Feature Articles

Browser Wars - The Showdown!

By Aloysius Low - 10 May 2009

Concluding the Show

Concluding the Show

Internet Explorer
If browsers were beauty pageant contestants, then we probably would have an easier time deciding on a winner. Unfortunately, each browser has its own set of strengths that help it to stay relevant for different groups of users. But going with the same analogy, and assuming that each browser was a contestant, we're afraid that Internet Explorer 8 would like most other longstanding contestants be good enough to represent the country but not good enough to win the better titles. It's weakness in the performance department leaves much to be desired but it does have some neat features and has improved tremendously over its predecessors.

Firefox (Minefield)
Minefield on the other hand, would probably be like a Miss Venezuela, always hovering around the wings, occasionally winning the title, but sometimes failing to get ahead of the other contenders. Sure Minefield does fine and the newest alpha, Minefield 3.6, has plenty of speed improvements and features that does the vendor proud. It also retains much of the functionality that makes the browser so popular with more savvy users. Sadly though, Minefield 3.6 Alpha doesn't exactly lead the pack this time around in terms of performance and comes in fourth overall.

Opera 10
Opera 10 Alpha, while not doing too well in the performance aspect despite its claims, still has a lot going for it. Memory bloat is the lowest among all the browsers, while SVG and canvas rendering was amongst the speediest. While it's still lacking in new features (being an Alpha), the browser still has a lot going for folks who like to keep things streamlined. Think of Opera 10 as the veritable second runner up in a pageant. There's room for improvement, but not enough to beat the two others ahead for the crown.

Safari 4
Safari 4 Beta on the other hand, manages better performance against all the other browsers (but one) though its somewhat let down by its appearances when run on a Windows operating system. It does make up for this with a much flashier interface that's borrowed from Apple's best designs. Though it's certainly pretty by any book, Safari 4 lacks the strength to beat its WebKit cousin Chrome even though it has its own strengths. A fitting first runner-up by any book.

Chrome V2.0
Our most promising browser with arguably the best performance of the lot (though lacking in some features which are promised to come soon), the Google Chrome V2.0 keeps its throne as the fastest browser yet, though it comes at the cost of a heavier memory bloat compared to the rest. While Safari 4 looks like it borrowed some elements of Chrome for its latest update, Chrome easily retains the minimalistic feel that has served it well so far.

Ending Thoughts

At the end of the day though, while performance does matter for some folks, it really boils down to the user experience and the drive to try something new. Folks who have sworn by Internet Explorer since forever will probably not want to venture too much out of their comfort zone despite reading up on what the other browsers can do or change the way they use the internet. Folks who have been at the forefront of trying stuff would probably have given all the other browsers a spin and found something that they like. Then there are some who might be unsatisfied at what's available and are probably still looking for "the one" so to speak.

Whether or not you are one of the above folks (or perhaps you defy all description?), we hope that you have gained something from this article, be it a new appreciation of the other browsers or simply just getting a preview and an idea of how the other browsers are fairing in their latest development build.

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