[Gaia:mac] A Mac web browser guide

[Mini DoII]

Welcome to Gaia:mac! Because the topic of web browsers is an overdone one in Gaia, I will happily place the results of my search for awesome mac browsers here, in my own guild. This will be updated as I find new, better browsers, or decide that my current browser isn't right for me.

Also note that this list only covers freeware browsers that I have used, which means that browsers such as Omniweb, which require purchase, will be excluded from the list, as will browsers I haven't tried, like Seamonkey.

Click on the browser's icon to be taken to their website. Enjoy!

Link to me!

[url=http://www.gaiaonline.com/guilds/viewtopic.php?t=6573833] [img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v68/junyi/gaia/gaiamac.gif[/img][/url]

 

[Mini DoII]

Safari is the default Apple browser, and for a default browser, I find it does extremely well. It's stable, it supports the features I like (Tabs, for one) and it's easy to find. It's right there. However, Safari takes a lot of memory to run. What does this mean for you, the user? Not much if you have Safari and maybe two or three other programs open. (Say, a mail client, an instant messaging client, and iTunes). But if you're a power user with 256 megs of ram, you're going to feel a crunch. On top of that, if you're a heavy surfer, you may notice that Safari will literally burn a line into your display. On a cinema display, this is easily fixed. However, it's a bit incovenient.

Shiira is Safari Lite. The first thing you will notice about Shiira is that it's fast. It loads up quickly, loads pages quickly, and takes up noticeably less RAM than most other web browsers. And to top it off, it does everything that Safari does. If you like Safari, you'll love Shiira. You may also notice that it makes a perfect secondary browser, because you can import your bookmark toolbar from a primary browser, and Shiira will update it automatically. That means if you use another browser as your primary and you rearrange your bookmark toolbar, the changes will be automatically reflected in Shiira. It's EXTREMELY handy, and also the reason I use Shiira as my secondary browser.  

[Mini DoII]

Firefox is an extremely popular browser, and for good reason. It's a solid browser. There are TONS of add-ons available to customize your browsing experience. (I personally can't live without ForecastFox). It's got an EXCELLENT password-managing system. (Perfect for multiple Gaia accounts!) It also munches a LOT of memory. (At least, it did in its Deer Park incarnation I've yet to try the official Bon Echo for reasons stated later in this very post!). It can be a bit frustrating for that very reason.

Flock is everything that Firefox is, but designed for bloggers. Connectability with photobucket, flickr, and your favorite blog sites (myspace, LJ, Blogger) are built right in. That's right. There are special features geared specifically toward these sites. PLUS you've got the same add-ons that Firefox has. So if you love Firefox as-is AND are a hardcore blogger/photobucketeer, then give Flock a go. You'll find that it carries the same pros (and cons), but with a little extra helpful OOMPH.

Camino is to Firefox as Shiira is to Safari. Camino is Firefox-lite. It runs faster and takes up less memory, and for some people (like me!), that's enough. The biggest problem with Camino is that its password-management system is nearly non-existent. For someone with one Gaia account, you're not going to notice a problem. But for someone with multiple mules, you're going to run into problems every time you switch. You'll get a dialogue window every time asking if you want Keychain to remember that new password. It may eventually drive you insane, or it may not.

Bon Echo, named for the new release of Firefox, is a non-official build (the site states it repeatedly) of Firefox, optimized for macs. You'll find versions for G4, G5, and mactel macs. I'm on the G4 build (seeing as how I have a G4 Mac Mini), and not only do firefox extensions work beautifully on it (ForecastFox, how I've missed you!), but the program uses up a lot less memory than I remember Firefox ever doing. Of course, you'll run into problems if you, say, leave Bon Echo open all night (I've come back to find it taking up a gig of virtual memory!), but you'll also find yourself restarting it less often due to slowdown. This is my primary browser. heart  

[Mini DoII]

Opera used to be known to me as "That browser with ads built in." However, that isn't the case-- at least with the mac version. Opera is a good browser on equal footing with Safari and Firefox, in my opinion. It doesn't use as much memory as Safari and Firefox, but it uses more than, say, Shiira and Camino. I've found that it's a lot better about blocking pop-ups than Firefox, and infinitely better than Safari. The only problem I've seen with Opera is that drop-down menus tend to be a little finicky. What I mean is that sometimes, for no reason, you'll be unable to trigger the drop-down menu at all, and will be forced to select with the arrow keys until you re-launch Opera.

iCab is a TINY browser. It's speedy, takes up VERY little memory, and is a very good bare-bones, no-frills browser with a LOT of options. It's also notable for being the only browser on this list that allows you to spoof a browser. That's right; if a site won't let you play because you're not using IE or Safari or Windows, you can ticky a box, and you'll appear to be using those browsers. The biggest problem with iCab is, seeing as how it's such a tiny browser, is that it tends to LOOK very basic. Something I noticed, for example, is that your gold notification appears ABOVE your notification buttons, instead of below them.

Internet Explorer needs no introduction. It's the default web browser for Windows, and also what the majority of web surfers surf with. This is also an unusual entry on this list, because you'll notice that the icon doesn't link to Microsoft, but to an independent mirror site. That's because ie:mac is discontinued. There is no support for ie:mac, and Microsoft no longer offers it for download. In fact, the linked mirror site only has one working download link for the latest version of ie:mac in English. (The top one.) As a browser, it's fairly horrible. Layouts are mangled, and I DARE you to browse Gaia with it. There is only one redeeming quality (and the reason I list it here). If the Gaia housing arranger is on the fritz and only works with IE, ie:mac will run it. I'd suggest copying and pasting the url directly into the address bar, though. Navigating to it is a nightmare.