# Browser Wars: The Saga Continues
*January 2008*

Every computer-savvy technocrat is partial to their own web browser of choice. I've used every major one out there, and have to come to the conclusion that there is no one-for-all browser that everyone should use<label for="sn-browser-wars" class="margin-toggle sidenote-number"></label><input type="checkbox" id="sn-browser-wars" class="margin-toggle"/><span class="sidenote">Written in 2008, this essay captures the browser landscape at a pivotal moment—Chrome had just launched, Firefox was ascendant, and Internet Explorer still dominated despite being widely criticized by developers.</span>. That should go without saying though.

Let's list the major browsers:

* Microsoft Internet Explorer
* Mozilla's Firefox 3
* Apple's Safari 3
* Google's Chrome
* Opera

## Internet Explorer

I honestly don't use it. Ever. I did back in the day, but now I honestly see no reason to. The average grandmother or design professional with no technological experience at all cannot even comprehend the concept of a web browser, so this accounts for its widespread use I assume<label for="sn-ie-dominance" class="margin-toggle sidenote-number"></label><input type="checkbox" id="sn-ie-dominance" class="margin-toggle"/><span class="sidenote">Internet Explorer's dominance in 2008 largely stemmed from its bundling with Windows and enterprise inertia, rather than user choice—a classic example of how distribution channels can override product quality in market success.</span>. It's slow, it's cumbersome, it's a little shiny. I'm not going to stop you from using it, but I think you'll have much better luck with other browsers.

## Firefox 3

Cutting-edge technology. Very fast rendering engine. Multi-platform. Countless number of addons that range from video-grabbers to text scramblers. Why not use Firefox? It's incredibly robust, completely open-source, very secure, and runs on just about anything from an IBM mainframe to a pocket calculator. This was my personal favorite, and, in a way, still is.

## Safari 3

A once OSX-only browser, Safari was to OSX as Internet Explorer was to Windows. Safari is also [available for Windows](http://www.apple.com/safari/download/) now. It works very fast. Not quite as fast as Firefox 3, but it's very smooth. Looks great too. Not much as addons are concerned, but it works wonderfully. If you're not a software-freak then I see no reason not to use this. It's a no-crap browser.

## Google Chrome

At last, Google Chrome. It works well. It's fast. It's only made for Windows<label for="sn-chrome-early" class="margin-toggle sidenote-number"></label><input type="checkbox" id="sn-chrome-early" class="margin-toggle"/><span class="sidenote">Chrome's 2008 debut was revolutionary—its process-per-tab architecture, V8 JavaScript engine, and minimalist design would eventually make it the dominant browser, though few predicted this outcome when it launched as Windows-only beta software.</span>. Built in Gears and Prism support is a huge plus. Process-independent tabs is also a fantastic plus. Firefox should adapt this as soon as possible. It's a nice refreshing look at a browser that actually works.

## Opera

Who knows why it's not as popular as it should be. It's fast, it's sleek, it's insanely compliant, it's powerful. The main reason I don't use it is its lack of addons. It has addon support, but not many people use it, so few are available. If they just marketed it, I think it'd be really popular.

## Flock: My Personal Favorite

While all of the browsers have their strengths, Firefox stands out to me as a power user<label for="sn-flock" class="margin-toggle sidenote-number"></label><input type="checkbox" id="sn-flock" class="margin-toggle"/><span class="sidenote">Flock was a Firefox-based browser focused on social media integration—a fascinating early attempt at what would later become ubiquitous social sharing features. Its failure to gain traction illustrates how timing and execution matter more than innovation in browser adoption.</span>.

I've always found myself fiddling with social addons that allow me to connect to my social networking sites and easily share nuggets in the web that I discover with my friends. Never really could find anything good enough. And then there was Flock. This is by far my favorite browser. It has all of the power and robustness of Firefox, plus built in support for all of my favorite websites. It even comes with a Blog Writer client.

If you are a user of any major social networking site, like to share links with people, use Google Apps, Delicious, or anything else, this browser is for you. Oh, and it's compliant with almost all of Firefox's plugins and addons.

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Oh, and just for the record, anyone who considers Firefox or Chrome an "Operating System" is missing the point entirely. People have actually written this. Seriously… Why? Because we need better journalists in the Tech industry, that's why.