Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Blue-ThirtyTwo

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 21, 2008
14
0
OK I'm a PC convert who uses Firefox on my desktop PC. After looking through some searches I learned about Camino. So I'm wondering how Safari, Firefox, and Camino all compare. For the PC, Firefox is hands down better/safer than IE. But how do the three mentioned above compare and rank among themselves for use on the MBA?
 
I prefer Firefox because of extensions. Supposedly Safari renders pages faster.

Just so you know, you're posting in the dedicated Macbook Air sub-forum.

The Mac Basics and Help sub-forum is probably a better fit for questions like this.
 
I use Firefox, I tried Camino after hearing it described as the firefox optimized for the mac. I nevertheless much prefer firefox, and didn't notice a real difference using Camino. As for Safari, it does load webpages a bit faster, though I'm too in love with certain Firefox add-ons. I'd recommend Firefox, though Safari's a great browser too. Can't say I'm much for Camino.

And yes, IE still sucks.
 
Firefox yet use safari most

Well I really do prefer firefox after trying it out for the mac and it is great to use one browser for both PC and mac uses. I have never used camino sadly but most of the time I find myself using safari only because it is what I started my mac experience on and has become second nature since they are both still in my dock and also I have not transfered my book marks yet.
 
try them all for yourself.

safari is good at system integration
firefox is good at out of box functionality and addons
camino is in the middle
Opera is good at out of box functionality

on OSX, ~75% people use safari, I would think its the natural result of pre-intallation.

There are literally numerous post regarding firefox v. safari, do a search and you can find a lot.

Eventually, try them all for yourself.
 
I actually use both Safari and Firefox. I think Firefox looks messy, and it is slower than Safari, but the plug-ins are still very useful. I tend to actually use both at the same time, even when in pure laptop mode. When my external is connected to the laptop firefox goes on the external. Perfect set-up for me, not for many others but for me it just works.
 
well i just go for Safari as it was already installed on my Mac, is very fast for me and integrates with OS X.

like Safari, Camino is based on the WebKit platform and Firefox is based on the Gecko platform.

if your used to Firefox and cant live without extensions id suggest you use Firefox.

but for some reason i have something against users who just download Firefox just like they would in Windows. Safari is a perfectly good browser but if, like i said, you need to use your extensions or browse in Firefox for somes sites then do that.
 
I also use both Firefox and Safari. One site I use doesn't support Safari quite right (Rally, if you must know, which implements Scrum tools for managing software development). But for everything else I prefer Safari's slightly cleaner look and standard features (I've not explored the wealth of Firefox add-ons).
 
Firefox with Ad Block Plus is 10x faster than Safari.

Yeah, that's the ultimate TRUTH!
coz safari might be faster rendering all this ads crap .... but with "slower" FF3 & AdBlock+, you are way faster .... in the real world, that is, not some test pages.

True you have some knock offs, usable on Safari ...
But factor in huge amount of extensions (and no, you don't need them all, point is, variety let's you compile your own mix, 5-10-15 extensions, that change your life so much) that you never look back :D
 
safari is good at system integration

True also, I'm really jealous, bugging FF developers all the time, to add features like :
- "drag tab out to create new window" (FF3 has it now, yet not that polished),
- "hide repeating words/site host IDs on tab titles" (fantastic safari's exclusive!),
- ⌃⌘D - brilliant also (achievable when FF3 will be truly cocoa, not just widgets)

Though even with all this features added, I'll probably will continue to use Safari as auxiliary browser, complimenting my work flow.
 
I've used Firefox 2, Firefox 3, Camino, Safari 3, Flock, and Opera 9.5. All of them were good for doing regular things but I like Opera the best. It easily has the most features and it has themes like Firefox does. It is probably also the most customiziable and has cool features like mouse gestures (not that you'll need them with the air) and history that remembers what's on each page you visit.
 
3 browsers for 3 different circumstances

I find it best, especially on the mac, to have more then one browser.
For example, right now I am using Safari for this site. I also use it if i need quick http downloads.
I use Camino because it is nice and fast with a cocoa gui. I utilize it mostly for light browsing (reading stuff, watching youtube).
As for firefox, i use it whenever i need a specialized plugin (ripping flv, ect...)
Out of these, I probably use Camino the most, Safari second and firefox third.
 
I prefer FF3. I use IE7 (Sucks), FF3, and Safari 3. My preference goes to FF just because I've always used it.
 
Mods have been alerted to perhaps move this thread to another forum.

As for the question, I prefer Safari. It's the fastest and most stable, imo. It also has the cleanest interface. It's all choice here...
 
From a security standpoint...

how do these compare with regards to pop-ups, malware, and internet security in general. I know most bad things out there are aimed at PC's, but every little bit helps.

Thanks for all the replies, they have certainly helped. And, sorry if this was in the wrong place, I just got the Air and I'm somewhat focused on this sub-thread.

Thanks again.
 
how do these compare with regards to pop-ups, malware, and internet security in general. I know most bad things out there are aimed at PC's, but every little bit helps.

Thanks for all the replies, they have certainly helped. And, sorry if this was in the wrong place, I just got the Air and I'm somewhat focused on this sub-thread.

Thanks again.

If security is your concern then Firefox 3 is your browser. They seem to be quickest at patching vulnerabilities and the like.

For pop-ups, web banners & other advertisements,

Adblock=Firefox
Safariblock=Safari

Both do the same thing.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.