On Web Browsers

I've used quite a few web browsers in my day, including Internet Explorer (IE), Netscape, Safari, Firefox (FF), Swiftfox, Ephiphany, Galeon, Konqueror, Opera, Dillo, and Lynx.

To the average Desktop User, I recommend Firefox. Why? It's easy to use and highly customizable. If you don't like FF at first, I'm sure there's an add-on that will make you like it, or fall in love with it. Soon, I'm going to post a list of the Best Firefox Extensions of All Time.

Oh yeah, and who doesn't love tabs? Even Microsoft does. After all, they flat out copied the idea from Mozilla for the 7.0 release of IE.

Another attractive feature of Firefox is that it is compliant with W3C Standards. Basically, this means web pages will be displayed as they were meant to be displayed. Internet Explorer, for example, is mostly compliant with what Microsoft wants. On more that one occasion, Microsoft (and Netscape, too) invented various non-standard HTML tags for use with a specific browser. Bad idea. The whole concept of the internet is to share information with other computers, and thereby other people. Those people can't read your information if their web browser can't. Follow the rules. Listen to W3C. End of story.

Some people complain that FF is sluggish. Well, let me say this: Are there faster browsers? Yes. Is FF really that slow? No. Poorly-designed extensions can make FF slow, but I challenge anyone to show me lethargy in a default installation. Sure, it uses more RAM/CPU power than some other browsers, but not enough to put a dent in the resources of modern desktops. Of course, there is an optimized build of Firefox for specific processors: Swiftfox. For the low-down on browser speed, visit this site.

For people who care about efficiency more than anything, use Lynx. It's probably the fastest web browser that I've ever used. You must be wondering, "Why haven't I heard about it?" Probably because it's console-based. That means text only.

For people who love speed, but not enough to sacrifice a GUI, I suggest Dillo. It's not exactly easy on the eyes, but it is undeniably fast.

All the other aforementioned browsers didn't make a lasting impression on me.