Web browser show-down

Web browsers... everybody has them, usually several. Some people have preferences, others just use what came on their computer. Just thought I'd throw out my thoughts, likes, and dislikes for each... in order of preference:

1. Google Chrome (10.0.648.205): there are a few reasons that I prefer this browser... First, it syncs bookmarks between computers. Since I run Windows sometimes on my MacBook, this is incredibly helpful for keeping my bookmarks in sync between OS X and WinXP. Secondly, and brilliantly, it runs each tab that you open as a separate process on your computer. That is to say, if a web page freezes while loading in one tab, you can keep using all your other tabs and windows without a hiccup. And thirdly, the in-line extensions for checking Gmail, Google Voice, etc. are very handy. I know Firefox has a lot of add-ons too but Chrome's way of doing it is better in my mind. The one thing that I don't really like in Chrome is the bookmark manager. Of course, I have yet to see a better bookmark manager than...

2. Apple Safari (5.0.4): the stock browser that comes on every Mac. Also offered for most versions of Windows. Tends to work a bit better on my computer for video streaming (especially using Microsoft Silverlight), and as I said the bookmark management is terrific. The interface is very discreet and feels like it gets out of the way, but the options for customization (especially through visual appearance) are very lacking almost non-existent. RAM usage is basically a toss-up between Safari and Chrome... add bookmark sync and I'd probably go back to Safari.

3. Mozilla Firefox (4.0): as far as I know this is the #1 open-source browser around, and it shows... the amount of customization that it offers is tremendous. The available themes let you make it look like you want it to, and it's pretty snappy with the new 4.0 release... until you run out of RAM. At least for my computer, this is the Achilles' Heel of Firefox... compared to Safari and Chrome it's a memory hog. Bookmark management is pretty similar to Chrome (but without sync), and video performance isn't up to par either.

4. Opera: I've barely used Opera... the concept of downloading an image instead of a web page is pretty cool. Pretty fast performance both in OS X and on my iPod Touch... for some reason it felt a bit gimmicky though. Blame my lack of experience with it if you want :)

5. Internet Explorer Exploder (version number doesn't matter): runs slow, bookmark management is bad, plus if you're using anything before version 8 security is awful from what I've heard. If it was the only browser around it wouldn't be bad, but against Chrome with bookmark sync, Safari with its great interface, and Firefox with endless customization it doesn't stand much of a chance.

Apologies to Dan Goslen for making another list of 5... oh well. Have a great Easter weekend everybody!