Safari users, what prevents you from using firefox?

[clevin]

Why the need to push people toward Firefox, if I might ask? It's not like we're making the web a bad place by using Safari (or Opera). I might understand if you were trying to push people away from Internet Explorer, but if you ask me I don't care if someone uses Safari, Opera or Firefox. They rarely give me any problem when I'm coding a website.

mmmm. good question, i don't intend to push users to firefox (i do have another post asking same thing for opera). more like trying to make sure that ppl understand there might be browsers fit them better than "default browser" in the OSes.

I just want to make sure ppl pick their best options, which might be just several clicks away.

for those who already tried all and made the decision based on good experience, "push" is just a waste of time anyway, I just hope those who haven't done so to try different choices.

 

[Iamtherealwoody]

I love firefox and open source applications but on OS X its the look and feel and integration of Safari that keeps me using it.

My main complaint with Firefox (TELL ME IF YOU CAN HELP) is that the + button (zoom i think) maximizes the window!!! I HATE that now that I use OS X. Ive found it to be a most useful tool. I wont really use any browser that doesnt do that, it just bugs the crap outta me.

Camino is good, but Safari is better to me.

Havent really tried Opera too much on the mac, I use Firefox exclusively on Ubunutu and windows if I ever need to find a reason to start using my mac again.

Matt

 

[czeluff]

Safari x 2

I use Safari on both my Mac and Windows box at work.

Right now with Tiger, I could easily see myself using Firefox, except that it doesn't load as quickly. However, in Leopard, I think Safari will definitely be the browser of choice, because it's more tightly integrated with the OS
ie. the button that makes any webpage into a widget (Webclip?) Plus, it'll have the same metal user-interface, which Firefox doesn't have (yea yea I know Firefox 3, blah blah blah. lol are you a rep for Mozilla or something?)

I think it's because it's the first browser that never gave me grief (never shutdown randomly, never prompted me to restart in Safe Mode, etc).

cz

 

[prostuff1]

I use to use firefox exclusively, but that changed when Camino 1.5 came out. For the most part everything i want/need is in Camino. The main thing i miss from Firefox is Foxmarks. The thing I don't miss from Firefox is the EXTREMELY slow load time. While is miss foxmarks the load time is what made me switch back to Camino.

 

[Will_reed]

I just prefer using safari It has a feel to it that I don't get from Firefox in OS X.
I like the way it handles RSS feeds and bookmarks it renders pages correctly and it matches the rest of OS X nicely why use anything else?

 

[osirisX]

Safari fits in with OS X and Firefox doesn't.

 

[clevin]

Right now with Tiger, I could easily see myself using Firefox, except that it doesn't load as quickly. However, in Leopard, I think Safari will definitely be the browser of choice, because it's more tightly integrated with the OS
ie. the button that makes any webpage into a widget (Webclip?) Plus, it'll have the same metal user-interface, which Firefox doesn't have (yea yea I know Firefox 3, blah blah blah. lol are you a rep for Mozilla or something?)

I do think everything has two sides. such as the main thing you mentioned: safari is tightly integrated with OSX. Im sure there are many plus side of this, and many ppl like it. but at the same time, there are some downsides about it too, so Im not sure if less integration into OS is a bad thing for firefox.

anyway, u can call me chief advocate of firefox/opera at MR if u like I don't mind, as long as Im not spreading wrong information.

Safari fits in with OS X and Firefox doesn't.

care to elaborate? like how it looks? or something else u are referring to?

 

[rev316]

I've yet to see a feature that Firefox offered that was enough to pull me away from Safari. Navigation is much easier, noticeable performance, and this is something I look for specifically. In all fairness, for development; I use and love Firefox.

 

[mad jew]

We should've been able to check multiple options in this poll. I hate all things Mozilla.

 

[OllyW]

I run Firefox on Windows but prefer Safari on my Mac.

I have got Firefox on the Mac though for those sites that don't want to play with Safari.

 

[clevin]

I've yet to see a feature that Firefox offered that was enough to pull me away from Safari. Navigation is much easier, noticeable performance, and this is something I look for specifically. In all fairness, for development; I use and love Firefox.

Its a challanging job to go through all firefox's extensions, so if you want to try any extensions, I would suggest you go from top rated. I will list some of them, see if you like any, of course, there are 2000+ out there, I can't list them all

firefox offers without extensions:
1. remember multiple usernames/passwords for same website, easy password manager.
2. white list for pop-up blocker
3. default single window mode,
4. inline spellchecking (I know safari 3 will have this)

etc

firefox offers with extensions:
1. flexible adblocker
2. mouse gesture, so you can navigate with mouse easily, reduce mouse moving path
3. Allpeers, awarding winning peer-2-peer shareing with your friend
4. all kinds of page thumbnail preview
5. all kinds of online dictionary
6. greasemonkey, change page style by yourself
7. google toolnbar/yahoo toolbar

etc

 

[EricNau]

Firefox acts and feels like a Windows app. I can't entirely explain it, but I just get a better browsing experience in Safari.

Plus, Firefox doesn't exactly offer me anything safari can't, so there isn't much of a reason to switch. ...And I hate downloading third party add-ons, so don't even bring it up!

 

[elppa]

4. inline spellchecking (I know safari 3 will have this)

Safari has always had this, it's just been disabled by default.

Edit > Spelling > Check Spelling as you Type

care to elaborate? like how it looks? or something else u are referring to?

It also utilises the OS X built in dictionary and other services such as summarise.

So when you add a word to the dictionary in FF, that is not there when you use Mail next, whereas if you use Safari it will be.

Some people just prefer Safari Clevin, it is personal preference and you can't expect everyone to switch over to Firefox, as nice a product as it is.

Three things I notice as well:

[1] When I use the two finger scroll on the trackpad of my MacBook it seems so much smoother and easier to control (responsive) in Safari than firefox.
[2] I much prefer the way text is rendered. More here.
[3] Command + Click on the title bar in Safari and it pops up a menu letting you step back each stage until you reach the root of the site. Command + Click on the title bar in FF and it does nothing.

 

[aspro]

I always find myself coming back to Safari after trying different browsers because of the RSS handling, there is something about the way Safari does it that just gels with my brain better.

 

[clevin]

Some people just prefer Safari Clevin, it is personal preference and you can't expect everyone to switch over to Firefox, as nice a product as it is.

I understand, and like I mentioned several times above, I m not trying to force firefox/opera to those who have tried all and understand all pretty well, and picked safari after that. no browser fits all users. e.g. for users like to integrate browser's password manager with OSX keychain,, firefox obviously wont fit. but for users want a better tabbed browsing-single window mode, know firefox has this feature would better serve them. etc, etc.

This post is for ppl who hasn't tried firefox/opera, or tried with minimum experience becasue they lack of time or encountered whatever problems that actually can be solved easily.

I just have the feeling that OS bundled browsers have some pre-installed advantages, and users would be better served when they know more of their options.

PS. Im glad many experienced users are providing very important information that Im sure would greatly improve firefox/opera in the future. I understand not all users have same demands, but it would be great if firefox/opera can offer even better features than they are offerring now for OSX users.

 

[logandzwon]

Before switching to mac I was a linux guy, and firefox was my browser of choice. Safari is better looking to me, and it's seems faster. Also, firefiox renders things werid. The text and colours look strange to me. Safari makes the pages look nicer to me. My wife also switched from linux to mac shortly after I did. She has very similar reasons.

 

[osirisX]

care to elaborate? like how it looks? or something else u are referring to?

The interface is made in Cocoa, not XUL. Uses the system-wide dictionary. Can access the Services menu. Uses Keychain. Updates come through Software Update. Has access to the text-to-speech service. Drag and drop produces a ghost image of what your dragging instead of an awful looking box. I can drag bookmarks along the bookmarks bar and I can drag them off. The web inspector in Safari 3 rocks.

EDIT: I loved Firefox on Windows because it fit in nicely with Windows. A lot of OS X is about an app fitting in. Looking and feeling like an OS X app. Integrating well with everything that is available on the system.

 

[DerChef]

1. Its not a native OSX application

2. Gecko is "caca" compared with Webcore and Trident

3. Onspeed does not work with it.

However I do have Camino installed but only use it about 5% of the time

 

[2ndPath]

The interface is made in Cocoa, not XUL. Uses the system-wide dictionary. Can access the Services menu. Uses Keychain. Updates come through Software Update. Has access to the text-to-speech service. Drag and drop produces a ghost image of what your dragging instead of an awful looking box. I can drag bookmarks along the bookmarks bar and I can drag them off.

That's essentially why I prefer Safari plus the faster startup speed.

About Firefox on OSX one thing I like is actually part of the appearance: I think the white interface color wise fits better than the brushed metal of Safari. But that will probably be history with Leopard. The other thing I like is that Firefox displays buttons on the web page without replacing them with Aqua buttons, which don't fit onto most web pages.

 

[Nermal]

Features AND appearance here. I have to use it at work on Windows (that or IE!) and I can't wait for Safari to be stable.

 

[DerChef]

woops just seen clevins avatar


Its a good job I didnt mention that gecko when it first came out in Netscape 4 (?) was so god awful it allowed M$ to totally win the browser war.

woops looks like I just have

I wonder how many people who say Firefox and Netscape are so dam good ever use them day in day out on a slow dial up connection as opposed to 8 megabit DSL

 

[janey]

I use to use firefox exclusively, but that changed when Camino 1.5 came out...

i still think camino is the bastard child of safari and firefox. It has most of the good looks and some of the power, but there's gecko and lack of ff extensions.

I used to use Chimera/Camino when Safari was nonexistant and then rough around the edges once it was announced (ohh that keynote was exciting..more than the wwdc one about safari for windows ), but not anymore..no point. It's either Safari (my main one, even though it sometimes crashes 11 times in a row ) or Firefox for webdev and sites that don't work well with Safari.

 

[Nermal]

(ohh that keynote was exciting..more than the wwdc one about safari for windows )

That keynote sold me, I bought my first Mac later that month

 

[Scarlet Fever]

here's why i don't use firefox as my main browser

1. it has vast amount of extensions that can help you surf internet more fun/easy/etc

i'm not interested in them

2. it has theme function

not interested

3. its cross-platform, and allows personal information sync across computers and 3major OSes.

not a problem, as i only use Macs

4. It has less compatibility issue with most websites.

i don't find this an issue.

5. better password manager

i don't find this an issue

6. Its separated from OS, so less risky (relative, not saying safari is to deeply connected to the core)

i don't find this an issue.

I use Safari because i find it boots quicker, it is more minimalistic, meaning i can view more of a page at a time, and it hasn't really given me any reason to switch to FireFox. FF is better than IE, but I find Safari better than FF.

 

[netdog]

Prefer interoperability with Cocoa extensions and apps.