World best web browser poll

[abdussamad]

You can't beat an open source software when it comes to customisations.

It doesn't matter whether a product is open source or not to accomplish this.

Yes it does. There is a limit to how much you can customize a closed source product. For real customization you need access to the underlying source code. So open source products are more customizable.

[ticksoft]

FF2 because of the huge number of extensions, although I like Opera too.

I also don't like the new IE GUI, it's feels more like a toy - the sort of feel that you get when a company produces software without considering the OS it runs on.

[irkyo]

I use firefox, I have never even heard of half of the browsers on the list...

The same situation is with me I have used some of these browsers (Opera, IE, Mozila) before I stopped at Mozila at the present moment. It's not my choice to tell the truth, but all the company use this browser. That's why I can't be sure about others in this list. But I can be sure and say definitely that Opera works great as well as Mozila (I mean they work for me great)! It's difficult to say what browser is the best. This post is a good proof There are a lot of people and they use a lot of different browsers. It depends on the purpose of usage and on those who use this or that browser. But Mozila is the favourite one I see from the result of this browser voting It's really the first.

[molona]

I am talking about tech people advising the average Joe to use FF, and I believe Opera is a better option, out of the box.

Sorry, then I didn't understand the question. I wouldn't know which one to choose here, really.

Well, it isn't really fair competition then is it? Opera is after all a puny company compared to Google and will never match it in marketing their products :S

I can't agree with you! FF people were wise enough to get Google's support and that was a smart move. Opera could have done the same, or even get Microsoft's through MSN, or Yahoo's, but for whatever reason, they didn't. I simply see it as the nature of business.

[drhowarddrfine]

Yes it does. There is a limit to how much you can customize a closed source product. For real customization you need access to the underlying source code. So open source products are more customizable.

Well, yes, but almost nobody would do that. We are talking about the product being customizable as is without having to learn/modify/compile the source to do so.

[x-termin8or]

Firefox for me. :d

[xoail]

how is flock as a browser? never heard of it...

[drhowarddrfine]

Flock is a 'social network" oriented browser, whatever that is. Based on Gecko/Firefox. Don't recall.

[nueva]

I like safari, I like it firforex too but 3 days ago i have switch back to safari, for me safari first is loading much easy and much faster than Firefox, I am not saying that FF is bad and is not good, is a good browser too, but recently I have update it to version 2.0 and of course now I don't like it. It was better with 1.5. Opera also is a good browser and Netscape.
But for me it will be Safari.

[DelvarWorld]

I don't know, this poll seems a little biased because this is a web developer community, and since "best" is really an opinion question (I mean technically Opera is the best browser, but not everyone prefers it) it really just seems like brand loyality arguments. What kind of information are you hoping to gather from this poll?

[Labrocca]

Opera 100% here.

I have over the years argued about Opera over Firefox..so much so I registered OperaVSFirefox.com (not launched yet).

There are so many reasons that Opera is better than FF...let's start with out-of-the-box functionality. There are those saying that Opera is bloated with all it's bells and whistles but one only has to look at the downloads of the 2.

Firefox2 5.7MB
Opera9 6.3MB

Now you also need to add an email client to Firefox as well as a TON of extensions to make it anywhere near a usable browser. The mail client (M2) for Opera is superior to MOST mail clients I have used. I have tried plenty and none match Opera so far. The mouse gestures happen to be my favorite part of Opera and what got me hooked in the first place. To dismiss them as trivial goes to show your lack of knowledge in their power and speed.

As for extensions...Opera now has widgets which are cute, neat, and easily installed.

You can go to the Opera site to see an EXTENSIVE list of AMAZING features.
http://www.opera.com/products/desktop/


Opera is an innovator. I don't believe FF has done ANYTHING that's new or relevent to web browser that Opera didn't do first. Opera has recently added VOICE commands to the browser which I started to use. It's AWESOME. You can actually use voice to control certain functions.

Themes! Adding a new Skin to Opera is SUPER EASY. While Firefox it's a mess. You have to close and reopen the program simply to add a skin. Not in Opera. It's basically 1 click installs. And you can have dozens of skins installed ready to change along with your mood. Even with extensions you must close the browser and restart it. What a pain in the ***.

I could go on and on but I need to conserve my energy to breathe.

[linkin99]

FireFox gets my vote.

[zidaNe]

I voted for firefox as my favorite

[dAEk]

@Labrocca: With all due respect, Opera may appeal more to you but the next guy may find the UI too complicated or even too restrictive(!). FF has a simple interface that most are familiar with, coming from IE<7.

You have to keep in mind that FF is built for the community to add functionality. Opera was not built the same way and that is why I don't think it is possible to compare the two. Firefox + extensions vs. Opera may be a fair comparison, but at the same time, a few extensions really boost the functionality of FF, beyond Opera. Maybe it wouldn't be so fair after all.

I agree with you when you say that Opera is an innovator but let's face it, in the IT-business, anyone will copy the next guy. It's called progression and it's (dare I say it?) vital to survive. Why does it matter who implements an idea first? And besides, Adblock existed for years before Opera came up with the content blocker, the search bar in Firefox is really neat, imo. I'd be glad if Opera copied that.
about:config existed in FF a long time before Opera added their equivalent, opera:config.

Opera M2 (the mail client) is not superior to other mail clients I've tried. It has a few issues and lack of features, just browse the Opera forums and you will see for yourself. I don't mind it though, it's got enough features for me and I don't find the lack of features being counter-productive.

The bottom line: both FF and Opera have their strengths and weaknesses. Neither is perfect. It's up to every man himself to find out what suits him better.

Main advantages of Opera as I see it: (if anyone cares)

1. Speed - browsing speed as well as the responsive UI.
2. Tabs - true Multi Document Interface.
3. The ablity to easily re-order, move around the different buttons, toolbars, modify shortcut keys etc.
4. The security record.
5. Integrated mail client (M2).
6. Notes.
7. Most features I want/need are in the program by default, no need to download anything extra.
8. No need to restart the browser after I install a new theme or widget.

...Just to remind you that this post comes from another Opera lover.

[zcorpan]

I currently have Opera as default browser. I like it for its excellent feed reader and the magic wand. It also seems faster and more stable than Firefox (at least the nightlies which is what I use).

I use Firefox when debugging or developing for its View Selection Source and DOM Inspector.

I use IE only for testing. I don't like it at all. I wish I didn't have to. It also sucks for debugging. ...though when I think about it I like its extensibility. Dispite its lack of standards support it's possible to implement almost anything with HTCs, JScript, CSS behaviours, VML, its quirky "XML data islands" in HTML, and so forth.

When I happen to be on a Mac I use Safari. Also a very fast browser. Dislike its lack of keyboard navigation features.

So which is best? I'm not sure. Firefox, Opera and Safari are all good browsers. But since I have Opera as default browser I'll vote Opera.

[vgarcia]

When I happen to be on a Mac I use Safari. Also a very fast browser. Dislike its lack of keyboard navigation features.

??? fruitkey+whatever for accesskeys. And all the menu items have keyboard shortcuts.

Or are you talking about forms/tabbing?

[drhowarddrfine]

Now you also need to add an email client to Firefox as well as a TON of extensions to make it anywhere near a usable browser.

Then I don't know how I've limped along all these years because, other than webdev tools, I don't have any extensions installed. Since this proves you know nothing about Firefox, the rest of your post is moot and the rest of your post proves it.

Not that I'm knocking Opera. It is a fine browser.

[theOC]

I'm diggin' IE7 a lot! I use Firefox on my Mac at work and I like it too :^ )

[kigoobe]

My personal fav. is IE. And the recent IE 7 is sooooooooo cooooooooool. Amazing. Well, I do use FF, Opera, and Netscape though, but that's for design optimization. My personal feeling is that, though a lot may disagree, that IE was, and still is, years ahead anything else.

[vgarcia]

My personal feeling is that, though a lot may disagree, that IE was, and still is, years ahead anything else.

In what respect? I would have agreed with you before 2002 or so but not now.

[Bleys]

Now you also need to add an email client to Firefox as well as a TON of extensions to make it anywhere near a usable browser.

With all due respect, I don't want my email client integrated with my browser. I don't consider email and web browsing to be linked. They're separate activities for me.

[mhulse]

Yeah, Firefox is great... esp. for web dev work -- the plugins make things so much easier.

[freak]

I can't agree with you! FF people were wise enough to get Google's support and that was a smart move. Opera could have done the same, or even get Microsoft's through MSN, or Yahoo's, but for whatever reason, they didn't. I simply see it as the nature of business.

I am not exactly sure who approached who first though. Google could have done it voluntarily because they have always been at odds with MS, but they don't plan on starting a browser soon. So what do they do? Go out and sponsor the browser that owns the second largest market share and package it with the Google toolbar so that more people will use Google.

And Google could have picked FF for other reasons as well:
- It is open sourced.
- They can include their toolbar in it.
- They don't have to commit to one particular company.
- Etc. etc.

And MSN sponsoring Opera? Doubt if that is ever going to happen

[lightningstriker]

I use firefox, I occasionally use opera, although contrary to what other people seem to be saying, I think opera seems gimicky, and also I've noticed it takes a lot longer to switch from one page to the next especially with java or flash on the pages.

[zcorpan]

??? fruitkey+whatever for accesskeys.

I actually never use accesskeys.

And all the menu items have keyboard shortcuts.

Sure, but those aren't what I most frequently use while browsing. (Although, IIRC, you still have to use the arrows for the drop down menu items; in Windows you can use shortcuts for those too, but that is an OS X issue, not a Safari issue. Generally OS X is not as keyboard user friendly as Windows is, IMHO.)

What I want is an efficient way to find links. In Firefox and Opera you can press ' and then start typing text, and it will then find a link that contains that text. F3 will find the next link also containing that text. Then you can press Enter to follow that link. I use this all the time and often find this more efficient and convenient than using the mouse.

Opera also has a feature to navigate between links depending on their rendered position on the screen, using Shift+arrows, which I sometimes also use (e.g. when navigating between links in a table).

Just tabbing though links is not very efficient.