Chosing a web browser

**Husar** · 03-29-2010, 23:30

Opera.

Tellos Athenaios already gave a good list, but there are some more features he didn't mention(maybe he doesn't like them as much?).

- Opera link, synchronizes your bookmarks etc. between all your Opera browsers (does seem to go wrong a bit now and then though, will have to re-sort my bookmarks, but it's really nice when it works)
- Opera unite, allows you to host content on your PC for your friends etc. rather new, not sure how secure it is
- works on more or less every device, I got it in Windows, in Linux, had it on my old windows mobile-based smartphone and would love for Apple to approve it for the iPhone, not that I got my hopes up though...

Concerning adblock...
http://arstechnica.com/business/news...s-you-love.ars

**Tellos Athenaios** · 03-30-2010, 00:26

Good point(s). I left out quite a few features of Opera (haven't yet tried Opera link and unite). To be fair on Firefox it does run reasonably well outside Windows; but there is no denying that Firefox is first and foremost a Windows browser.

A myth worth dispelling is that Firefox (or Browser-Of-The-Month) is somehow a magical impregnable fortress of invincible security. It isn't. It really isn't. No particular browser is. (It takes but a faulty Flash version to vanish any illusions.)

In actual fact Firefox (in particular) is vulnerable to types of attacks that are otherwise quite specific to Microsoft products: those that rely on a faulty ActiveX component. ActiveX is how programs can be embedded inside other programs in the Microsoft world and it is how plugins work in Internet Explorer. Firefox supports a slightly different flavour of ActiveX called XPCOM. Since ActiveX is quite a thoroughly canvassed subject in the realm of drive-by-download and similar ploys it should take a majority market share in a sufficiently lucrative market (e.g. EU) for the XPCOM equivalents to crop up.

**drone** · 03-30-2010, 01:25

Originally Posted by Husar

Concerning adblock...
http://arstechnica.com/business/news...s-you-love.ars

Until sites take responsibility for the ads that get put on their pages, I'm sticking with my AdBlock. Even big, respected sites get malware infested ads occasionally.

**Alexander the Pretty Good** · 03-30-2010, 02:28

Firefox has a lot of the features in that Opera list (or plug-ins that do them if the core doesn't). Opera is definitely faster than FF, but I cannot get used to the layout (and it's no-script equivalent is next to non-functioning in terms of ease of use). I'm willing to trade speed for a better user experience, which boils down to what you're used to.

And FF has private browsing like incognito - Ctrl + Shift + p

**Subotan** · 03-30-2010, 09:41

Originally Posted by Husar

Concerning adblock...
http://arstechnica.com/business/news...s-you-love.ars

Well they shouldn't host adverts that are disgusting (E.g.Teeth whitening adverts....ugh), annoying (E.g.Anything that plays sound) or malicious (E.g. GET RIPPED IN 14 DAYS YOU FATASS)

Originally Posted by Alexander the Pretty Good

And FF has private browsing like incognito - Ctrl + Shift + p

Hm, interesting

**Pannonian** · 03-30-2010, 09:47

Originally Posted by drone

Until sites take responsibility for the ads that get put on their pages, I'm sticking with my AdBlock. Even big, respected sites get malware infested ads occasionally.

I mainly find adblock useful for blocking 5MB animated sigs. If a page loads slowly, I check to see what's loading. If I see any animated gifs, I block them and refresh. People seem to think that, now that the age of broadband is here, their sigs have to expand accordingly. Prats.

**Husar** · 03-30-2010, 09:59

http://lifehacker.com/5432054/opera-...ivate-browsing

The final version of this is already out, on Windows at least.
So Opera has private browsing, too.

**Subotan** · 03-30-2010, 10:12

I notice how they don't even bother comparing it to IE

***

This sums it up pretty well:

**Fragony** · 03-30-2010, 13:10

Can't really go wrong with any of them, they all work fine.

**naut** · 03-30-2010, 13:40

Firefox has a lot of nice features, add-ons and themes. Easy to use if you are switching from IE.

Opera has a very sleak interface, is very straight-forward, easy to use, but may take some getting used to.

Personally I like both, and I have both. Why not download both and test them both out and see which you prefer? They are only small downloads after all.

Or you could throw everyone off and get the Windows version of Safari.