digg

Join DiggAbout

Discover the best of the web!
Learn more about Digg by taking the tour.

Which Browser is King? Firefox 2, IE 7, or Opera 9?

extremetech.com — Firefox, Microsoft, and Opera have all come out with new browser version in the past couple of months. Which upgrade is the most significant? And which browser has the features and usability you're looking for?

Bury
show profanity settings
expand all
  • zizzybaloobah, on 10/12/2007, -11/+89I personally prefer Firefox, but is it really fair to compare a 2 beta products with a final release product?

    And since when does software have to *look* significantly different to make it worth an upgrade (I guess we can thank Microsoft for that philosophy) .
    • BloodJunkie, on 10/12/2007, -7/+48I agree, it's not fair to compare beta products with releases. I guess they wanted to compare the very latest of each technology.
    • littlebiker, on 10/12/2007, -65/+6FireFox has fans which no other browser really does, going with the way social community has been able to tell each other what they think rules, I think FireFox has the upper hand: here is another examples of it: http://www.tezaa.com/view/based_on_the_features_and_growth_which_browser_is_king_firefox_2_ie_7_or_opera_9
    • Hydroxyl, on 10/12/2007, -59/+5True...

      But you know what the BEST broswer is?

      Konqueror, lol!
    • ScottMaximus, on 10/12/2007, -10/+75Opera has fans just like Firefox. Don't act like FF is the only browser with a community.
    • darkzealot89, on 10/12/2007, -9/+25No, but firefox has a broader community and programmers since there are countless extensions to add. Opera is not as mainstream (not as many opera buttons, or ads compared to the spreadfirefox.com) so it does not gain as many users in the same timeframe as Firefox does.
    • motang, on 10/12/2007, -13/+6Don't you know if they product don't look different then it's the same thing.
      ;-)
    • skyshock21, on 10/12/2007, -5/+21I think it depends on the user, the OS, and the requirements.

      I personally MUCH prefer Opera 9 on Windows over Firefox and IE7, however on my Ubuntu box at home Opera looks like hell, and I like Firefox way better (doesn't hog memory like the windows version either!).

      However, for a corporate intranet web application that relies on ActiveX you've got nothing but IE. Firefox + ActiveX = Crap so that doesn't fly either.

      Really it's just a tool for a job like any other application so there's no need to get possessive or defensive about something so trivial as a web browser....
    • RexKwando, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7That was a well written article detailing all the latest features of all three browsers. I don't think this will change the fan base of either of the three communities, but each will have a better understanding of the other after reading this article.
    • bjohnsonwsu, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9Re: skyshock21
      http://my.opera.com/community/customize/skins/info/?id=4236 Dapper Drake skin for Opera. Sure, it's not GTK, but it looks damn good on Ubuntu.
    • llbbl, on 10/12/2007, -16/+8IE7 requires WGA to be installed. Not cross platform. Closed Source. IE 7.0 does not make up for MSft dropping the ball for 10 years on IE 6.0. Integrated and can't be removed from windows....

      Firefox > Opera > everything else > IE
    • lonekorean, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8I hate to admit this, but I do like a little superficial visual upgrade. It's just nice to have something a little different to look at, even if it really is the same old thing.
    • wezzul, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6A corporate intranet application written in ActiveX? Poor form...

      WEZ
    • Hydroxyl, on 10/12/2007, -7/+2OH MY GOD. HAHA. The Konqueror thing was a joke!

      :'(
    • scheming, on 10/12/2007, -14/+1ummm, i didn't see it mentioned that opera 9 costs money. firefox can do everything any web browser can do plus more thanks to its abundance of extensions supplied by the users and developers.
    • stubadub, on 10/12/2007, -1/+17Opera 9 doesn't cost anything to install. They've been free for a few versions now.
    • vasilescu, on 10/12/2007, -5/+3http://img45.imageshack.us/img45/4562/Opera.png, that`s abot the money part;
      and about the "No, but firefox has a broader community and programmers since there are countless extensions to add." : Opera has a broad "community " - http://my.opera.com/community/ and has it`s own programmers since it is close source, aka with a warranty, and since it has all the extensions one would use in Fireefox built in and even some great functions not available in other browser, noting a few from my own experience : Ctrl+B or Paste and go, mail client, Create search function (you don`t have to search for a search plugin, you make it yourself from the search field you want to come in handy), real and simple transfer manager, and in the end a grater interface, more slicker, slimer, real multiple document interface - not just a simple "tabbed browsing" experience like other browsers.
    • vasilescu, on 10/12/2007, -7/+1http://img45.imageshack.us/img45/4562/Opera.png, that`s about the money part;
      and about the "No, but firefox has a broader community and programmers since there are countless extensions to add." : Opera has a broad "community " - http://my.opera.com/community/ and has it`s own programmers since it is close source, aka with a warranty, and since it has all the extensions one would use in Firefox built in and even some great functions not available in other browser, noting a few from my own experience : Ctrl+B or Paste and go, mail client, Create search function (you don`t have to search for a search plugin, you make it yourself from the search field you want to come in handy), real and simple transfer manager, and in the end a grater interface, more slicker, slimer, real multiple document interface - not just a simple "tabbed browsing" experience like other browsers.
    • cwcheang, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3i might get modded down for this.. but i am really sick of people replying to the first comment just so their comments are up here.. just like my comment here... i am not implying anybody specific up there btw..
    • myownminerva, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1opera has fans but nothing compared to those of firefox..
    • howie, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4"Opera is not as mainstream (not as many opera buttons, or ads compared to the spreadfirefox.com)"

      You know why? Because Google gives people money for placing Firefox buttons on their sites. That's the reason you see Firefox buttons everywhere. It's got nothing to do with "community", it's got to do with capitalism.

      Maybe Firefox has a larger community than Opera, but that's hardly relevant here.
  • GeneralFailure, on 10/12/2007, -31/+15I predict a Safari 3.0 flying in without warning and blowing everything else away. The WebKit nightlies are getting some awesome features.
    • MikeSD34, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6While not an accessibility or even user feature, the new JavaScript debugger and the DOM inspector have been very helpful! And don't forget about the bugs that have been fixed.
    • jer2eydevil88, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4Why would you expect that?
    • ScottMaximus, on 10/12/2007, -7/+28Safari won't blow it away because Safari is only on Macs. and Macs are smaller in number than Windows or Linux boxes.
    • macgabriel87, on 10/12/2007, -6/+7@ ScottMaximus This is not a popularity comparison but a functionality test which means Safari has all rights to be in this test. Plus I think safari 3.0 will take the cake.

      If safari was available for pc, everyone would be using it.
    • gotamd, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1macgabriel87, I just don't know how to respond. Clearly Firefox and Opera are better than IE unless you need ActiveX. Does "everyone" running Windows use Firefox or Opera? Not even close.
    • CBTF, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2How would it blow the others away when like 1% of people use it?
  • barktwiggs, on 10/12/2007, -1/+35A pretty non-biased review for the most part. Though, they erroneously state in the features that Opera does not have any themes. I guess they didn't notice the down-loadable skins on the Opera site you can load up by doing shift+F12. Just a minor thing. Other than that, Opera took the crown for for stable memory usage, load-up, and of course, Acid2.
    • Popdmb, on 10/12/2007, -2/+34They also comment about Opera's lack of marketshare and wonder why it's behind the other two. It's my favorite -- a really light browser and is great for all the reasons you just mentioned. IMO, I think it gets shafted because of its name. Safari (despite not being reviewed in this article) and Firefox have a certain flair about them. Opera...I don't know. I conjure up images of fat women singing and glass breaking.
    • cloudkiller, on 10/12/2007, -3/+23I totally agree with the comment, "[opera] gets shafted because of its name." i resisted using opera for a long time just because it sounded like crap. i didn't want to go around and tell people, "i use opera," that just makes me sound like a tool.

      having used opera now for several years, i love it. i still am a firefox fanboy (since beta 0.3) but i can admit that opera has a much more polished feel.
    • mrmeander, on 10/12/2007, -3/+19I updated the article to reflect the Skins feature. It's kind of buried. Sorry for the oversight.
    • Braxo, on 10/12/2007, -29/+2I don't use Opera because I don't like the default icon. I am on a powerbook and use firefox over safari as well.
    • SkeletaLlama, on 10/12/2007, -10/+14I like Opera as a default install better. But once you add in Firefox's extensions, Opera just can't compete with such customizable features. Plus in Opera when you open a link in a new tab it jumps straight to the tab, I hate that. I often open links in new tabs in Firefox to browse them when I'm done reading the current page. Opera doesn't even give me the option to turn that off.
    • pdiddle, on 10/12/2007, -4/+10As just said above, I find the reason I prefer Firefox more than Opera (I dont use a windows based OS, so IE7 doesnt count) is down to the brilliant extensions and themes. Not to mention, it's open source allowing a potentially much faster development cycle and very fast bug fixing (so fast that exploits found are patched before they can be exploited).
      Opera only recently removed Ads which I used to find as a huge reason never to use the browser. And I believe it is the reason why Opera has had such a low user base all this time. It has undoubtedly gotten better, however I am not a fan of it's interface either, or the look of it which isnt as nice as the GTK+ look of Firefox.
    • IMustBeEmo, on 10/12/2007, -6/+8@ SkeletaLlama, most of the popular extensions are standard in Opera, and Firefox extensions are very unstable and cause memory leaks. I am using a laptop with 256MB of RAM and Firefox runs way too slowly because of the extensions, which is why I switched to Opera. And about the tabbed browsing thing, that's what preferences are for =]
    • DigeratiPrime, on 10/12/2007, -4/+4I agree with SkeletaLlama. I use both Firefox and Opera, but I mainly use Firefox because of the extensions but I also prefer its default behavior over Opera's. I only use Opera when I dont want to open Firefox with my 30 or so saved tabs :P
    • EdLesMann, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10"Plus in Opera when you open a link in a new tab it jumps straight to the tab, I hate that." - SkeletaLlama

      Instead of opening a window to a page (tab), tell it to open in background page (right click link).

      Even better is if you have a scroll mouse that allows for clicking. Then (by default) it opens the link in a background page (tab). That is SO helpful when browsing places like digg. I read front page, click on all the articles that look interesting sending them to background page (tab), and then scroll through them a my pace without having to always go back to the front page.

      Note I ( tab ) because most ppl/browsers call them tabs but Opera tends to call them pages. I said pages so you knew what to look for and mentioned tabs so you knew what I was talking about.
    • danielg, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4SkeletaLlama, to open a new tab in the background, either click the link with the mouse wheel, or right click 'Open in background tab'.
    • ThePict, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4@SkeletaLlama
      Activate mouse gestures. I configured mine so a right-click and a downward motion opens the new tab in the background (not the default, though it should be, IMHO).

      Beat me to it. That was fast.
    • PKO17, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5@Popdmb

      Really? That's interesting. To me, the name "Opera" shows class. I felt this way even before the first time I downloaded it and used it. I don't understand why people like the name "Firefox" so much . . . what are we playing Power Rangers or something? I mean, come on! "Phoenix" was a decent name; "Firebird" was a decent name. "Firefox" sounds so kiddy and is really undescriptive.
    • Loath, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10I love Opera because it's fast, displays pages how I think they should (I am a web developer, so that means something), mouse gestures are incredibly useful for quick browsing, I like the customization, the features like the easy zooming, and I don't want to have install a billion and a half Firefox mods to get the same results. I also have to use IE and Firefox so I can test how pages look on the major browsers, but I currently put my preference on Opera.
    • FearlessNinja, on 10/12/2007, -9/+2WHY IS THERE STILL A WAR? who cares it's a ***** webpage!!!!!!! i use firefox and safari. depending on the operating system.



      i use firefox, because it's open source and has a lot of add-on functionality. but i gotta say, web browsers that are imbedded with operating systems in the past with windows and even older mac os's haven't been that great. i'm talking bout slow-ass internet explorer. safari is awesome. since safari 2, i REALLY thing the speed and fell is really great. i mean, it's like alex albrecht says, IT'S A ***** WEBPAGE!!!!!
    • EnderWalcott, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I'm actually using the Opera 9 browser right now while listening to opera music (Puccini's Turandot, in case you were interested), so the name of the browser never bothered me. I like Opera! =)
    • muchadoabo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0SkeletaLlama>>Plus in Opera when you open a link in a new tab it jumps straight to the tab, I hate that. I often open links in new tabs in Firefox to browse them when I'm done reading the current page. Opera doesn't even give me the option to turn that off.
      Middle mouse click does it.
  • CiscoNoShut, on 10/12/2007, -37/+2Avant browser has been best for me. http://www.avantbrowser.com/
    Try it!!!
    • mookieXL, on 10/12/2007, -0/+18Avant is only wrapper for IE6
    • procdaddy, on 10/12/2007, -3/+6it still is better than just using IE, ill give him that much.
    • Cglass, on 10/12/2007, -1/+18That's like choosing between shooting yourself and hanging yourself; you have to ask yourself, why?
    • gmillerd, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9On that note there is neoplanet and dont forget lynx
    • EdLesMann, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9dont knock lynx!

      Seriously, whenever I need to just view information quickly and i know it will be just text, lynx is a VERY light and quick browser. Plus whenever i want to scrape information off of a webpage (for whatever reason ) using lynx in a shell script is extreamly quick and efficient.

      Back in college I had a prof that would post updates. He also liked to put all sorts of crazy graphics and things like a java applet that turned your mouse pointer into a star with about 50 other stars that moved behind it. IT SUCKED trying to load that page. So I wrote a bash script to lynx the source, scrape out the last update and dump it into a text file on my desktop.

      Lynx may not have all the fancy GUI but it still has MANY uses. It def is my second choice browser (behind Opera :-).

      (sorry if I sound like a extreame fanboy or something, but Lynx has helped me so many times and saved me a lot of frustration...so i generally frown upon ppl knocking it :-D )
    • ThePict, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4How is using Avant 'better' than using IE?!? Other than the pretties, you need to think about security more.
    • radiofrequency, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1@EdLesMann

      I like text-based web browsers too (right now I use "links" http://links.sourceforge.net instead of "lynx"), but if you're going to scrape web pages why not use curl or wget instead?
    • EdLesMann, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1" why not use curl or wget instead"

      I have and do. However I REALLY like all the options you can pass with lynx. For example, if I want the code to the page I can pass --source or if I want how the page currently looks to lynx I can do --dump. Should I ever need to do formatting, I can also do that. Example: lynx sees a page and formats it according to the commandline of 80 characters, I can pass it a width of 100 and get a output thats 100 characters across.

      In short, I do use wget (quite a bit actually) but I love all the formatting features that lynx provides me.
    • havuk, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I would prefer any other browser than an IE wrapper like Avant and Maxthon but if you have to use IE (Intranet) try Foxie. Tab Browsing, adblock, flashblock, spyware/privacy cleaner etc. Basically making your IE acts like Firefox.

      http://www.getfoxie.com/
  • zizzybaloobah, on 10/12/2007, -0/+13@popdmd: The reason for the low market share might have something to do with the name, but I'll wager it was mainly because it wasn't free (until a few months ago). No doubt if it had been free from the get-go, it would be enjoying a significantly higher market share.

    Now if PC vendors would as many browsers for people to try as they do dial-up services and other crap software (R U listening Dell?), then you could make a more meaningful market share comparison.
  • tsupersonic, on 10/12/2007, -4/+21Right now, the king (at least for me) is Opera 9, and will be until Firefox can fix that memory leak.
    • IMustBeEmo, on 10/12/2007, -6/+11Ditto. I am using a laptop with 256MB of RAM and Firefox is just completely unusable. I would not deal with internet explorer so I searched for browsers and Opera was a dream come true. Not to mention it handles BitTorrent extremely well!!! No need for an extra BT client taking up space on my HDD, I'll save that space for pirated content =]
    • heavyd14, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8@IMustBeEmo

      Of course, 243KB is such a hardship. Try using µTorrent ([Mu]Torrent or uTorrent if it doesn't show up right). And BitTorrent isn't just for pirated content.

      But it is nice that they are pushing out the client to a greater number of users so they will be more likely to use such an option and more likely to seed because the client is running whenever you run your browser.
  • endtime, on 10/12/2007, -2/+17I used Maxthon for a bit but have converted to Opera 9. It's fast, stable, has tons of features, and it's fully configurable (including the UI). I don't think the name sounds any weirder than Firefox (which I find to be very slow).
  • Skeksis, on 10/12/2007, -3/+21I've used them all and I still love Opera. I think anyone who enjoys the firefox experience should be willing to give Opera a try. If you're looking for an even better browser experience I think the last place you can look to after firefix would be Opera. And now that 9 isn't Beta I have no reason to use FF anymore. Give it a shot, you may find yourself switching over,
    • apocalizer, on 10/12/2007, -13/+6I downloaded Opera and found it to be overwhelmingly cluttered. One of the big points about FF is that it is simple, streamlined and yet has lots of cool features. Opera may indeed have more awesome features but it looks like it needs to lose some weight in the interface department to be more appealing--but other than that, Opera, especially compared to IE, makes me think of the phrase "the fat lady sings."
    • ThePict, on 10/12/2007, -5/+9Opera is the most completely customizable browser out there. If yours is cluttered, you have only yourself to blame. RTFW.
    • MatchASM, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5There also seems to be a correlation between insightful computer users and the absence of cluttering in their M$-Windows installs. My Opera runs just fine, much faster than Firefox or IE on the average PC, even when the others run with more processing power.
  • andrebrown, on 10/12/2007, -21/+15Trick question. The answer is Safari. :)
    • procdaddy, on 10/12/2007, -16/+3safari is ok, but its a web developers worst nightmare.
    • MikeSD34, on 10/12/2007, -1/+18I disagree, IE is the web developers worst nightmare, I've had no problems with Safaris rendering compared to Firefox ( though there have been some JavaScript issues, that is due to my own lack of experience rather than any real Safari JavaScript issues )
    • rspeed, on 10/12/2007, -1/+13Uh, as a web developer I can't help but wonder why you'd say it's my worst nightmare. That title EASILY goes to IE since half the time there's some CSS bug or simple lack of support I have to work around. What works in Safari almost always works in Gekko browsers (and vice versa).

      Care to elaborate?
    • andrebrown, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2Wow. +4 diggs to -8 diggs in the time it takes the windows internet explorer users to load digg.
    • wordsofwisedumb, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4For me, Safari is the only browser to use on a Mac. You have to install a few plugins like PithHelmet, Saft, and Inquisitor, but once you get those and get them properly configured you can't beat it. If you still want mouse gestures, Xgestures is the program of choice, plus you can use those same gestures in ANY program on your Mac. On a side note, just earlier this morning I had to resort to Firefox because Safari wouldn't work with my Gmail account...
  • lemcoe9, on 10/12/2007, -25/+7IE7!
    • Cglass, on 10/12/2007, -7/+8Can you explain why, is it the awesome stolen features, or the bloated memory usage on loading a few tabs. Look at %'s and comparably IE7 goes nuts when it loads some tabs, great feature!
  • Atavachron, on 10/12/2007, -1/+12Opera (since Opera 8 beta2 http://www.opera.com/docs/changelogs/windows/800b2/index.dml ) has a white-list method to prevent Phising attempts:

    "This release features whitelisting of top-level domains that have implemented anti-homographic character policies or otherwise limited the available set of characters to prevent URL spoofing through use of internationalized domain names (IDN).

    Registrars wishing to be added to Opera's whitelist must inform Opera Software of their policies and have these approved."
    "Added whitelist of safe top-level domains for IDN.
    TLDs are considered safe if they have implemented anti-homographic character policies or otherwise limited the available set of characters to prevent spoofing.
    Current whitelist contains the following top-level domains: no, jp, de, se, kr, tw, cn, at, dk, ch, and li
    List is colon-separated and included in opera6.ini. It is updated automatically in the Opera version check.
    Domain names from other top-level domains that contain characters outside Latin 1 will be displayed in punycode, an encoding syntax designed for use with IDNA, specified in RFC3492."
  • lancefisher, on 10/12/2007, -14/+3flock rocks.
  • LemonHerb, on 10/12/2007, -3/+15I don't really care what browser the rest of the world uses. Opera has been my main browser for the better part of a decade.
    • peedub, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1but features were default features, not ones you had to download, or change in settings...
  • Mace37, on 10/12/2007, -10/+4I use firefox, but it eats my memory. Still a better option over IE, though.
  • evilTak, on 10/12/2007, -19/+16Firefox and Opera proponents had better pack up and go home: IE7 has a Favorites button.
    • ThePict, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9evilTak wins the thread! I'm convinced. No more Opera or Firefox for me!
    • heavyd14, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3In case anyone came late: The feature chart in the second page of the article originally read Favorites button, but was updated to One-Click Button to add Favorites.
    • lowter, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Opera can have a one-click bookmarks button. I have one in my setup. It was part of a toolbar I downloaded, and it works well. Still, it is rather pointless overall.
  • drchadwick, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3It's a bit behind in features, but after bouncing back and forth between Firefox and Safari (Saft-enhanced), I've been using Camino quite a bit lately. It works on a lot of pages Safari won't load, like my Google homepage (which has several modules that don't function in Safari). At the same time, Camino seems better integrated into the rest of the OS than Firefox, which still feels a bit kludgy on the Mac.
  • gd007, on 10/12/2007, -13/+4firefox needs to be more secure so anyone can not put malicious code in it.
    • GeneralFailure, on 10/12/2007, -5/+3User needs to be more free-thinking so anyone can not put ideas in it.
    • Cglass, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7The english language needs to be more secure so anyone can not try to use it.
    • chicken101, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3"firefox needs to be more secure"

      And being that IE uses Explorer.exe, and therefore embeded into the OS, makes it more secure than firefox?
    • gd007, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4doesn't firefox allow people to contribute to the source. all i am saying is there shd be robust checks in place so bad people don't abuse it.
    • covertbadger, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7@gd007

      Just because Firefox is open source, doesn't mean anyone can come along and add code into it. If you don't believe me, make a change and submit it. Can't do it? That's because code submissions are heavily vetted, and you don't get commit access to the source until you are well established and trusted.
  • riplikethat, on 10/12/2007, -3/+15Opera is and always be my first choice. I use Firefox as secondary, only as a quick replacement for IE. Opera is the first thing I install after a new windows installation.. well, that and drivers :P
  • FireStrife, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5The article missed something in Firefox can "remember open tabs for the next session" They removed the need for session saver extension and just built it right in. So it is in Firefox 2.0 b1.
  • clickwir, on 10/12/2007, -18/+2Firefox, no question about it. At least for me. I really don't care what IE7 is going to have, and Opera... that's just the left behind step child that never got it right.
  • SpiralMH, on 10/12/2007, -5/+1is there a mirror by any chance? link is dead
  • renegadeafk, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3they messed up right in the beginning of the comparison chart, it says opera doesn't support skins...
    • ThrasherC, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Read above...its already been commented on, replied to by the author, and corrected in the article.
  • anchorman, on 10/12/2007, -4/+5What? No other browsers deserve to be in the competition?

    Safari?
    Camino?
    Flock?
    • Jugalator, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Well, they have to draw the line at some point, you know...
    • SteveMax, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4That's what happens when the reviewer uses Windows. No Safari, Camino or Konqueror can run on that poor OS.
    • sky100010, on 10/12/2007, -2/+0I agree, flock is definitely up there.
    • andrebrown, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2No. Because those are not universal among Mac/Windows/Linux. In my oppinion Safari works the smoothest, but it can't be compared because it's only supported by mac os x.
  • Hawkstra, on 10/12/2007, -9/+3FireFox! IE doesn't have any addons or tabs, tabs make my Internet experience better.
    • gmillerd, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3it has plenty of addons, google bar, yahoo bar, and anything a visual studio guy can crank out ... neoplanet :)
    • Cglass, on 10/12/2007, -5/+1damn, gmillerd beat me to it
    • maoa, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5The article is about IE7.
      IE7 does have tabs. And "add-ons".

      This has nothing to do with IE6 vs Firefox.
  • jiggadigga, on 10/12/2007, -5/+2The number of people who use the product will ultimately determine which is better. Firefox is gaining market share, but don't expect IE to lose it's lead anytime soon
    • whfsdude, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9No, the # of people will determine which one is more popular. Popular doesn't mean better.
  • Pigglesworth, on 10/12/2007, -22/+0I think IE7 is by far the best. Firefox & Opera have many major shortfalls and I eagerly await the day that the Internet will be compatible only with Internet Explorer.
    • rarkai, on 10/12/2007, -2/+10I await the day that the internet is only available to people who know how to use it. Which excludes most internet explorer users.
    • jamesacres, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3That's easy to do by designing in front page! If you're a good web designer you validate your code and test in all the major browsers. -1 digg for you because you're not compatible with me.
  • pglyman, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3FireFox would have to take top billing on this list. I recently started using Flock since it has some fantastic social networking tools baked right in. I guess this would still be a vote for FireFox since it's built on the Mozilla code base.
    • dodgingcars, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3I haven't heard of Flock until today. I'm eager to check it out when I get home. It looks fantastic.
  • rexgrundy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11Lynx FTW
  • alexthebeast, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5This is really an unfair review. Firefox can do all the things they say it cant and more, yes in the slimline version you get, it has cut out a few features, but I really do not know anyone that does not use a half dozen plugins.

    My fave is THE DOWNLOAD ALL option, which you can get as a plugin, nothing like that excists on any of the others.
    • sremick, on 10/12/2007, -4/+3Correct. He is wrong when he says that Firefox doesn't have a 1-click button for creating a new blank tab, or a button for bringing up bookmarks. Firefox has both, and they take 1 second to turn on.

      I've emailed the author asking him to fix his article... I actually did this before it hit Slashdot or Digg. Unfortunately he has yet to update the review with the corrections, so he deserves whatever wrath he receives for such a poor and inaccurate review.

      michael_muchmore AT ziffdavis DOT com
    • SteveMax, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Wrong, the review IS accurate.

      Most users won't install all extensions. They want the best starting value of the download. If you're trying to convince someone to switch from IE to FF, after the third "download an extension you'll only know about if you search or ask someone to do this stuff that you can do on IE without hassle", he'll give up. Extensions are nice for ADDED functionality, not for functionality that should be default (Opera's tab view comes to mind).
    • innerspirit, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2"My fave is THE DOWNLOAD ALL option, which you can get as a plugin, nothing like that excists on any of the others."
      Wrong. Opera has had this for a while now, in Opera 9 you have the links panel which lists all links and lets you download all or some of them. I believe older versions had a links window, not sure if v9 has this.
  • RoyalPeasantry, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2One peeve: Why isn't there still a one-click button (by default) for adding a new tab? You can use the middle mouse button if you know about it—and if your mouse has one (laptop users need not apply)—on new links, but sometimes you want a new empty tab, which in Firefox requires going through menus, or double clicking on the empty space to the right of the last tab (if you knew about that—usability is about making needed features obvious).

    Its not a one click, but all you have to do is hit 'CTRL+T' and it will give you a new tab...
    • IMustBeEmo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0My laptop has a middle mouse button, and no I'm not using an external mouse. It's a Thinkpad A30.

      And doesn't Firefox have a new tab button on the left of the tab bar? I don't know but I thought it did. I haven't used it in months though.
  • Computer_Kid, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4IE? Does it even have a chance?
    • zizzybaloobah, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Depends on what you mean by 'King'.

      If King = features, usability, compliance, etc. IE already lost its crown long ago (and not just because it's been stagnant for several years).

      If King = market share, the crown is still glued quite tightly to Bill Gates' head. As long as that annoying blue 'e' is the only browser that appears by default on the Windows desktop, most users aren't going to recognize the advantage of taking the time and effort to install and use anything else.
  • DarkSorrow, on 10/12/2007, -4/+6Reviews is clearly wrong.

    "Can remember open tabs for next session" Yes there is, it a extension that can do that

    "Thumbnails for tabs" Extension can do that

    Again Firefox like to be simple, not to be bloated. Would anyone use Thumbsnails for tabs? yes and no, some people will use it but it take a biut of memory to do that information. Again, it like to be simple with most basic feature and the user will add them in extension
    • IMustBeEmo, on 10/12/2007, -6/+7Extensions are not standard and they cause an even GREATER [could that even be possible?!] memory leak. And standard Opera takes a LOT less memory than Firefox does so that's really irrelevant.
    • Cglass, on 10/12/2007, -9/+3Extensions CAUSE a memory leak? Does underwear cause bowel movements...?
    • LocoMan, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4I agree that the browser should be as simple as possible and let users add what they need. However, I still give that one to Opera, mainly because with those two features you mentioned + an email client + bittorrent client + RSS reader (also an extension in firefox) + IRC client (though I never use it, but it's also an extension for firefox), Opera is a lot lighter in the resources than Firefox, at least on my computer with only the remember tabs extension installed.
    • SteveMax, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Even Seamonkey is lighter than Firefox (both on Linux and on Mac. No idea about Windows). That is with composer, mail and chat, over the same core.
  • Catachresis, on 10/12/2007, -0/+11what? there's only one Bowser, and he's King of the Koopas. this is ridic...
    oh wait that's not right
  • Falldog, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I've been using Opera here at work as a way to test it. It's got some things I don't like, but I'm sure if I poked around I could find a solution to them.
  • Septimus, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8Opera personally. I'm even finding the widgets as useful extension replacements as the developments mature.
  • Cglass, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2First I'd like to point out to those who said this article was unbiased, you need to read between the lines. This article clearly gives an edge to a certain browser over the other two.

    It also mentions none of these browsers were updated for years, even though I seem to recall firefox being fine tuned more often than I get haircuts...

    Last, I want to know why all the features listed as NO for Firefox don't mention that they are all available, and quite easily too with some extensions. I say this because there is a note for Opera "No—but GNU Aspell available", why not mention all of it is available for Firefox? Other users already mentioned facts like tabs are Ctrl+T ... I use it so often that it seems stupid to want a mouse button.

    The article was Interesting, but I think it could have been much better, perhaps with the help of another individual. Also, a lot of the information was pretty obvious... everyone already knows IE6 has memory leaks.

    • Cglass, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3Ok I just finished reading the review of the whole process, and now I am just in shock. It says the IE anti-malware tool is more useful than the FireFox phishing protection...I don't think the author realizes that if you browse with FireFox, you don't get Mal/Spyware, so they put their efforts into a valid problem, people being tricked into giving up their passwords. The author said he thinks this is not useful? Wow I cannot believe I wasted my time reading this thing, I should have noticed that it was going to be awful when it was giving IE the benefit of the doubt (seriously come on, who uses IE or would give it the benefit of the doubt?)

      He also goes on to say that IE now emulates the other two browsers because it has a search? Get REAL, EVERY feature on IE7 was STOLEN from FireFox or Opera, and they ARE WORSE. I develop web software for a living, and IE7 ALREADY proves to be a nightmare, clearly this person is a fan of IE, for whatever reason.

      God listen to this BS, let's push IE some more :
      "These are all fine apps; we recommend you give them each a spin—it's a free download, after all—and stick with the one you find the most comfortable. Just keep in mind that IE7 is still beta (and you'll need to check the Show Updates box in Control Panel's Add Remove Programs window if you want to remove it), and Firefox is even earlier beta. For most users, it probably makes sense to wait for a later beta for Firefox and go ahead and try IE7 with a little caution. And don't worry about losing your bookmarks or favorites: With any of these upgrades, your bookmarks with come along for the upgrade ride."

      DONT EVEN BOTHER reading this, waste of time -DIGG
    • Popdmb, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2@ cglass

      I think the author was trying to go for impartiality here. It's hard to look credible if you're going to rag on IE while promoting underdog browsers. I dont think theres any other explanation -- no one in their right mind believes that IE is a superior browser.
    • SteveMax, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Completely different. If you have ASpell (which isn't used only in Opera, it's a VERY good spell checking system), Opera uses it. If you install it for Opera, you'll have this ability in many other pieces of software.

      Opposite to that, FF extensions unlock one feature of Firefox. They are not useable system-wide; and you most certainly won't have them installed before installing FF.

      IE anti-malware tools are a more important addition to IE than phishing checking (that didn't work for them) in FF; after all, any site can install malware in IE up to 6.

      Actually, reading the article gave me the impression that, in the author's opinion, Opera was top right now, compared to the betas; and that IE7 was a bigger improvement over IE6 than FF2 over FF1.5. IE users, since they will have to change browser anyway, should try them all and see which one is better for them. Not that much biased at all.
  • ninjakoala, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4It amazes me how none of the "hardcore" tech sites seem to realize that Opera not only has widgets but also extensions - through userjs. Quite a few can be found on userjs.org.
    • mookieXL, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7Userjs could be compared to Greasemonkey scripts, but not extensions.
  • TimDigg, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2I was expecting to be blown away by IE7. But seriously some of the design choices bother me. The location of the home key is a big problem for me, as well as the favorite location. I'm sticking with Firefox
  • fudgebrown, on 10/12/2007, -4/+6none of the above.

    Safari.
    • Cglass, on 10/12/2007, -5/+2Safari feels like just that, it's a wild and fun ride, but I think it's only meant for vacation, how are you supposed to get any work done? ;)
  • kaffein, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3Firefox from a web development standpoint always seems to be "right" first with anything I make. There is always some little thing that I have to hack in to get it to render properly in IE or Opera.

    Now as far as the user end goes, I used to be a big fan of Maxthon, but now Firefox with colortabs and AdblockPlus is king for me.

    .02c
    • Cglass, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5If FireFox was the web-standard, web-development would be like slicing warm butter ... mmm toast
    • saralk, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I tihnk thats slightly unfair, whatever browser you develop in, is what browser your site will be compatiable with. I develop it using Opera, then when i'm done I check IE and Firefox.
  • nicklinus, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4this is wrong, opera has built in spell check.
    • danielg, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Opera doesn't have a built-in spell checker. However, if you install GNU Aspell, an option to spell check will appear in the right-click menu.
  • hectormilla, on 10/12/2007, -5/+1I love Flock!
  • MilesTeg, on 10/12/2007, -7/+2Anybody K-Meleon 1.0 ?

    Firefox 2.0: nice, better than FF 1.5 but nothing new
    IE 7: catches up to FF but still closed and M$
    Opera: now without ads but still no adblock!
    K-Meleon: same engine as FF, blazingfast(!) and potential support for adblock!
  • c4171, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5I think this shows how terrible this article is:

    "Why isn't there still a one-click button (by default) for adding a new tab? You can use the middle mouse button if you know about it—and if your mouse has one (laptop users need not apply)—on new links..."
    Um.. you can push both mouse buttons at the same time for a middle click on a laptop?

    "but sometimes you want a new empty tab, which in Firefox requires going through menus, or double clicking on the empty space to the right of the last tab (if you knew about that—usability is about making needed features obvious)." Everyone has already said about Ctrl+T, but there are also a "new tab" button you can add to the top through "View--Toolbars--Customize". They try and minimize the buttons at the top for a streamlined look, not any sort of power user. Power users can go through a bit of a menu to add a button, or use.. drumroll... keyboard shortcuts!
    • neilpan, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1True...

      Various ways to do it. I personally like drawing lines using the "All-In-One Mouse Gestures" extension. Just drag a line and its gonna open a new tab. Completely programmable gestures!
  • renegadeafk, on 10/12/2007, -0/+12opera has built in adblock its callled "block content" just right click and block content just like adblock
    • Cerberus047, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1i dont have the link but opera made a statement saying that it would be horrible if they implemented an "adblock" because web developers will start to block opera... firefox will never include adblock directly in their browser its all 3rd party... opera is a "content blocker" which is the same thing but you have to train it yourself
  • radiofrequency, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2Anything but Internet Explorer. It is the most proprietary and not cross-platform. The future version is not only Windows-only, but is actually going to require a certain **version** of Windows, too.

    If it weren't for Microsoft's dirty tricks of cheating through bundling IE with Windows and making it a default web browser, I wouldn't even test for it. As it stands, IE is the worst browser out there in terms of security, standards compliance, rendering speed and ease in developing for.
    • orlandosanz, on 10/12/2007, -5/+3MS is not cheating by putting IE with Windows.
      Don't be like the EU.
  • danielg, on 10/12/2007, -0/+14Glad to see the Opera browser finally get positive recognition. Go Opera!
  • arachnist, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8On my p2 400 with 256MB everything except for Opera and Konqueror is simply sluggish, Seamonkey and Kazehakase are also useable but none if them looks as good as Opera does and Firefox is simply bloated (even when compared to Seamonkey, the renamed Mozilla Suite). And yes, i'm running gentoo with kde here, and everything runs smoothly.
    btw, Does Firefox (or any gecko-based browser for the record) pass acid2? Konqueror and Opera 9 do.
  • fakeaccount, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3i like Firefox when i am not tired but the zoom in Opera is eminet when i am tired i love Opera scale good i need 1 in IE and Firefox. text + pic = zoom = Opera and no funny text over pic or pic over text
    sleep well U all
  • whatevasista, on 10/12/2007, -4/+2Sooo sick of all this 'best browser' stuff! Who cares!
  • Fetching more discussions...
    Show 51 - 100 of 110 discussions
  •  

    Login or register to add a comment

    Create a new account or login to join in the conversation on Digg. You'll also be able to Digg stories to help promote things you like.


© Digg Inc. 2008 — Content posted by Digg users is dedicated to the public domain.
DIGG, DIGG IT, DUGG, DIGG THIS, Digg graphics, logos, designs, page headers, button icons, scripts, and other service names are the trademarks of Digg Inc.