Web Browser Reviews

The following are my reviews and opinions of four major web browsers.

Site links

• Home page
• Web site usability reviews
• Michalko analysis

Page contents

• Table of reviews
• Firefox
• Internet Explorer
• Navigator
• Opera
• My top choice

Browser reviews

Review of the table

This information makes a much better table than I had expected. I actually feel that this works at least as well as the paragraphs below it (from a visual perspective, better, but from an accessibility perspective, worse). Here we get to see the browsers concisely listed, with the pros and cons easy to find on the right. Also, we may look at the pros or cons together, making direct comparison much easier than before.

Firefox

• Best: Very simple, concise interface. Built in search bar with many source options.
• Worst: Even though it is growing in popularity, it is not yet generally coded for, so there are some sites and content that do not display properly.

Internet Explorer

• Best: Near universal success at displaying and running content. Its market dominance and sole use of ActiveX support have led most designers to aim their code at it.
• Worst: There is no inclusion of tabbed browsing in version 6 (This is my personal pet peeve) and it has been discontinued for Mac OS, making that version (5.2 the latest) pretty much useless for more modern content and style.

Navigator

• Best: The included option of displaying page code by Internet Explorer or Firefox rules as a standard or, more importantly, if Navigator has problems with it. The large array of features must be nice for those who use them, making the browser its own little portal.
• Worst: It remains a bloated piece of software, taking overly long to load all of the extra features (chat, mail, various feeds) that I suppose some users must use, but I find irritating. This is less of a problem in version 8 than in older versions, but still exists.

Opera

• Best: Includes tabs, and built in search bar like Firefox, as a nice light browser. The Ctrl-Tab view switch feature adds a selection view like the Windows Alt-Tab does. It seems pretty customizable in view without feeling clunky. The interface is visually pleasing with some simple Mac OS X-ish fade and highlight effects.
• Worst: I am completely new to this browser, so the greatest obstacle was abject unfamiliarity with its naming schemes and where preferences and tools are located.

Favorite:

• Firefox is my running favorite. Its simple, uncluttered interface is easy to work in, I am very familiar with its workings, and the built in search is often useful. Opera (assuming greater familiarity) is probably my second, as it has very similar functionality and interface as Firefox without the bloatedness of Netscape or the above-mentioned deficiencies of Internet Explorer.