying with Snow Leopard, I use Omniweb for most sites, Firefox for one particular site, and Safari for one site, also.

I simply set the windows so that I can quickly click on the one I want, and bring it to the front.
 
I use Switch to quickly switch a webpage from one browser to another - in case you need that.

It is a free little app that lives in your menu bar. Sometimes, I start reading a page in chrome, but I might want to send it over to Safari in order to make use of the reading tabs.

you can download it here for free: http://easilymistaken.com/switch/
 
U can use as many browsers as you like, the bookmarks just won't synchronize automatically.

Indeed, some sites work better with browser other than Safari.
 
You can even have multiple versions of the same browser if you want. I used to keep several versions of Firefox because there were differences in how each of them rendered some pages.
 
smirking said:
You can even have multiple versions of the same browser if you want. I used to keep several versions of Firefox because there were differences in how each of them rendered some pages.
Click to expand...

So true, I've always enjoyed great performance from Chrome. In addition I run the Canary developers version concurrently. It's a great combination. Then there's the latest version of Opera which has become an excellent alternative. They've brought it up to date and is now quite relevant.
 
Safari works great with everything for me, never found any reason to use anything else.
 
robvas said:
I use:

Safari - general browsing

Chrome - Flash/video sites

Firefox - Firebug for webdev
Click to expand...

My usage is very similar except I use Firefox for downloading youtube videos (it has a pretty nifty extension that I haven't found in Safari or Chrome).
 
Can anyone vouch for that Switch app
that metanoiac posted here ?

it doesn't come from the app store, so just a little cautious..
 
If you enable the "Develop" menu in Safari (Preferences > Advanced > Show Develop Menu in menu bar), the first option is "Open Page With >".

This lists all of the other browsers installed, and you can choose from there. No 3rd party app required.

;)

From there, if you were so inclined, you could set up keyboard shortcuts to automatically open a page in a specific browser. I chose not to go this route because Chrome has some issues with the shortcuts. In short, Chrome automatically updates itself and the menu option as a result, which breaks the keyboard shortcut.
 
jdechko said:
In short, Chrome automatically updates itself and the menu option as a result, which breaks the keyboard shortcut.
Click to expand...

This is one of the things about Chrome I DO NOT like, automatic updates. It's my Macintosh, I want the decision to Update or Not.

Lou
 
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