Browser Wars: Get the facts! Sort of...

Most people use only one browser. They further divide into the ones that choose the browser they use and so use the browser they prefer, and those who use the browser they were given.

Even fewer, myself amongst them, use different browsers on a regular basis. Depending on which machine and platform I am on I use Firefox, IE7, Chrome and Opera. Updated, the list now reads Firefox 3, Opera Unite and IE8; I am waiting for Chrome on Linux.

Phew, I cannot remember such a burst of hyper-expensive innovation for software that is after all, given away. Firefox and Chrome are free, open source applications whereas Opera and IE8 are freeware applications.

Given my promiscuous browser habits then, I feel empowered to make the observations and speculations that follow.

This post is however not a point by point review and it certainly won't match Microsoft's delightful 'IE8... Get the facts' tick by tick browser comparison chart (guess who won hands down !) because that's all a little boring.

Hopefully my review gives a little food for thought. So I am going to do a 'why did they do that?' kind of post.

History of Browsing... Modern Browsing

The First Browser War happened more than a decade ago. Suffice to say that the emergence of the Open Source browser Firefox combined with the utter brokenness of OEM supplied IE6 produced a situation where Firefox 3 dominates when compared to any other modern browser.

What is a modern browser?

Simple: it's quick and has tabs, renders most anything, is secure and adheres to agreed standards. They are all like this now. So why so many and why such activity?

Why IE8?

IE8 is a Windows-only free browser. Installed properly it nips along, has some nice features and is pleasant to use.

It represents, as MS point out, an awful lot of hard work, is much better than IE7 (which belatedly introduced tabbed browsing to the masses unfamiliar with Firefox) and, according to their PR, trounces the opposition. In fact, any online criticism of IE8 seems to attract Microsoft's PR attack dogs (we found out!). This browser must be important to them.

By and large, MS has a right to be pleased that in IE8 they have produced a decent browser. After all, they are a decent sized company with considerable resources and have had Mozilla Firefox's and Google's Chrome code to look at for quite while now. It would be a little surprising if it was rubbish.

However, it does not have any show-stopping features. It is quick but not as fast as Chrome. It has cool bits but not as innovative as Chrome or Opera. It is customizable but not as much as Firefox. IE8 claims standards compliance (although it isn't really) and is much more secure than its predecessors.

I think security is the key to IE8.

Windows XP is an inherently insecure operating system not helped by browser weaknesses. XP is much loved by its users but is only kept afloat by the skin of its teeth by third party software, thanks to Messrs McAfee, Symantec, AVG and Sophos. How utterly humiliating.

I suspect IE8 is a very important cog in MS's plan to become self sufficient. I offer as evidence the following:

A quick Bing into IE8 problems shows that it has a real tendency to fight hard with installed anti-virus, anti-spam, anti-malware software (the joy of Windows). Best advice online is 'uninstall said software'.

Hmmm, MS recently announced that they are giving away their anti-virus software and Windows 7, due to launch this autumn, is a much more secure beast than it predecessors.

You know what I think?

If you want a Windows machine that is genuinely safer, install IE8 after all it knows how the internal code works, If you want a Windows computer that is actually secure then go out and buy a Windows 7 computer, complete with Windows anti-virus and IE8.

If I am right, 2010 could see the first secure Windows machine for a decade and a half. And all thanks to IE8 - that's why it's important.

Why Opera?

What an amazing company. How do they keep going? Opera can be downloaded as a free, completely cross platform proprietary browser. It works great on Linux, Mac and Windows.

It can be found on many niche devices from the Nintendo to a brace of smart phones.

It is fast and has arguably pioneered all the best browser features.

It has no natural advantage in the market place so relies on innovation. The latest is Opera Unite. This is a tremendous idea. Essentially it uses the browser to provide a range of peer to peer sharing from files to web pages. The idea is to remove the remote hosting third-party web site from person to person interaction. I think it rocks. This is why I use it on a handy USB stick.

Will it catch on? Who knows, but at least they have a plan. A remarkable one.

What about Google Chrome?

What indeed? It is blindingly fast and short cuts to Google Docs with a single click and they are my main reasons for using it.

It's great that it is Open Source software and that is another reason I use it. Actually I had better say that Chrome isn't really FOSS but is a tweaked version of 'Chromium' which is.

Why it matters is just as interesting. Through its Open Source API Gears and features designed into the browser, the local application-space and the web-browsing application space begins to merge.

As long as connection speeds increase and on-line apps develop we know where Google is headed... dominance of the Waplication. It's all come a long way since Java applets!

Why FireFox 3?

Why indeed? FireFox 3 is free, open source software that works well on all platforms. On Windows computers however it is going head to head with a free proprietary browser from Microsoft that they say licks it in nearly every area save flexibility and customisation.

FireFox seems to know where it is going, quicker, faster, more secure, cutting edge 'innovative' bits..much the same road map as IE. No big ideas, just a more sophisticated articulation of a very good paradigm. The big question is whether this will be enough?

Conclusion

The Browser world is really exciting at the moment. If your choice depends on how you use the web then Chrome and Opera have to be considered because they allow you to use the Web in new and radically different ways. If you (like most folk) just 'use' the web then you have a choice between two good browsers IE8 and FireFox 3.

But... consider the situation in Europe where Windows 7 will be supplied sans browser. You have just bought an OEM Windows 7 computer. Next step, download a browser of your choice from the above list and some anti-virus software. Do you choose Firefox (free) + AVG (£30) or do you use a security suite designed to work intimately together IE8 (free) + Windows Anti-virus (free)?

If IE8 makes your Windows 7 machine safer and allows you to not buy anti-virus software which would you choose?