Web Browsers - Which One is Best?
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Web Developers have a dirty little secret that customers don't know about! It's true, most of our customers are blissfully unaware that we test their site on FIVE different browsers.
Some of our customers don't know what a browser IS let alone the differences between them - and why should they? Bur the sad fact is that websites looks very different (and in some cases may not even appear!) across different browsers.
quote
"The mess we've got here now is the result of thousands of programmers racing to develop something innovative using technologies which are rapidly evolving and going out of date. The intenet itself is rapidly evolving, so it's like trying to tie a bubble down using other bubbles! And then there's Microsoft, who thought they'd make their own bubble!"
Paul Clarke - Web Equip Ltd.
As a customer and/or someone who is an 'internet consumer', you don't actually need to worry about any of this stuff really, it's one of those geeky things that developers like us find fascinating and frustrating at the same time.
1. What Are You Talking About.. Browsers??
If you ask this question then the chances are you will be using Internet Explorer or AOL to browse websites on the internet (or Safari if you're using a Mac). The browser is the software you use to look at websites, and unfortunately for us and every other web developer on the planet, there are several different kinds, one of which has several very different versions. We have to make sure your website works in every one of them just in case somebody bought a PC from somebody eight years ago and has only just switched it on and now wants to buy something from you.
2. A Potted History
First the Earth cooled, then the dinosaurs came, then they died and the intenet happened. But back in 1993 something called Mosaic appeared which allowed people to browse around the then very primitive and largely text based internet. It was the first browser to show images inline with the text. It was magic. Mosaic was the single most important thing to happen after the internet itself (IMHO). Internet Explorer originated from Mosaic.
Netscape Navigator also evolved out of Mosaic, and before Internet Explorer too. There's an interesting fact.. Netscape Navigator beat Microsofts Internet Explorer to the market (with arguably a better browser) yet Internet Explorer went on to grab 98% of the market. What's that I hear you say? Internet Explorer was bundled with Windows as the default browser?
Cutting a very long story short.. Todays most popular browsers stem from either the Netscape or Microsoft developments of the Mosaic foundation stones. Erm, apart from Google Chrome which has apparently been developed from scratch, as has their upcoming operating system. Apparently.
3. So Which Browsers Do You Test My Website In?
The five most popular ones which are..
1. Internet Explorer (versions 7 and 8)
2. Firefox
3. Google Chrome
4. Safari (Macs)
We used to test in Opera too but it seems to always behave exacly like Firefox for us so we dropped it. Also we used to find some versions of AOL behaved like IE6 so thankfully we didn't have to install the disgraceful AOL software on any of our machines. I would rather nail my remaining teeth to the desk than install AOL. We've also stopped testing in IE6 now, thank goodness!
Opera deserves a special mention here - it's the only independant browser with any kind of market share (around 1 or 2% if it's lucky, although it's increasing now since Microsoft were forced to give users a choice) yet it's always been extremely stable, gets great reviews and it's free. The latest version compares well to Firefox and yet it has always struggled for market share. Chances are though if you're browsing the net on a mobile device or a Wii or Nintendo DS, it'll be Opera based.
4. Another Special Mention
In addition to mentioning Opera in a positive way, we feel duty bound to mention Internet Explorer 6 in a negative way. In a very negative way - almost as negative as Safari - but not quite. Safari is an abomination and should be exterminated. NOW. I don't think there's any doubt about that. It's a law unto itself as was Internet Explorer 6 which should have been executed at birth, if only to prevent the horrific AOL thing from appearing. To my mind, IE6 was Microsoft saying "the internet is going to work like this and if it doesn't we've made it guess what you're trying to do with your websites". Over-engineered software based on a false premise, only in my opinion of couse.. but ask any other developer what they think of IE6 (put your ear defenders on first!).
5. Global Standards
We now have global standards for web development. It's a pity that after sixteen years of web development not everybody is adhering to them. It's a selfish thing to do with (you guessed it) money and market share. And to some extent a Prima Donna style pride thing. I know there have been evolving requirements and complications like streaming media and Flash and so on, but please. I can't think of any circumstances where a brutal dictator is needed, apart from this one. Somebody to dictate the standards and shoot anybody who doesn't adhere to them, to the letter!
This article was written by Paul Clarke and is copyright Web Equip Ltd. If you want to use it please contact us. Please don't run the risk of using it without contacting us.
THE TOP TWO BROWSERS
The top two browsers actually in use at the moment are Internet Explorer (various versions) and Firefox. But for our money, the best two browsers to actually USE, are:
1. FireFox
Because it has so many plug ins and is standards compliant which makes it great for developers and users alike. It's not so nimble these days, it used to be, but that's probably because of the number of plug-ins I've installed.
2. Google Chrome
Because it loads like lightening, you can type Google searches straight into the address bar, and we like the homepage and download functionality. It lacks plug ins and themes though but we think (hope) this will evolve into a feature packed lightening fast browser - especially when it's sat on Googles's upcoming operating system (maybe?)
THE TWO WORST BROWSERS
Internet Explorer 6 and AOL
People still use this stuff. And there's no doubt about it, it's the worst browser on the planet. Apart from the fact that it's full of holes (or was), it doesn't display websites correctly and doesn't have tabbed browsing which Firefox introduced at least a year earlier. Horrible nasty stuff which must be removed at the earliest opportunity.
Safari
What is it with this browser? It's the default browser on Macs yet it seems to be a law unto itself where standards are concerned. Type "problems with Safari" into Google and you'll get nearly 9 million results. Is this another "the internet should work this way" production or is it just a poorly or under developed piece of software. Either way it causes us headaches occasionally.
The above image is a prime example, if you doesn't look right then you are using a browser which doesn't support PNG graphics, so it needs updating.
Incidentally, many pure Web Designers have no idea about these browser issues either. They draw their pictures and give them to the developer and expect the resulting website to work anywhere in the Universe (you can tell it's developers who put the content on this site can't you heheh). But even though we adhere to the global
W3C Standards we still have to make certain the new images and/or changes look good in the older browsers and Safari.
