Which browser?

This is a comparison of browsers and their security.

Its contentious as it has IE9 way out in front of anything else, and describes Opera as not a browser per se. There are other tests and reports that disagree with this finding, and the Opera-AVG tie-in seems to not be working yet as planned.

I've recently been using Lunascape6 (I really like this), as it has all 3 major rendering engines built-in, and can be switched from one to another with one click within the browser. Its handy, and quite fast. But its shown some security vulnerabilities that I didn't get in Firefox, so I also have recently used Comodo Dragon. Somewhere I will find something I'm happy with. Any thoughts from the multitude of I.T. boffins on here?

IE9 is out and I still don't have a test machine at work. I can only prey our ageing CMS's JS will work on it.

Die IE6, die.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8488751.stm

http://ie6countdown.com/
http://www.bringdownie6.com/
http://www.ie6nomore.com/

I don't understand why so many companies have ie6 as their browser. Why do so many IT departments keep on stick it on their company machines?

Firefox 4 has blown everything away IMO.

I don't understand why so many companies have ie6 as their browser. Why do so many IT departments keep on stick it on their company machines?

Because many intranet apps were programmed for it. It cost more to migrate those apps than you expect.

On a different but similar note:

Use Ghostery to spy on ad networks as they spy on you

To the right of that big red arrow above is a tiny ghost icon. That’s Ghostery. It’s a browser add-on. By clicking on it after visiting a site — like, say, Huffington Post, now owned by AOL — I can see the names of ad networks and other companies that are surreptitiously trying to collect information about my online behavior.

Ghostery exposes the otherwise “invisible” web and allows people like me, my mother, my neighbor and other everyday web consumers to know more about how we’re being monitored online.

Most of us don’t fully grasp the technical dimensions of Internet privacy, so even with Ghostery in place, few people, including me, would be familiar with the obscure companies that turned up as we traveled across the web. For example, a trip to HuffPo reveals VoiceFive Networks, Tacoda and Quantcast. Ever heard of them? (If you work for Wired.com or the Wall Street Journal, be nice and don’t answer.)

On the other hand, the mere presence of Ghostery and the pop-up it generates each time I visit a new site is a constant reminder that even if my name and social security number aren’t being nabbed by marketers, much of the rest of my experience online is.

Chrome Y U NO WORK?

http://blog.gsmarena.com/desktop-browser-benchmark-comparison/

Chrome now seems in the lead in the browser wars.

http://blog.gsmarena.com/desktop-browser-benchmark-comparison/

Chrome now seems in the lead in the browser wars.

One of the many browsers not on the list! Namely Omniweb love the way it works though it's a touch sluggish compared to others and it is not always that tolerant of some sites.

But it's a nice application

Mac only right? .....and for that reason, I'm out.

I use Lynx, it's way more productive.

But really... who cares? Deeply, who cares?

It used to matter that IE because IE was broken and IE ruled the desktop. But that is no longer the case for 2 reason:

1) With HTML5 and all browsers being considered 'modern' and updated, the differences between them aren't many and the user now has a real choice without giving up perceivable performance or security anywhere. If they prefer Firefox they can use it, if they prefer IE or Chrome then they can use it. Each has subtle benefits and quirks, but by and large NO BROWSER IS BETTER THAN ANOTHER.

2) Most people cannot actually choose their browser. Seriously, look at the split of internet use and the rise of mobile "smart phones" and tablets mean that the user is locked in to the browser that came with their device. And as the browser tends to be implemented on the same underlying engine as the desktop browsers, these are fully featured enough to not be an impediment to a productive session of browsing memes.

So... there are virtually no tangible differences worth speaking of, and more and more browsing is being done on locked down devices in which the user either cannot choose or has no reason to consider choosing (i.e the basic experience is good enough).

We've long since reached a milestone whereby the differences are so minor that all upgrades are nothing more than diminishing returns on the effort involved in producing the upgrades. And to the end user, similar diminishing returns can be seen in their investment in caring.

There's just too little difference to speak of.

Umm David, its only chat.............sort of like the leather shoes thread. It doesn't matter, and its not important.....not at all. I for one don't care about it, and neither should anybody else. That you felt that you needed to point out how inane it all is, is frankly bewildering. But I don't interact much here anymore, so its all alien to me now.

Please delete the thread if it irks you.......as I wouldnt miss it.

We've long since reached a milestone whereby the differences are so minor that all upgrades are nothing more than diminishing returns on the effort involved in producing the upgrades. And to the end user, similar diminishing returns can be seen in their investment in caring.

There's just too little difference to speak of.

Then why the hell is Firefox releasing a new version every month at the moment.
The small differences drive me mad from a site management point of view.I know this mostly comes down to shit css coding on the part of the developers we use though.

I abuse Lynx, it's way more productive.

But really... who cares? Deeply, who cares?

There's just too little difference to speak of.

I don't know

Then why the hell is Firefox releasing a new version every month at the moment.
The small differences drive me mad from a site management point of view.I know this mostly comes down to shit css coding on the part of the developers we use though.

AFAIK, Chrome updates itself (far more regularly than Firefox). Now on version 13?

NO BROWSER IS BETTER THAN ANOTHER.

Are you having a laugh?
Right, you're back on IE6 until you can learn to play properly with the other kids.

Are you having a laugh?
Right, you're back on IE6 until you can learn to play properly with the other kids.

No modern browser is significantly better than another for most users.

http://epicbrowser.com/

^any good?

Dunno :)

Never heard of it until a few minutes ago. Gonna give it a whirl though.

I've changed my default browser to Firefox.

I had been using Firefox for all of my email, but my browsing had been Chrome.

I'm getting to the point that I feel Google's footprint is too large. I'll continue to use Gmail, Drive and their search... but I agree with someone else's recent diagnosis http://robert.ocallahan.org/2014/08/choose-firefox-now-or-later-you-wont.html

Choose Firefox Now, Or Later You Won't Get A Choice

I know it's not the greatest marketing pitch, but it's the truth.

Google is bent on establishing platform domination unlike anything we've ever seen, even from late-1990s Microsoft. Google controls Android, which is winning; Chrome, which is winning; and key Web properties in Search, Youtube, Gmail and Docs, which are all winning. The potential for lock-in is vast and they're already exploiting it, for example by restricting certain Google Docs features (e.g. offline support) to Chrome users, and by writing contracts with Android OEMs forcing them to make Chrome the default browser. Other bad things are happening that I can't even talk about. Individual people and groups want to do the right thing but the corporation routes around them. (E.g. PNaCl and Chromecast avoided Blink's Web standards commitments by declaring themselves not part of Blink.) If Google achieves a state where the Internet is really only accessible through Chrome (or Android apps), that situation will be very difficult to escape from, and it will give Google more power than any company has ever had.

Microsoft and Apple will try to stop Google but even if they were to succeed, their goal is only to replace one victor with another.

So if you want an Internet --- which means, in many ways, a world --- that isn't controlled by Google, you must stop using Chrome now and encourage others to do the same. If you don't, and Google wins, then in years to come you'll wish you had a choice and have only yourself to blame for spurning it now.

Of course, Firefox is the best alternative :-). We have a good browser, and lots of dedicated and brilliant people improving it. Unlike Apple and Microsoft, Mozilla is totally committed to the standards-based Web platform as a long-term strategy against lock-in. And one thing I can say for certain is that of all the contenders, Mozilla is least likely to establish world domination :-).

I'd always kept my browser use separate, and for the past couple of years have only used browsers in non-history mode, fully private/incognito browsing to decrease the efficiency of advert tracking.

But... now I'm switching to Chrome for email, drive, etc... and Firefox for browsing.

I've also looked at usage on LFGSS:

• Chrome 50%
  
• Safari 30%
  
• Firefox 15%
  
  

Safari is boosted primarily by iOS, and Chrome is boosted by Android. So Firefox needs a little help.

Interestingly, for LFGSS, the average page load time per browser (measured across hundreds of thousands of visits):

• Firefox 2.06 seconds
  
• Chrome 2.68 seconds
  
• Safari 2.97 seconds
  
• Android Browser (presumably the old default non-Chrome one) 6.78 seconds
  
  

Firefox is actually the fastest for rendering LFGSS anyway.

It also means I've been able to spot and fix a few rough edges that Chrome didn't have, and that the site is a little nicer for it.

Anyhow... new default = Firefox (with Firebug, Disconnect, AdBlock Edge).

Regardless of lfgss, Firefox is good and old and usable in linux, so hurrah
like vlc media player, it just works well.
I have an android phone but it only gets used for a satnav
Nokia 1616 ftw