Browser Wars Revisited
March 07, 2009
As a web designer, I am all too familiar with the reality of cross-browser compatibility.Has it gotten any better? Which is the better browser? Which do you prefer?
**Disclaimer. Discussions of competing software often causes involuntary fits of anger and defensive behavior. Please be warned.
If you're at all experienced with the net, there is no doubt you are familiar with or at least have heard about the main competitors (you're likely running one of these to view this): Internet Explorer by Microsoft and Firefox by the Mozilla Corporation. For those of you on Mac, we'll include Safari into the fray as well.
All three of these browsers have come a long way since 2005. With Internet Explorer 8 nearing release, Firefox at revision 3 and Safari now for both Mac and PC reaching version 4, things are looking better than ever. So has cross-browser compatibility really gotten any better? My short answer is, yes. If you follow good coding practice, there is usually minimal need for separate coding under different browsers. If you're running any of the latest browsers, much has been done to provide cross-browser compatibility especially in the area of styling and positioning of content. This is especially true for the upcoming release of Internet Explorer 8. The long answer is that it depends.
Unfortunately, some users are not privileged enough to have a resident techie on hand to keep their computers updated properly. Others may work within a company that can't let go of their old software that requires the continued use of these antiquated old browsers (IE 6 anyone?). If you fall within the former of the two, please do a Google search for: "Internet Explorer 7" or alternately "Firefox" and you'll be directed on how to install the latest version of the browser. I promise, it's painless, won't wreck your computer and will actually make surfing the internet better regardless of what sites you frequent. This is the one situation in which it 'depends' and forces that never-ending backward compatibility checking for what I'll call "pre-2007" browsers. The true use of the term cross-browser compatibility arguably means that the same block of code works across all versions of every browser. This will never happen as it stands, but we'll continue to use the term cross-browser to mean compatible across all of the latest browsers which you will commonly find in use.
This brings us to the next question. Which is the better browser? Answering this can be complicated, and like many an argument between Mac and PC owners, this too can get personal. I will shed my own light on the subject. Be prepared, as I will try to logically point out reasons for my choice without dragging it to unnecessary lengths.
The most secure:
A little known browser by most, Opera beats all of the top 3 browsers. Surprised? Well, you honestly shouldn't be since the amount of users this browser can probably lay claim to could perhaps be counted in your local library. The striking reality however, between Firefox, Safari and Internet Explorer is in stark contrast to the popular belief that "Firefox is more secure than... or Firefox is the most secure". This couldn't be further from the truth. Since the release of Firefox there have been over 400 exposed security vulnerabilities and counting, with the latest 3.0 version having still 46 vulnerabilities of which 78% are rated Highly Critical! (as reported by www.secunia.com) Internet Explorer with its advanced URL referral checking (phishing filter) and its Protected Mode offer peace of mind and true strides towards proper security. Though nothing is perfect, and of course it's patched to cover potential security vulnerabilities the same as the rest of them; I would much sooner trust a company as large as Microsoft. With as much market share as they have, they are forced to be attentive and to patch things quickly and efficiently. Safari, well... sorry Mac folks. You have a much smaller user base along with plenty of security threats despite this fact. How does that work? I'm not sure, but do a search for "Apple catches up on security". Not for me.
The most/best features:
Everyone boasts about Firefox add-ons. Did you know Internet Explorer has had add-ons available since 1997? Did you also know that they're all just as useless as the next? I would bet that for 99.999% of users, the tabbed browsing, the address bar, the google search box, RSS feeds, forward, back and home buttons probably are about all you need to get the most out of the internet. Yes, seriously. I must also add that the reality of extensions is that they can be very unsafe. In this category, I without a doubt give the best features "award" to Internet Explorer 7. Why you ask? It's all there, it is simple, it works well and best of all the user interface doesn't resemble that of a highschool computer science project in graphic design.
Best performing browser:
Did you know that the reported "memory leak bug" in Firefox is actually a "feature"? Apparently the added memory is used as a buffer that stores previously viewed web pages in memory in case you need to go back a few pages and read the same article again. Not sure I care about the extra tenth of a second anyway when on broadband, as pages load quickly enough already. Perhaps there is a benefit to slower connections. Regardless, not only are claims that Internet Explorer uses more memory untrue, so is the myth that Firefox renders pages faster. The reality is, all three browsers are very similar in speed and you'd need to measure the difference in milliseconds to accurately reflect any true difference. Personally, I again prefer Internet Explorer. It's just as fast, looks better and it is already installed with any copy of Windows. How easy is that? By that means, Internet Explorer is faster because I don"t need to use another browser to go and download and install it. There's a reason it holds over 80% market share. If you're on a Mac, I guess the same would hold true for Safari. I'm all for choice, but only where it actually makes a difference.
So which do I prefer? Hopefully I don't need to state this if you've read the article to this point; but I will anyways. Internet Explorer and yes; eFlux Design makes designs that are cross-browser compatible so that no matter your personal preference, they all display just as well in the end.
p.s- I'd like to add one more thing just to stir the pot. Logically, who thinks a program named Firefox is a program that enables you to browse the internet, or for that matter Safari. Are these logically sound brand names? Internet Explorer sounds pretty self-explanatory to me. You know where my vote stands.
**Disclaimer. Discussions of competing software often causes involuntary fits of anger and defensive behavior. Please be warned.
If you're at all experienced with the net, there is no doubt you are familiar with or at least have heard about the main competitors (you're likely running one of these to view this): Internet Explorer by Microsoft and Firefox by the Mozilla Corporation. For those of you on Mac, we'll include Safari into the fray as well.
All three of these browsers have come a long way since 2005. With Internet Explorer 8 nearing release, Firefox at revision 3 and Safari now for both Mac and PC reaching version 4, things are looking better than ever. So has cross-browser compatibility really gotten any better? My short answer is, yes. If you follow good coding practice, there is usually minimal need for separate coding under different browsers. If you're running any of the latest browsers, much has been done to provide cross-browser compatibility especially in the area of styling and positioning of content. This is especially true for the upcoming release of Internet Explorer 8. The long answer is that it depends.
Unfortunately, some users are not privileged enough to have a resident techie on hand to keep their computers updated properly. Others may work within a company that can't let go of their old software that requires the continued use of these antiquated old browsers (IE 6 anyone?). If you fall within the former of the two, please do a Google search for: "Internet Explorer 7" or alternately "Firefox" and you'll be directed on how to install the latest version of the browser. I promise, it's painless, won't wreck your computer and will actually make surfing the internet better regardless of what sites you frequent. This is the one situation in which it 'depends' and forces that never-ending backward compatibility checking for what I'll call "pre-2007" browsers. The true use of the term cross-browser compatibility arguably means that the same block of code works across all versions of every browser. This will never happen as it stands, but we'll continue to use the term cross-browser to mean compatible across all of the latest browsers which you will commonly find in use.
This brings us to the next question. Which is the better browser? Answering this can be complicated, and like many an argument between Mac and PC owners, this too can get personal. I will shed my own light on the subject. Be prepared, as I will try to logically point out reasons for my choice without dragging it to unnecessary lengths.
The most secure:
A little known browser by most, Opera beats all of the top 3 browsers. Surprised? Well, you honestly shouldn't be since the amount of users this browser can probably lay claim to could perhaps be counted in your local library. The striking reality however, between Firefox, Safari and Internet Explorer is in stark contrast to the popular belief that "Firefox is more secure than... or Firefox is the most secure". This couldn't be further from the truth. Since the release of Firefox there have been over 400 exposed security vulnerabilities and counting, with the latest 3.0 version having still 46 vulnerabilities of which 78% are rated Highly Critical! (as reported by www.secunia.com) Internet Explorer with its advanced URL referral checking (phishing filter) and its Protected Mode offer peace of mind and true strides towards proper security. Though nothing is perfect, and of course it's patched to cover potential security vulnerabilities the same as the rest of them; I would much sooner trust a company as large as Microsoft. With as much market share as they have, they are forced to be attentive and to patch things quickly and efficiently. Safari, well... sorry Mac folks. You have a much smaller user base along with plenty of security threats despite this fact. How does that work? I'm not sure, but do a search for "Apple catches up on security". Not for me.
The most/best features:
Everyone boasts about Firefox add-ons. Did you know Internet Explorer has had add-ons available since 1997? Did you also know that they're all just as useless as the next? I would bet that for 99.999% of users, the tabbed browsing, the address bar, the google search box, RSS feeds, forward, back and home buttons probably are about all you need to get the most out of the internet. Yes, seriously. I must also add that the reality of extensions is that they can be very unsafe. In this category, I without a doubt give the best features "award" to Internet Explorer 7. Why you ask? It's all there, it is simple, it works well and best of all the user interface doesn't resemble that of a highschool computer science project in graphic design.
Best performing browser:
Did you know that the reported "memory leak bug" in Firefox is actually a "feature"? Apparently the added memory is used as a buffer that stores previously viewed web pages in memory in case you need to go back a few pages and read the same article again. Not sure I care about the extra tenth of a second anyway when on broadband, as pages load quickly enough already. Perhaps there is a benefit to slower connections. Regardless, not only are claims that Internet Explorer uses more memory untrue, so is the myth that Firefox renders pages faster. The reality is, all three browsers are very similar in speed and you'd need to measure the difference in milliseconds to accurately reflect any true difference. Personally, I again prefer Internet Explorer. It's just as fast, looks better and it is already installed with any copy of Windows. How easy is that? By that means, Internet Explorer is faster because I don"t need to use another browser to go and download and install it. There's a reason it holds over 80% market share. If you're on a Mac, I guess the same would hold true for Safari. I'm all for choice, but only where it actually makes a difference.
So which do I prefer? Hopefully I don't need to state this if you've read the article to this point; but I will anyways. Internet Explorer and yes; eFlux Design makes designs that are cross-browser compatible so that no matter your personal preference, they all display just as well in the end.
p.s- I'd like to add one more thing just to stir the pot. Logically, who thinks a program named Firefox is a program that enables you to browse the internet, or for that matter Safari. Are these logically sound brand names? Internet Explorer sounds pretty self-explanatory to me. You know where my vote stands.
