Which Web Browser is Best for You?

There can only be One

In 1991 the very first web browser, WorldWideWeb, was released. Since then, many notable web browsers have been brought to life, including Mosaic, Internet Explorer(IE), Safari, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, and Google Chrome. The question is, which web browser is best for you? This article will focus on the pros and cons of the five most popular browsers: Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer (IE), Microsoft Edge, and Safari.

Firefox

A major benefit of Firefox is its many privacy features. In 2012, Firefox’s innovative “Do Not Track” feature guarantees that you will not be tracked by websites. “Do Not Track” lets a website know that you would like to opt out of being tracked by a third party. Firefox also includes a Private Browsing feature to ensure your browsing history will not be stored in the browser. Its Forget button will also quickly delete your unwanted browsing history. It also includes automatic security updates and anti-malware features to protect you from potential viruses.

In addition to its security and privacy features, Firefox provides an option to select features to add to your customizable panel. Get creative with thousands of themes to personalize your browsing experience! You can also sync your bookmarks, history and passwords across multiple devices. Lastly, according to Tom’s Hardware Web Browser Grand Prix XVI results, Firefox outperformed popular browsers in several independent speed tests. [1]

Even though Firefox is one of the recommended browsers for using LEARN, there are some compatibility issues with other sites. Some websites won’t properly show content in Firefox and need to be opened in another browser such as IE. Also, even though Firefox claims to be the fastest, it’s been noted that having several tabs open at once can cause the browser to freeze and slow down other open programs. [2]

Chrome

Chrome helps you cut down your browsing time by searching and navigating in the same address box: a quick and efficient Chrome feature for your day-to-day browsing. You can also type fewer characters to get where you’re going with Chrome’s Auto fill feature, which works across all devices. [3] Also check out Adblock Plus, an open-source, ad blocking extension for all web browsers. This very popular extension blocks those pesky pop-up ads to keep your browsing fast and ad free. You can also sign into Chrome with a Google Account to allow Chrome to sync your bookmarks, apps, extensions, history, and tabs across devices. Multiple users can sync their customizations to their own accounts on the same computer.

Chrome was the first browser to have Adobe Flash built in as a feature (as opposed to the user having to separately install it). It will also update Adobe Flash automatically as new versions are released. In addition, Chrome comes with a PDF reader natively installed and will allow you to copy and paste text from the PDF and print. [4]

Similar to Firefox, having multiple tabs open in Chrome will slow down the browser. Chrome’s interface is not as simplistic as IE’s interface so it might take a while to get used to where all the features are. Navigation through the many personalized settings will also take some practice.

Internet Explorer (IE)

Windows is a popular operating system and, conveniently, IE already comes installed with all Windows devices. It is a great starting browser for people with its easy to navigate interface. This browser will also warn the user when an add-on could potentially slow down the browser’s performance [5]. IE has been highly recommended due to its availability and ease of use across many websites that may not be supported by Chrome or Firefox. IE however, is not available for Apple devices.

Similar to both Chrome and Firefox, memory usage can be a problem. IE is the second heaviest memory user among popular tested browsers [6]. This means that its memory usage could potentially slow down other programs or browser tabs that you may have open on your computer. IE may also be less secure than other browsers. For example, annoying ad pop-ups could be a persistent issue, although they can be disabled through Internet Options in the Security tab.

Edge

New to the scene is Microsoft’s Edge, a replacement for Internet Explorer that is available exclusively on Windows 10 and Windows 10 mobile devices. Although most campus computers are still using Windows 7, many will be upgraded to Windows 10 in the near future. Edge bears a strong resemblance to its predecessor but also has some key changes. Edge has Adobe Flash support built in, in order to keep performance high and security tight [7]. It is also a very fast browser, beating out IE, Firefox, and Chrome in a recent JavaScript performance test [8].

Where Edge falters is the amount of extensions and add-ons available. Being a relatively new browser, it does not have anywhere close to as many available as Chrome and Firefox. While this may not be crucial to all users, if you are used to using extensions on other browsers this may be a crucial flaw in Edge. As Edge matures and more people begin using it, more extensions will likely become available; for now this is a definitive drawback to Edge. Another issue from IE that has not been addressed in Edge is that there is little ability to customize the interface. While some users may not mind this, others who are used to customizations may see this as a significant drawback to Edge.

Safari

For all you Mac/Apple users out there, Safari’s fast JavaScript engine enhances battery life and performance. Similarly, in the same way that IE is more compatible for Windows users, Safari is specifically Mac/Apple compatible. If you need a well-deserved break from studying, Safari now supports Netflix. Safari is not available for Windows devices.

Safari does a good job of protecting your privacy. With private browsing windows, Safari will help prevent websites that you are logged into from tracking your browsing. Third-party cookies will also be blocked: this will stop sites from leaving data stored in your browser cache or database. iCloud is a feature that allows you to surf flawlessly across all your Apple devices with consistent access to your passwords, bookmarks, history, and tabs. Everything is protected with Apple’s robust 256-bit AES encryption. [9]

While Apple users can benefit from Safari’s compatibility with Apple, Windows users won’t benefit from using Safari. Also, some websites only support Windows based browsers and thus images/content from these websites may not display in Safari [10]. If third-party add-ons are installed, Safari sometimes quits unexpectedly, responds more slowly, is unable to download flies, or exhibits other unpredictable behaviour [11]. Safari also lacks many of the customization options that many of the other browsers offer [12].

Hopefully, after reading this article you will be able to decide on the right browser(s) for your school year! Good luck and happy studying!

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References

[1] Mozilla. “Designed to protect your privacy.” Mozilla. Web. June 1. 2015.

[2] “What are the Pros and Cons of Firefox?” What are the Pros and Cons of Firefox? WiseGEEK. Web. June 1. 2015.

[3] “Get a fast, free web browser.” Chrome Browser. Google. Web. June 1. 2015.

[4] “Google Chrome 36.”  Google Chrome 36 Review & Rating. PC Mag. Web. June 1. 2015.

[5] “The Goods and Bads of Internet Explorer.” The Goods and Bads of Internet Explorer. Worth of Web. Web. June 1. 2015.

[6] Microsoft Internet Explorer 11.” Performance – Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 Review & Rating. PC Mag. Web. June 1. 2015.

[7] “Microsoft Edge review: Windows finally has a good browser” The Verge. Web. June 10, 2016.

[8] “New look, new apps, new browser – meet Microsoft’s pivotal OS” Windows 10 review. Techradar.pro. Web. June 10, 2016.

[9] “The Best way to see the Sites.” Apple (Canada) – Safari- Browse the web in more powerful ways. Apple. Web. June 1. 2015.

[10] “Pros and Cons between Chrome and Safari?” Apple Support Communities. Apple. Web. June 1. 2015.

[11] “Unsupported third-party add-ons may cause Safari to unexpectedly quit or have performance issues.” Unsupported third-party add-ons may cause Safari to unexpectedly quit or have performance issues. Apple Support. Web. June 1. 2015.

[12] “Safari 8.” Safari 8. Safari Review 2015 – TopTen REVIEWS. Web. June 1. 2015.

[13] [Best browser]. (n.d). Retrieved from https://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/PJ-CG247_STERN_GR_20160503110532.jpg