Which browser do you use?

[Kernel]

For many years I have been using Firefox as my main browser - though I have been getting disillusioned with it lately - they seem to be adding in so many features that I don't want i.e. the awesome bar.

There is also the fact that they have decided to copy Google Chrome's version numbering so a new version is out practically every month:

according to wikipedia: Version 3.6 was released on January 21, 2010

and today we have version 11 in the space of 2 years we have gone from 3.6 to 11!

The main thing I like about firefox is having extensions such as adblock, being able to use multiple profiles etc.

I also have Google Chrome installed but have never really used it.

IE9 comes with windows - and it is very much improved on earlier versions and if I didn't have FF I'd probably use it happily (though without the competition it might never have improved this much)

Safari - just yuck!

Opera - I use Opera Mini on my phone

So what do you use and why?

[jamesh]

Chrome (or Chromium). Faster than Firefox. Now has adblock. Never got on with Opera.

[Lynbarn]

At work: MSIE, but they have just relaxed their stance, so we now have Google Chrome.

At home: Mainly Firefox, as it mostly works on everything. MSIE for a few things that don't work in FF.

I also do some web development, so also use Chrome, Safari, Opera,

All have some pros and cons.

Started using Opera at V2.12 - it was delighfully eccentric then, and I still have a soft spot for it.

[getitonbangagong]

Chrome, I used to use IE and for some reason didn't warm to Firefox. Chrome seems great to me.

[Kokoro]

Opera

[piglet]

Firefox, every release from Netscape 4 days!

I despise this new version numbering system. Version 11? *rude words self censored!*

[SN]

Chrome for the last 18 months - committed IE fan before that back to V3 - Netscape before that back in 96

Forced to use Firefox on Fedora Laptop (and raspi) as I can't get the Chrome download/install to work  Don't like it.

Anyone else run Lynx

[error404]

piglet said:


Firefox, every release from Netscape 4 days!


+1. Phoenix was a better name IMO… Running Nightly for the past few months.

I'm a bit married to Firefox and its extensions. I can't live without Tree Style Tabs, among a few other things. I've also grown accustomed to things like quick search and quick search (links), that I don't think exist in Chrome. I do wish that 'Download Managers' would go away and we could go back to the IE6 way with a window per download…don't see the point of something I have to 'Clear List' on and then close every time I download something I'm going to open immediately anyway.

Chrome is acceptable, but I am not really a fan of its UI 'minimalism' (nor the fact that Firefox is basically copying it), nor its Google tracking (yes, I know I could run Iron), and performance is not a critical issue for me like it was in the Phoenix days. Opera and I have never really gotten on either. Safari is the worst major browser out there today by a wide margin. IE9 is…usable…but it still seems to have a very slow UI, which is/was one of my biggest bitching points when forced to use IE8.

For old/slow machines, I use Midori. It's probably the best browser to use on Raspberry Pi. Extremely fast and lightweight, has most of the features you need. The UI has some things I don't like that aren't customizable, but the performance is well worth it on crappy hardware.

[gritz]

Firefox - but I really wish they'd have a bit of a think about what they're trying to achieve, rather than just throwing eveything at it in the hopes that something will stick. Perhaps if it could be a bit smarter about adapting to available system resources too, but it's the compromise I'm happiest with.

I did have a brief flirtation with Chrome, but even though I was impressed with it's performance on the very low spec machine I tried it on I couldn't get over the feeling that it's just an excuse to snoop on people so they can be spammed. [/tinfoil hat mode]

I have I.E. but only in case I need compatibility and I haven't tried any other browsers in a long time.

[Kernel]

gritz said:

Firefox - but I really wish they'd have a bit of a think about what they're trying to achieve, rather than just throwing eveything at it in the hopes that something will stick. Perhaps if it could be a bit smarter about adapting to available system resources too, but it's the compromise I'm happiest with.


Indeed FF just gobbles up more and more memory!!!

[max1zzz]

Firefox nightley,

There's no real reason i use it, other than the fact i can't stand the chrome ui and IE isn't a option (as i am on mac but even if it was i have a dislike of MS, with the sole exclusion of the xbox)

Safari was ok, up to the version included with osx tiger (it was either 2. something or 3, can't remember now) the new versions are slow and generally buggy

just about the only other browsers are based on mozilla / firefox (Classilla / TenFourFox)

[jamesh]

error404 said:


piglet said:


Firefox, every release from Netscape 4 days!


+1. Phoenix was a better name IMO… Running Nightly for the past few months.

I"m a bit married to Firefox and its extensions. I can"t live without Tree Style Tabs, among a few other things. I"ve also grown accustomed to things like quick search and quick search (links), that I don"t think exist in Chrome. I do wish that "Download Managers" would go away and we could go back to the IE6 way with a window per download…don"t see the point of something I have to "Clear List" on and then close every time I download something I"m going to open immediately anyway.

Chrome is acceptable, but I am not really a fan of its UI "minimalism" (nor the fact that Firefox is basically copying it), nor its Google tracking (yes, I know I could run Iron), and performance is not a critical issue for me like it was in the Phoenix days. Opera and I have never really gotten on either. Safari is the worst major browser out there today by a wide margin. IE9 is…usable…but it still seems to have a very slow UI, which is/was one of my biggest bitching points when forced to use IE8.

For old/slow machines, I use Midori. It"s probably the best browser to use on Raspberry Pi. Extremely fast and lightweight, has most of the features you need. The UI has some things I don't like that aren't customizable, but the performance is well worth it on crappy hardware.


Use Chromium - same as Chrome without the tracking.

[delicious-pi]

Using chrome on the laptop and ff on the destop

Just a little tip, you guys can opt out of ad tracking by visiting this link

http://www.google.com/ads/preferences

[gimliflea]

Chromium at home and chrome at work. Its lighter than FF for my old hardware.

[MattHawkinsUK]

Firefox and IE8 at work. IE8 because that is what most users are forced to use, Firefox because the "Web Developer" toolbar is essential for HTML/CSS work.

Firefox and Chrome at home. Firefox for normal browsing and an older version of Chrome for doing tutorial videos. The older version of Chrome lets you strip most of the interface to give you a bare minimum of clutter which is good for screen recording.

One thing annoying me with Firefox at the moment is that it is slow when using Google Docs or Wordpress and Flash regularly crashes when I try using YouTube.

I never thought I would say this but sometimes I switch to IE for watching videos because it is more stable! There. I said it. In public.

[Kernel]

MattHawkinsUK said:

Flash regularly crashes when I try using YouTube.
maybe try this: https://www.youtube.com/html5

[psergiu]

Safari on OS X (perfect integration with the rest of the GUI from (drag'n'drop & co) and with Developer mode enabled, it's the perfect tool to tweak web sites.)

Firefox/Iceweasel on Linux (and cursing because you cannot even drag something from a web page into a window of XFCE's file manager)

[AlexPT]

Firefox and its getting better by release.

Its fast enough if we give it some tweaking and its near as compatibly as IE.11

[takaya]

firefox. i would use ie before using anything google have produced.
not that i would use ie.

although ubuntu for android does look kind of cool.
http://www.ubuntu.com/devices/android

[Vindicator]

Firefox preferred on most of my systems wife uses IE9 (I think it sucks) IE9 at work (because they suck) and do not have a choice.

SeaMonkey on my Puppy machine, I have also tried Ice Weasel.

Firefox is getting a little bloated maybe they want to make people mad like IE9

[SN]

takaya said:


firefox. i would use ie before using anything google have produced.
not that i would use ie.

although ubuntu for android does look kind of cool.
http://www.ubuntu.com/devices/android


until the phone rings... doh!

[budgieboy]

Firefox on Ubuntu Desktop (10.04LTS) and Windows laptop (work one). IE8 at work(cos that's what they install - although I have mobile firefox on a USB stick, so can use it when IE plays up )

Tried Chrome - couldn't get on with it - probably cos I've used Firefox for what seems like forever. I was on the mozilla mailing/developer list when firefox was just a twinkle in the developers' eyes; loooong agoo!

I've opera mini on my Blackberry Storm - I quite like it - and Opera 11 which I use from time to time on my Ubuntu desktop.

Overall I'm a fan of Firefox as it does what I want, when I want. I only have a few extensions installed for very specific uses and I don't install all the toolbars etc you get bombarded with to try/install. As I have up to 20 tabs open at a time I quite like the ability to pin my most used (around 6) and I can also see the other dozen or so. All this doesn't seem to slow my machine noticeably so I'm a happy Firefox bunny.

[takaya]

SN said:


takaya said:


firefox. i would use ie before using anything google have produced.
not that i would use ie.

although ubuntu for android does look kind of cool.
http://www.ubuntu.com/devices/android


until the phone rings... doh!



i fear that i am diverging too far from topic, but have a look at this-

[Hiro]

Used to use Firefox on Windows and Linux until version 4.6 when i started having stability problems on Windows machines so changed to Chrome on Windows and then later on Linux.

Did try Firefox again recently on an older Windows machine and it hogged too much memory so currently playing with Opera but don't like it as much as Chrome.

I'm actually looking for a Linux browser with a very small footprint at the moment, i did try Dillo but couldn't get it to show all web pages properly but i hear Midori is small so i must get around to trying that.

.

[gritz]

I just got the Firefox update notification. Version 11 already! How long before they have to start notating version numbers in hex? I suppose I should read the release notes to see if it's worth waiting until the "public beta" is done and plugins have been updated.

I agree with budgieboy in that it works best for me with as few extensions / toolbars as possible. I guess I should RTFM to see if there are any about:config hacks to improve memory handling and such on lower spec machines - my other laptop is rather old...