# What Browser Are You Using? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 25, 2010, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-browser-are-you-using/526423 "2010-01-25T21:20:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![TheFifthYear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@TheFifthYear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheFifthYear)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-browser-are-you-using/526423/21 "2010-01-25T23:08:10Z")
I have yet to find anything I like as much as Safari. Firefox needs a major UI overhaul (at minimum the OS X version does), and I find it a little sluggish. Chrome is ok, but I wasn’t crazy about a couple things interface-wise (why are the close tabs buttons on the right?–that’s how Windows should be, but on a Mac they go on the left), and it wasn’t any faster than Safari, which does (nearly) everything I want. For some reason, I also don’t like Chrome putting the tabs above the address bar, although I understand why they did that. Safari isn’t perfect. I would like more support for add-ons. I think they are mostly overrated, but there are a one or two I could use, I’m sure. I would miss the Top Sites feature if I were on a different browser, but I wish it were snappier to respond. I’m also not crazy about the way Safari handles editing bookmarks, but that’s a pretty rare task. By the way, Omniscient, it’s a bit of a hijack, but I find your iPhone analogy misguided. To say there is no difference between the iPhone and its competitors except for apps is, imo, to not “get it” in a big way. But I’m one of those people who would never trade more features for a worse user interface. I hate when UI is dismissed as “aesthetics”. ---
**Author:** ![TheFifthYear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@TheFifthYear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheFifthYear)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-browser-are-you-using/526423/22 "2010-01-25T23:12:35Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > Never used any of the main choices as my standard browser. > > Current everyday browser is Demeter. > > Before that I used Shiira. Just curious, why the obscure choices? I’ve never heard of either of these, and quick search didn’t indicate any killer features…in fact to be honest, looking at the reviews and screenshots, I thought: looks like Safari, but uglier and crashier. So, I conclude I’m missing something. What’s the advantage to Demeter over the big guys? ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-browser-are-you-using/526423/23 "2010-01-25T23:38:10Z")
> [@TheFifthYear](#): > > By the way, Omniscient, it’s a bit of a hijack, but I find your iPhone analogy misguided. To say there is no difference between the iPhone and its competitors except for apps is, imo, to not “get it” in a big way. But I’m one of those people who would never trade more features for a worse user interface. I hate when UI is dismissed as “aesthetics”. I understand this. This is the beauty of my analogy though, because my dismissing the iPhones UI and saying it’s identical to the rest is the same as not acknowledging that browsers are different beyond appearances. ETA: For the record I loathe the iPhone UI but I “get it”. I think the other OSes have stolen the best parts about the iPhone OS and stripped away the negatives while adding improvements. It’s basically what happened to IE. ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-browser-are-you-using/526423/24 "2010-01-25T23:38:14Z")
Chrome. It could just be that Google hypnotized me long ago, but even though the Mac version still seems a bit bare-bones, I love it. I use Safari to watch streaming videos on Netflix, since they’re not yet compatible with Chrome, and keep Firefox around just for when I need a change. Firefox seems tremendously sluggish lately, though, so I barely use it anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Chopper9760](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cdc98d/32.png) [@Chopper9760](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chopper9760)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-browser-are-you-using/526423/25 "2010-01-25T23:43:17Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > It [exists](http://lifehacker.com/5441474/linky-opens-multiple-links-in-google-chrome). Groovy! I have no excuse not to check out Chrome now. Thanks for the link.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-browser-are-you-using/526423/26 "2010-01-25T23:43:29Z")
> [@GESancMan](#): > > You do know you can customize Firefox, right? [This](http://www.suppersready.net/pictures/firefox.jpg) is how I have it set up, for example. Very little wasted space. I don’t even remember how the default looks, though; I just remember getting rid of a bunch of stuff - but I think the top part was at least twice as large. Yeah, I know how, that’s very much like my FF was set up. However if you subtract the status bar at the bottom and the menu bar at the top of your image you basically cut what’s left in half. That’s what Chrome does. Then, when you open tabs in FF they claim more real estate, in Chrome they don’t, they live in the area occupied by the title area in your screen shot. ETA: [url=[http://cid-6f56a1671655b5af.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/Straightdope/chrome.jpg](http://cid-6f56a1671655b5af.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/Straightdope/chrome.jpg)]Lookie at all those juicy lines of text at the bottom and I actually have multiple tabs open. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-browser-are-you-using/526423/27 "2010-01-25T23:48:55Z")
ETA: [Lookie](http://cid-6f56a1671655b5af.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/Straightdope/chrome.jpg) at all those juicy lines of text at the bottom and I actually have multiple tabs open. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-browser-are-you-using/526423/28 "2010-01-26T00:19:13Z")
I downloaded Chrome, and the second time I used it my computer did an emergency shutdown and told me I had barely avoided the Blue Screen of Death. I’m sticking with FireFox. The latest version is significantly faster and I like it a lot. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-browser-are-you-using/526423/29 "2010-01-26T00:39:38Z")
I recently switched to Chrome after using Firefox. Firefox is slow to boot up; Chome starts immediately. It also displays pages faster. Though I did use Firefox, it’s clearly inferior to Opera.\* The only reason I don’t use Opera is because too many websites aren’t designed for it. Chrome isn’t Opera, but it’s fast, slick, and simple. I still need Internet Explorer for some web pages, but I haven’t bothered with Firefox since I switched over. \*Opera is where Firefox steals all its good features. ---
**Author:** ![Sleel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/73ab20/32.png) [@Sleel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleel)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-browser-are-you-using/526423/30 "2010-01-26T01:04:56Z")
My main browser is Safari, but I occasionally use Firefox, especially for some sites that insist on IE compatibility, which FF does better. Safari has a more minimal interface, which I like. There were some things I didn’t like about version 4, so I tweaked it a bit to get most of the classic interface back while keeping the stuff I did like about the new version. I run PithHelmet, which I find works better and much more unobtrusively than AdBlock on Firefox. > [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#): > > Several months back I abandoned Safari, which had been getting waaaaay slow, for Firefox. Safari has been faster than other browsers in most benchmark tests for the last couple of years, including a [recent test](http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-272792.html), so I’m pretty sure it’s just a subjective feeling. Different browsers throw things up differently. I’ve noticed that Firefox prefers to show text and background first, even if text styling and images haven’t loaded yet. Sometimes that makes it feel faster, but sometimes it’s just annoying when it halfway loads, then blips and the whole layout changes as the other resources load. Safari renders most of the stuff and then displays it all at once. ---
**Author:** ![Hanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b3f665/32.png) [@Hanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanna)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-browser-are-you-using/526423/31 "2010-01-26T01:43:03Z")
I wish I could use Chrome on my Mac; Firefox has been [driving me bananas](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=545684&highlight=firefox). But it looks like Chrome is only for Mac OS X 10.5 or later. My OS is too old. ☹ I have Chrome on my Windows laptop and it seems to be doing OK. ---
**Author:** ![Headrush042](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a5b964/32.png) [@Headrush042](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Headrush042)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-browser-are-you-using/526423/32 "2010-01-26T02:22:04Z")
I loved the speed and stability of Chrome when I tried it out last month, but I couldn’t browse comfortably without NoScript. As soon as this gross oversight is rectified, I shall switch happily, but not a moment sooner. ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-browser-are-you-using/526423/33 "2010-01-26T02:47:24Z")
IE8 (and some minor Chrome us) ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-browser-are-you-using/526423/34 "2010-01-26T02:54:29Z")
I use IE at work and Firefox at home, so I probably spend about 10-15% more time overall on IE. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-browser-are-you-using/526423/35 "2010-01-26T03:16:00Z")
> [@TheFifthYear](#): > > Just curious, why the obscure choices? I’ve never heard of either of these, and quick search didn’t indicate any killer features…in fact to be honest, looking at the reviews and screenshots, I thought: looks like Safari, but uglier and crashier. > > So, I conclude I’m missing something. What’s the advantage to Demeter over the big guys? a) Rightclick any link ——\> open in background window. An absolute requirement in any browser I’d consider using. NOT, I repeat NOT, the same as opening in a background TAB. While browsing the 'Dope or other similarly hi-volume fast-paced msg boards I may open 40-50 background windows after doing “New Posts” and then I go back and read them. 40-50 **TABS** is immensely unpleasant to work with. b) I skin my OSX experience, using ShapeShifter, to look like OS 9. Safari, along with some other Apple-branded apps like QuickTime Player, is immune. I just don’t like the look of native OS X. c) Demeter’s faster to load each link. Dunno why. d) Demeter has an “Open URL in…” menu item that lets me open current URL in Opera, Netscape Navigator, Flock, Safari, RealPayer, OmniWeb, FireFox, iCab., Devonagent, Camino, Shiira, etc.; when I design for the web, I can go there in Demeter and quickly spawn comparison windows in all my other Mac browsers. (Except X-Window Mozilla and other X-Window browsers which it does not “see”). Admittedly, I could still use Firefox or Safari as my primary browser and still cash in on this feature. And so can you, btw. e) Better (though still not perfect) support for drag-and-drop any selected text from any website to textclipping on desktop f) I took an original dislike to Safari and Firefox for not supporting click-and-hold to show contextual menu options for a link, which iCab did, and Shiira did. Back then I browsed more often with a single-button mouse or without mouse using the PowerBook trackpad and monobutton. Demeter actually doesn’t support it either but I never use single-button mice any more and really rarely browser with no attached mouse, and Demeter is actually a Shiira variant so I wasn’t window-shopping for a better browser so much as hopping “slightly to the side” in my switch from Shiira to Demeter. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-browser-are-you-using/526423/36 "2010-01-26T05:05:48Z")
Chrome almost 100% of the time now. I do use Internet Explorer if I’m not using Chrome, though. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-browser-are-you-using/526423/37 "2010-01-26T05:11:52Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > ETA: [Lookie](http://cid-6f56a1671655b5af.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/Straightdope/chrome.jpg) at all those juicy lines of text at the bottom and I actually have multiple tabs open. How you like my [juicy lines of text]( [http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/5175/fullscreen.png](http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/5175/fullscreen.png) )? Firefox. Fullscreen mode. Everything autohides. Anyways, I used Firefox for one overwhelming reason: Live Bookmarks. It’s just a handy way to handle minimal RSS feeds. In particular, I keep my Facebook and Gmail up there. ---
**Author:** ![Roland\_Orzabal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@Roland\_Orzabal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roland_Orzabal)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-browser-are-you-using/526423/38 "2010-01-26T13:34:44Z")
Opera. ---
**Author:** ![TheFifthYear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@TheFifthYear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheFifthYear)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-browser-are-you-using/526423/39 "2010-01-26T15:37:35Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > a) Rightclick any link ——\> open in background window. An absolute requirement in any browser I’d consider using. NOT, I repeat NOT, the same as opening in a background TAB. While browsing the 'Dope or other similarly hi-volume fast-paced msg boards I may open 40-50 background windows after doing “New Posts” and then I go back and read them. 40-50 **TABS** is immensely unpleasant to work with. > > b) I skin my OSX experience, using ShapeShifter, to look like OS 9. Safari, along with some other Apple-branded apps like QuickTime Player, is immune. I just don’t like the look of native OS X. > > c) Demeter’s faster to load each link. Dunno why. > > d) Demeter has an “Open URL in…” menu item that lets me open current URL in Opera, Netscape Navigator, Flock, Safari, RealPayer, OmniWeb, FireFox, iCab., Devonagent, Camino, Shiira, etc.; when I design for the web, I can go there in Demeter and quickly spawn comparison windows in all my other Mac browsers. (Except X-Window Mozilla and other X-Window browsers which it does not “see”). Admittedly, I could still use Firefox or Safari as my primary browser and still cash in on this feature. And so can you, btw. > > e) Better (though still not perfect) support for drag-and-drop any selected text from any website to textclipping on desktop > > f) I took an original dislike to Safari and Firefox for not supporting click-and-hold to show contextual menu options for a link, which iCab did, and Shiira did. Back then I browsed more often with a single-button mouse or without mouse using the PowerBook trackpad and monobutton. Demeter actually doesn’t support it either but I never use single-button mice any more and really rarely browser with no attached mouse, and Demeter is actually a Shiira variant so I wasn’t window-shopping for a better browser so much as hopping “slightly to the side” in my switch from Shiira to Demeter. Cool, thanks for answering. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-browser-are-you-using/526423/40 "2010-01-26T17:39:28Z")
I’m using Firefox now, having had no luck eliminating a VERY annoying feature of Safari (my previous browser). In [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=543114&highlight=safari), I lamented how Safari insisted on interrupting me time after time after time . . . with this message: * * * Are you sure you want to resend a form again? To reopen this page, Safari must resend a form . . . blah, blah. . . . * * * Not a problem, at all, with FF. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-browser-are-you-using/526423.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-browser-are-you-using/526423.md?page=3)