The best Web Browser Available
Friday, April 17, 2009 by G3mpi3 | Discussion: WinCustomize Talk
Hey everybody,
Today I spend a bunch of time downloading almost every web browser I could find and trying each one out. I just wanted to hear some opinions from other people. Here's what I found.
Internet Explorer: Pretty average browser. Not as fast as some browsers but still not very slow. It has a variety of options but they are limited. Simple and user friendly. Lite on memory and disc usage.
Mozilla Firefox: Faster than Internet Explorer. Many many many different skins and widgets and add on's. Its pretty lite on memory and disc usage. Firefox is basically what you make it. You can customize a lot of different things.
Opera: Opera is very similar to firefox but has a different look and different features. It has a different menu and you can customize each toolbar the way you want. You can also easily create your own widgets and use them on your desktop like DesktopX widgets. It comes with a Speed Dial page which is similar to Safari's homepage. You can list 9 different websites you frequently visit for ease of access. Its a very fun browser. Its not as lite on memory usage as firefox or IE, but worth it. I also found that it is faster than firefox, making it the fastest one I found.
Maxthon: Im sure many people here know of Maxthon. It is built the same way as internet explorer, but It has many more options. You can skin it very easily and add some custom features. It has many utilities built into it and there are some cool things like splitting the screen in half to view two pages at the same time. It is just as fast and lite as internet explorer, but has more of a personal touch.
Safari for Windows: This is still a new version that is being tested. It crashes here and there, and has issues with windowblinds. Safari is very plain but built to look like all mac software.....smooth and simple. It can run very slow at times, but is different from other web browsers. Its fun to try, but It would just be better to wait for a final version that doesn't crash as much. Also keep in mind that most mac software is not skinnable. (Its just always grey...)
Google Chrome: ah, Google Chrome. This browser is very very simple but you can make it more complex if you wish. Im not sure about customizing or skinning options, because I rarely use this browser. It is very lite and it is just as fast as firefox. Google is pretty powerful and Im sure they will come out with some impressive add on's and upgrades to this browser. The only thing is........Google has Petabytes (A petabyte is 1000 terabytes) of storage which they use to store your information. They keep records on every website you go to, and what you like to do. They sell this information to advertising companies just like Facebook does. Its all in the terms of service......If anyone takes the time to read those....just be careful.
Konqueror: Well, this is a relatively new browser and it is still in the testing stage for windows and mac. I really like the way it is set up because not only is it a web browser, it is also a file manager and universal document viewer. I was very impressed with all of the options and everything that comes with Konqueror. When you download it, you have the choice of downloading near 100 other applications to go with it. When the final version comes out, I have high expectations for it and I'm really looking forward to it.
Flock 2: Flock 2 is a pretty cool looking browser and is made basically for social services. It integrates sites such as facebook, myspace, youtube, twitter, yahoo mail, ect. It keeps track of status updates and notifications so It could be convenient for all you social networking people out there. It is a pretty cool looking browser, however I am not sure about skinning or customizing.
Well this is all I have to offer for browsers. I will keep looking into them and let everyone know if there is a cool one out there. In the meantime, If anyone wants to share opinions about these browsers, or maybe some other ones I didn't mention, please reply and let everyone know. Thanks and I hope this helps everyone in the way of finding the perfect web browser.
G3.
I am currently using Opera.
Reply #2 Friday, April 17, 2009 3:48 AM
that should say, safari's home page is similar to opera's speed dial. But i am sure that apple will claim ownership of it as well. 
also i should mention Avant Browser and K-Meleon as well, another 2 very good browsers
Reply #4 Friday, April 17, 2009 6:19 AM
interesting, thnaks for the info. two points.
1. I like ie7 as the security options seem to be the most user friendly. I especially like the ability to control add-ons and cookie delivery.
2. somewhat ironic that while Maxthon skinning ability is supported by WC, the browser itself is not???
actually three points; I use a browser that can meet my daily needs, as WC is a site that I visit almost daily, the browsers that fit with my surfing routine is limited to ie7 and ff. I guess if I didn't upload that that would be different but...
Reply #5 Friday, April 17, 2009 9:23 AM
How about a side-by-side comparison of IE7 and IE8? I tried IE8 for a little while when it was first released and wasn't happy with it. For example, it was only partly skinned and it crashed going to some sites.
I would reconsider using it if I knew it had any real improvement or advantage over IE7 and was working properly.
Thanks.
Reply #6 Friday, April 17, 2009 10:00 AM
Same here Wiz...ie8 is ok, but it's slower than Opera...but Opera's rendering of some sites like Ynet leaves much to be desired.
I also have tried FF3 but it seems kind of slow to me also. Chrome's fast, unskinnable and collects info on you. Sooo...what is one left with? Maxthon...which is ok.
Reply #8 Friday, April 17, 2009 11:19 AM
FF3.........just be careful what add-ons you use........they can really bog you down.
I owned Opera for years (loved it).....then it became freeware and it seems less sites support it now than did before that happened. I also avoid the gadgets in Opera for the same reason.......
Reply #9 Friday, April 17, 2009 11:36 AM
I've found the best browser to use is..................the one that works for you. I know I'm supposed to choose one over the others. Lets face it, the one you use is the one that gets you to where you want to go on the web. Makes no difference what features the others may have.
One thing that I can agree with is whatever your browser of choice is be prudent and careful with add-ons, as mentioned above. 
Reply #10 Friday, April 17, 2009 12:11 PM
Oh Boy ! Another browser penis envy browser thread!!
Reply #12 Friday, April 17, 2009 12:44 PM
I use Firefox 3 and I am happy and very very satisfied with it. I don't use any add-ons. Do u know I can even CUT/COPY/PASTE while posting here at WC with it. HOw?
Just as the page loads 90-95% I click 'X'...... 'stop loading the current page button' .......... then I can cut copy and paste.
Reply #14 Friday, April 17, 2009 4:01 PM
Hi G3mpi3 thanks for the informations !
as I'm a Firefoxmaniac I start quoting myself:
"what is better than firefox ?" "two firefox !!" the resident version + the portable one !
(yes also I tried to use the alternatives in order of time: Opera, Safari, GoogleChrome)
let me add to your list the following 2 browsers very interesting from a skinning point of view:
- VisualExplorer: you can choose the theme amongst all the ones you got in your Windows\Resources\Themes certainly one different from the system theme in use http://www.visual-explorer.com/index.htm
- TheWorld: very fast + skinnable by your own (in the skins folder you find + you can completely customize all the skin pngs) http://www.theworld.cn/twen/
+ just for fun: ZacBrowser especially created for autistic children but very well done also for the "child" is in everyone of us http://www.zacbrowser.com/
+ for a very private browsing try Browzar : http://www.browzar.com/
have fun !
.... try this:
Copy=Ctrl+C
Paste=Ctrl+V
Great tip DrJBHL thanks a lot !!
Reply #15 Friday, April 17, 2009 7:58 PM
Isnt really new, its just sneaking into the Windows world from linux where it have been hiding for awhile.
One more thing is how these browser display the pages..... ie7 is a pain when webdeveloping as it says meh to some of the code and....
FireFox is much better in following the W3C standards and thus displaying the pages more "correct"
And must have addons for Firefox is IMO AddBlocker plus and Download Statusbar, maybe an IRC client addon and google toolbar, there are loads more but for me those are the essentials.
Reply #16 Friday, April 17, 2009 9:03 PM
I prefer IE8..........but each to their own.
Has anyone tried The World Browser. I've heard good things but never tried it myself. Here's a link to their webpage http://www.ioage.com/en/
Reply #17 Saturday, April 18, 2009 5:16 PM
yes Leo the Lion
the WorldBrowser is much faster than IE + can use all the IE plugins + is skinnable
have a look I changed the color skin to sepia and the open page is made with "Personal home page creator" plugin
Reply #18 Sunday, April 19, 2009 1:50 PM
Just type about:robots and you will get the secret adds-on - will apply ONLY FF (Firefox 3 or higher... or less, lol)**
** this will not explode your computer, so if you used TNT and this command, u can blame TNT for all errors.... and of course u can blame us, but.... like we care - sympathy thread will cost €50 - (50 Euros) - If u really send money, cause this topic or my profile DO NOT contains ANY payment links, so give that money for charity.... and it will make many people happy!
Thanks for NOT understaning,
A-hole
Reply #19 Monday, April 20, 2009 9:27 AM
the WorldBrowser is much faster than IE + can use all the IE plugins + is skinnable
have a look I changed the color skin to sepia and the open page is made with "Personal home page creator" plugin
Cool beans !!!! I might give it a try 
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Reply #1 Friday, April 17, 2009 1:42 AM
oh, noes!!!! now i should forget about getting into FBI data base...
Very nice post., too much info., but very well done