When I started using the internet (sometime back in 2004), I wanted everything to be simple. Two years ago, after I searched for "Best internet browser" on the web, I was not given a simple straight forward answer. So I took it to myself to research on browsers and I came up with this simple-to-understand, straight-forward list of browsers from the best downwards. I have a compilation of the 10 best browsers, but it's only but logical that no human being has up to 5 internet browsers installed on their computers. Hence will list just the top five here. You can request for the complete list by emailing me or by posting a comment here below. We will grade each browser on a scale of 1 to 10.
1. GOOGLE CHROME (9.85/10):
* Unique Feature(s) and/or Invention(s): Unknown to me as of the time of this review.
* General Overview: Google Chrome is unquestionably the best overall internet browser on the market. Chrome’s features provide you with rich convenience features, a clean layout for intuitive navigation and security functions that enable safe browsing. Furthermore, the internet browser’s top speeds and standards-compliance render Chrome’s performance unrivaled and substantiates its rapidly growing user base. With Chrome originating from an open source project, we look forward to what the internet browser will offer in the future. No doubt Google Chrome will continue to lead the pack in terms of innovation, security and usability.
* Security: Chrome is designed to keep you safer and more secure on the web with built-in malware and phishing protection, auto-updates to make sure you have all the latest security fixes, andmore. When you navigate to a website suspected of phishing or containing malware, the internet browser displays a warning
* Ease of Use (UI): The layout is clean, intuitive and well organized, and Chrome manages to achieve a level of simplicity other internet browsers lack. Its features are clearly designed for efficiency and ease of use, and you can search and navigate from the same box. Furthermore, the browser allows you to conveniently create shortcuts to web applications you regularly use, which can be placed on your desktop for quick and easy access. We also liked that when you have multiple tabs open, they get smaller as you open more and are all still displayed, rather than in a side-scrolling fashion like other internet browsers. Google Chrome is the ideal exemplification of how modern web browsers can – and should – minimize their footprint on your system resources while remaining flexible, feature-rich and easy to use.
* Speed & Compatibility: Google Chrome is remarkably fast. In fact, the internet browser is the fastest of all major browsers. During my timed trials, Chrome initialized for the first time of the day within seconds, as it did during the subsequent times we launched the web browser. Navigation time is remarkably fast as well. Chrome was specifically designed to quickly and efficiently load, display and interact with the vast array of applications on the web, boasting a built-in Flash and PDF reader.
2. MOZILLA FIREFOX (9.33/10):
* Unique Feature(s) and/or invention(s): Started Addons.
* General Overview: Firefox is an early adopter if not an innovator of advanced web browsing, evidenced by the browser’s latest release. It is a simple, user-friendly browser, with numerous add-ons for advanced users looking for a fully customized browsing experience as well as a basic, hassle-free interface for more casual browsers. The internet browser trails a few competitors on some benchmarks, but the differences are nominal and Mozilla Firefox proves to be one of the top internet browsers around.
* Security: Firefox has integrated private browsing; you can easily enable and disable the private mode, browsing seamlessly in complete stealth. Furthermore, unlike other browser privacy modes, there is no noticeable icon or change to the interface when in private mode. Firefox protects against viruses, spyware, malware, phishing sites and pop-ups. The internet browser also has automatic updates, so your browser is always up-to-date on the latest security fixes. Another impressive security feature the internet browser possesses is the one-click site info. You simply click on the site in the address bar to view important safety information. You can easily clear your personal information, including history, cookies, passwords and web-form entries with the click of a button. You can even remove all traces of your visiting a specific site.
* Ease of Use: Firefox is well organized and intuitive. The browser has an easy-to-use interface stocked with the essentials, but its far from cluttered. Firefox has several additional features that further improve usability. A fully integrated spell-checker allows users to work directly on the web and still have spell check. Another great function is an automatic session restore. When Firefox reopens, you can pick up where you left off, even if the browser closed unexpectedly or by accident.
* Speed & Compatibilty: Firefox has always been a fast internet browser and now it's even faster. It beats most of the competition, though not all, in terms of speed, and we had no problems loading Firefox or quickly navigating from page to page. Firefox provides a fluid web browsing experience from start to finish and boasts compatibility across the web. Furthermore, Firefox is fully equipped to accommodate multi-touch gestures with OSX and Windows 7.
3. INTERNET EXPLORER (9.03/10):
* Unique Feature(s) and/or Invention(s): First browser, offers Parental Control, Largest number of users, Phone support, Email support,
* General Overview: There’s no denying that Internet Explorer has been plagued with more security vulnerabilities than most of its competitors; its large percentage of usage share makes it a lucrative target for hackers and cyber thieves. However, the latest version of the internet browser includes effective updates designed to tighten security loopholes, and its utilization of sandboxing and other methods greatly reduces security threats. Additionally, Internet Explorer is fast and highly usable, providing rich, pragmatic features and a user-friendly interface. The world’s most popular internet browser may not change the way we interact online but it sure makes it more convenient.
* Security: One thing Internet Explorer boasts that many competing browsers lack is parental controls. You can control the content your kids can access online and use integrated reporting tools. The internet browser also does a good job of defending your computer against spyware, viruses and phishing schemes. A cross site scripting filter is used to prevent attacks from fraudulent websites attempting to steal personal and financial information. Internet Explorer also utilizes sandboxing, a security technique in which all the browser tabs function as independent processes. This prevents a crashed tab from taking down the entire browser. Despite these efforts, Internet Explorer has been marred by security vulnerabilities. Since it is the most common internet browser, hackers and malicious websites target Internet Explorer more than other browsers and often take advantage of its security loopholes.
*Speed & Compatibility: Internet Explorer’s speed is highly competitive. It isn’t quite the fastest internet browser we reviewed, but launching the application and navigating between pages took under five seconds. We also did not experience any compatibility issues, as the browser supports all current and emerging web standards.
*Ease of Use: Similar to our other top-notch internet browsers, this one is clean and easy to use. Basic web navigation is intuitive, and the browser’s navigation controls are simplified andseamless. One thing I liked about Internet Explorer was its Notification Bar. Instead of dialog boxes opening in separate windows, all notification messages are consolidated in the Notification Bar, placed at the very bottom of the window. You don’t have to act on the notifications immediately; they remain in the bar until you choose to take action.
4. OPERA (9/10):
* Unique Feature(s) and/or Invention(s): Second oldest browser, has voice commads, and brought about the keyboard shortcuts.
* General Overview: Opera’s compatibility issues are likely to be the deciding factor for many prospective users, but more and more websites become compatible with the browser each day. And while Opera may not have the firm backing of a major corporation like our other top-ranked internet browsers, it manages to stay on par with the competition with its robust feature set, advanced security protocols and rapid speeds.
*Security: Opera has security features in place that will check websites you are trying to visit for malware and phishing schemes. The browser also uses advanced encryption when you arevisiting a secure website and provides the option of erasing all private data, such as browsing history and cookies. The latter is convenient if you are browsing on a shared computer. The internet browser allows you to customize your security settings. For example, you can turn off the option to have the browser check each site you visit for security threats, even though doing so can leave your system vulnerable.
* Speed & Compatibility: As most internet browsers do, Opera claims to be the fastest browser available, and on most accounts it delivers highly competitive speeds. Opera takes only a few seconds to start up and load pages and it is remarkably fast at running applications. Where Opera seems to struggle the most is in terms of compatibility. The internet browser is not nearly as well-known as many of its top competitors, and we sometimes came across websites the browser could not display.
*Ease of Use: The latest version of Opera delivers a refined user interface, one that boasts a clean, featherweight design that emphasizes the content and not the browser. It may take you a bit tolearn how to take advantage of the browser’s full capabilities, but overall Opera is intuitive and easy to use once you become familiar with how it works.
5. SAFARI (8.7/10):
*Unique Feature(s) and/or Invention(s): Comes embedded in most Apple products.
* General Overview: Safari is a solid web browser and has the majority of the basic features any competitive browser should. It’s easy to use and extremely fast. You may find its lack of customization options a bit hindering, but for those seeking a basic, no-frills browser that allows you to browse the web securely, Safari is the way to go.
* Security: As a product of Apple, it comes as no surprise that Safari is replete with security features and functions designed to keep you safe while browsing. The browser provides protection from all types of malware and fraudulent phishing websites. Similar to many of the other internet browsers we reviewed, you can adjust your level of security with Safari. It also allows you to delete private data such as your browsing history.
* Speed & Compatibility: In terms of speed, Safari is right on par with our other top internet browsers. It takes less than five seconds for the browser to initialize and even less time to navigate between webpages. A built-in progress bar lets you see how fast the browser is actually performing. Additionally, Safari is compatible with most of the web. There are a few known compatibility issues with Safari, namely with CSS and PDF files, but we didn’t experience any problems during our tests.
*Ease of Use: If you are comfortable on a Mac, using Safari comes naturally, as the browser possesses the hallmark look and feel of a Mac application. Safari ditches bulky customization in favor ofbeing lightweight and non-obtrusive and as a result, the browser is unadorned but ultra-sleek. Some users may not be keen on the bare interface, but there’s no denying it aids in overall usability.
SUMMARY
To sum it all up, most websites nowadays are built on softwares and no longer on html etc. And from a personal point of view, this softwares are mostly tested on Internet Explorer because its the most popular and widely used browser. An example of such websites are most US Government websites. Some website features are browser based and a Lehman web user might not even know. Hence I'll recommend Internet Explorer for all sophisticated browsing, and Google Chrome for simple browsing. I personally use Safari for simple browsing. Ask me why and I'll tell you.
