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Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols

Cyber Cynic

Browser wars 2009: Firefox, Chrome, & Internet Explorer

58 comments

TAGS:Firefox, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, web browser
IT TOPICS:Desktop Applications, Internet, Open Source, Software

Over the last weeks, I've been working a lot with all three of the major Web browsers, and I've come to some conclusions. This isn't a review as such, it's just what I, as a user, who never has less than three browser windows and several dozens tabs open at a time, have experienced.

Google Chrome. When Chrome first came out, I liked it a lot. With version 2.0.169.1 out, I still like it a lot.

I have two simple reasons I like it: Speed and security. Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine is faster than fast. Only Apple's Safari even comes close to keeping up with Chrome. The rest are just a bunch of slowpokes.

Now, many times when you read about reviews with benchmarks the differences, in real life, aren't really visible. That's not the case with Chrome vs. its rivals. If this was a NASCAR race, it would be beating them to the checkered flag by laps.

Chrome was also the only browser that wasn't cracked in seconds or minutes in the recent PWN2OWN hacker competition. In fact, Chrome never was busted.

So, why isn't Chrome my number one? Well, for one thing, it's Windows only, and I'm not a Windows-only kind of computer user. Linux is my main desktop, and I also use Macs a fair amount. What I want is a browser that will work on all three of the main desktop platforms.

Internet Explorer 8. I know many of you won't believe this, but I actually rather liked Internet Explorer 8, when I first started using it. I especially liked that I opened one tab from a link in another, the 'related' tabs have the same color. By automatically organizing the tabs by color-coding, I found that managing tabs was instantly much easier.

Since then, though, I've been hearing from people who have had IE-specific applications -- oh the irony! -- break on them. Since the only point for many people to run IE at all was so that they could use those backwards Web sites, there goes one big reason to use IE right there. By the way, ready or not, Microsoft is about to start offering IE 8 to users via Windows update. If you really use IE a lot, I'm inclined to say 'skip it' for now until they have some of the compatibility bugs beaten out of it.

Firefox 3.5 beta/Firefox 3.08. So, I'm back to Firefox for my best overall browser. It works reasonably fast, it's reasonably secure, and it will work with pretty much any site on the Web. Besides running on every desktop around, Firefox has one other big advantage over the others: its software ecosystem.

There are hundreds of useful Firefox extensions out there and they make Firefox more than just a browser. With Xmarks (formerly Foxmarks) and the Google Toolbar for Firefox, I can do more with Firefox than I can with the other browsers.

So, while Chrome is faster and more secure and IE 8 is vastly improved over IE 7 and 6, the bottom line is that Firefox and its friends still give me a better over-all Web experience. And, when you're like me and you need to find information quickly on the Web all day long, that's no small thing.

Browser wars

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What People Are Saying

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Chrome needs work!

Submitted by Binkie on November 7, 2009 - 4:24 P.M.

I've been using Chrome for a few months now and for the most part it's a great browser. But there are too many things that should work but just don't. Example: eBay. Try to pay for an eBay purchase via PayPal in Chrome - can't be done. Something in the way eBay transfers to the PayPal page doesn't work in Chrome. I need to log out, log back in with IE, make the payment, and switch back to Chrome. Sure, you could say "it's eBay/PayPal's fault". But the point is, their system works with the other browsers, so they don't consider it a problem.

And lately, quite often when I click on a link in an e-mail or on a web page, Chrome hangs for a while, trying to "resolve host", then gives up - error screen. But hit one refresh and it pops right in. And even if this is a case of something in my own PC/OS/router/ISP/etc., again, it doesn't happen in IE.

Also, when tracking shipments, it should be a simple matter to copy the tracking number and paste it onto the courier's tracking page. With Chrome, DHL Canada's site is somehow "unpastable" - it just won't paste! Again, maybe it's DHL's poor coding; but again, it works in IE.

Even if the fault is nonstandard coding of the websites, and the ideal solution would be for every company to fix their site, the reality is the sites are in the state they're in, and people need to be able to use them. It's pointless to keep a browser that doesn't work just because you know that technically the blame lies elsewhere.

A browser needs to work with the Internet - faults and all. When Chrome does, I'll check it out again.

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I run chrome on linux, it's

Submitted by Anonymous on September 26, 2009 - 3:28 P.M.

I run chrome on linux, it's technically a developer build, but I haven't run into any bugs. http://www.stefanoforenza.com/chromium-on-ubuntu-how-to/

I don't personally use mac, but my friends say this works well on mac as well.

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What I think ...

Submitted by Edo Tzumer on August 24, 2009 - 7:54 A.M.

I have been developing for web since I've been developing so I have to use all major browsers to check compatibility and performance on all either way.

IE - the solid market leader with a solid steady drop in percentage.
the IE is actually the only professional browser, when it comes to hard core dev - e.g. uploads in IE do not have to open an alien session in order to do so - the session is under the main session. another e.g. is the the file select window, the on select event only works fine with IE ...
However, it crashes all the time - it is actually the most unstable browser of the "top three"

Firefox - unlike world trend I don't think there's anything special about FF other than it's developing community that makes wonderful plug-ins and add-ons, every browser will have all features anyway,
Really liked FF1, the rest are not really (or even close to) as fast as they claim.

Chrome - exactly what I've been waiting for, it's fast, really fast, usability is wonderful.
downsides - no add-ons (deliberate?)
AND only on Windows - Come on google, what's the matter with you?
(I guess we'll see it in LINUX pretty soon, or else ...)

Safari pretty much sucks on Windows, but is rather nicely conservative on MACs, it's overall ok, nothing more nothing less.

Opera - not yet worth a detailed review yet. But I'm sure to keep my eyes open for future vers.

other browsers - not really worth mentioning yet.

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I use Ubuntu (9.04

Submitted by PeterG on June 1, 2009 - 1:18 P.M.

I use Ubuntu (9.04 currently) as my primary desktop OS with a couple of Win XP boxes in the house as well as WinXP in a virtual prcon my Ubuntu laptop.
Obviously IE and chrome are out for me as they don't even run on linux. I've used chrome and, while I agree that it's fast and unobtrusive and secure, I can't believe that Google wouldn't even include a feature where your browser bookmarks can come from google bookmarks service! I use every Google service known to man but Google Chrome has no addons that would aid in using them. Now Firefox, on the other hand, works on linux and windows (and mac) has a boatload of addons that do everything imaginable and is plenty fast.
Why do I have WinXP on my linux as a virtual machine you ask? Because believe it or not there ar still a whole bunch of websites (mostly web apps) that DON'T WORK ON FIREFOX OR OPERA!! It's as if developers are completely oblivious to the fact that there are people in this world that chose not to run Microsoft products. Being a software developer myself, I can't believe in such ignorance! (And I develop on Microsoft .Net)

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Ubuntu

Submitted by Amoria Shoes on July 15, 2009 - 1:19 A.M.

I use that too.

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Ever since I installed the

Submitted by Dawn on May 12, 2009 - 4:31 P.M.

Ever since I installed the latest Window's update and Google Chrome, my internet is incredibly slow. I have Comcast digital - the fastest internet they have. Do you know what my problem is??

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Win updates after google install ? Haha !

Submitted by mandrifan on September 19, 2009 - 1:45 A.M.

Every time I've reinstalled my XP box, because of system failures or hardware upgrades, I had to manually re-install my beloved google desktop search that has become such a familiar companion on my Linux Mandriva box. Guess what, after b/w 2 to 10 days, a Win update comes, and I start losing speed or system functions. I don't "know" the reason, but knowing the fierce competition b/w the two major actors, I have strong suspicion this loss of functionality is more a feature of the update than a bug of either software. Wondering if others have noticed the same behavior and came to the same suspicions as me...

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Firefox for now.. Chrome for later .

Submitted by Eza on April 15, 2009 - 11:11 P.M.

I only tried 4 browsers in my whole life. Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Google Chrome and Netscape.

1. Mozilla Firefox.
Just love the addons it has. The only reason i use it is cause of the best and easy to install addons. But when i right click a link and open it in another tab it slows down and sometimes freezes for a few seconds. That's the only thing i hate about it. If it just goes fast and doesn't suddenly stop for 3 seconds then it would of been better.

2. Google Chrome.
Love the fast Chrome that doesn't crash that much for me and opening different tabs isn't a problem with me. The only thing I REALLY HATE is that Chrome doesn't have good or easy to install addons. I hope they release addons in the future.

3. Internet Explorer.
The first browser i used that goes okay. But the new release crashes a lot.

4. Netscape.
Been a few years i've used this browser. It was good and wished that they continued.

So overall = Firefox.
Future Browser = Google Chrome
Backup Browser = IE8

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Relative statistics

Submitted by vinczej on April 15, 2009 - 5:59 A.M.

I think, that Opera's marketshare is indeed low. But in several countries these statistics are very different. These statistics represents the US browser-usage. But in Europe, and especially in Asian and in Russia Opera has other statistics.

I think, that the flexibility on GUI is for me unbeatable. These, and the new Turbo mode for slow connections (e.g wifi) is a great feature, and compensates for the very few crappy sites.

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Three major browsers??

Submitted by KebertXela on April 14, 2009 - 8:47 P.M.

I'm no fan of Apple or their browser, but Google Chrome remains a tiny speck on the graph when compared to Apple's Safari. How you can already consider Chrome a major browser is quite frankly beyond me.

Browser Market Share
Internet Explorer 66.82%
Firefox 22.05%
Safari 8.23%
Chrome 1.23%
Opera 0.70%

--From NetApplications

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