Looking for a new browser!

[Applied]

Hello guys, I'm new here.

I'm looking for a new browser for OS X 10.4.9. Right now I am using Firefox, because nothing else I tried could convince me (I tried Safari, Shiira, Opera and Camino).
I stayed with Firefox because it offers me what I want: tabbed browsing and extensions. Most of the other offer tabbed browsing, but I cannot surf without my Adblock, CookieSafe and NoScript!.
I find security very important and I do not want that every page I visit can execute scripts, set cookies and display annoying ads. Too bad the other browsers only offer global script and cookie settings, and only average ad blocking.
Still I am not too happy with the Firefox: it is pretty slow, ugly and I do not like the Gecko rendering engine. Shiira for example is so beautiful and comfortable to use, but I don't feel comfortable using it because of the reasons stated above.
I hope you have any suggestions.
Thanks in advance.

 

[apfhex]

Firefox is you best best in terms of features you want, but if you don't like Gecko and would prefer something Webkit based... there are a number of them out there but I think Safari or Shiira are probably the best options. Safari can be improved with plugins -> pimpmysafari.com, maybe there are some that do what you want?

Also now that I think of it, there's OmniWeb which has a lot of features and uses Webkit too. In fact I think it might do everything you're looking for. Only drawback is it's not free.

 

[Peterkro]

Safari with Saft is my preference.

 

[epochblue]

What about OmniWeb?

 

[Applied]

Thanks for the suggestions!
I couldn't find any Safari plugins which would satisfy me, but I will try OmniWeb, it looks pretty interesting!
Still looking for more possibilities.

 

[M@lew]

There are a couple of "light" browsers such as Tominated Browser and Sunrise. They're a bit different (especially Sunrise) but they're worth a look.

Also, had a look at Bon Echo? It's an optimised version of Firefox. I only use it though when I need to view a site that doesn't work well with Safari as I don't like Firefox for the Mac since it's very slow and bloated when compared to other browsers.

 

[clevin]

Also, had a look at Bon Echo? It's an optimised version of Firefox. I only use it though when I need to view a site that doesn't work well with Safari as I don't like Firefox for the Mac since it's very slow and bloated when compared to other browsers.

other than looks, Optimized firefox has no difference from firefox when it comes down to speed or size.

 

[Vinnie_vw]

I think there is a trade-off between speed and features. Browsers like Camino and Safari are exactly so fast because they close off 3rd-party development. At some point you'll have to make a choice: do you want a browser as a simple window into the world-wide web, or do you want it to be a swiss army-knife?

 

[Applied]

I think there is a trade-off between speed and features. Browsers like Camino and Safari are exactly so fast because they close off 3rd-party development. At some point you'll have to make a choice: do you want a browser as a simple window into the world-wide web, or do you want it to be a swiss army-knife?

Actually that is the problem. I was hoping I could get a swiss army-knife that fits my needs more, but the more I try the other browsers the more I see that the search is useless. Actually Firefox is the best compromise between speed and comfort, and thus I guess I will have to stay with the fox. Still thanks for the suggestions!

 

[jdavtz]

Bon Echo is not an 'optimised' version of Firefox; it is a development build of the next version of Firefox (with new good stuff, including some optimisation for OS X, but also some serious bugs that are still being worked on).

Edit: I'm wrong, it WAS the development build code name for what has ALREADY BECOME Firefox 2.0.0.3. The development builds for what will become Firefox 3 are called Gran Paradiso.

 

[Vinnie_vw]

Edit: I'm wrong, it WAS the development build code name for what has ALREADY BECOME Firefox 2.0.0.3. The development builds for what will become Firefox 3 are called Gran Paradiso.

I thought they were called Minefield

And, yes there are optimized builds that are released under the Bon Echo-name for copyright-reasons. You can find them on the Mozilla-forums or by doing a search on Google. They don't offer much in terms of speed-improvements though.

As far as slowness in Firefox is concerned, there is such a thing as feature-creep, where it's very easy to overload it with extensions which lead to a slowdown. It's best to decide on 1-5 top-extensions that you really, really, really need and stick with those. Or use Camino/Safari and enjoy the speed

 

[clevin]

I thought they were called Minefield

yes, they are using more and more different names now, released 3.0 alpha and future 3.0 beta are called grand paradiso, but nightly trunk builds are all code-named minefield, minefield is more traditional, as Bon echo and Deer Park, I don't understand why they picked a new name for 3.0 alpha release.

 

[Vinnie_vw]

Bon Echo is the "official" codename for the 2.0 releases and Gran Whatever for the 3.0 ones. I guess Minefield designates deep alpha-status. Anyway, we are progressing into deep "rat-hole"-territory here.

 

[FrankBlack]

What about OmniWeb?

I second that. I've been using Omniweb for some time now. Built for OS X, I think you will find it has all the features you want. You may set preferences for each page you visit. It's very quick. Its tabs take a little getting used to. The real problem is that Omniweb is not free. A license is $14.95. But, you can use it on a trial basis. I think you'll find it's worth the price.