Which Browser Is Fastest? - Comments Page 1

I just loaded windows 7 and have a comfort level with explorer. It keeps giveing me error messages and my "IT guy says Foxfire" I tried it and it works flawlessly. I guess if you have to factor error messages into the speed Foxfire wins considering my limit experience.

My beef is not how long the web pages take to load, but how long the browser takes to get to loading once I push the browser button. I've found quite a difference between reaching Gmail using Chrome and IE. Using Chrome for anything else is not attractive to me, so I've uninstalled it. Remains to try the others.

Probably safety/security considerations trump browser speed, too. My biggest frustration (and the biggest frustration of a relative who does programming) is incompatibility between browsers. I may prefer browser "X" and use it almost exclusively, but some sites I visit regularly won't work with that browser, and they require me to use browser "Y."

In the case of my programmer-relative, he has to test his programming in 4-5 different browsers - for both Windows and MAC operating systems. What a pain! Would that all browsers would adhere strictly to the standard protocols (are there even standard protocols?).

"Can't we all just get along?"

Yes, at this point the real speed test is how long the browser takes to open a responsive window...I use Chrome because on my computer Firefox and IE can take upwards of 60 seconds to initialize themselves.

BROWSER SPEED IS "IN YOUR HEAD"

Bob's comment on the real issue with browser speed is both accurate and insightful-- as I tell my computer friends, most of the delay in computer response comes from the keyboard. That is, navigating any user interface is the most significant bottleneck in processing.

That means the best browser guideline of all is the "Three C's" of clarity, convenience and consistency. If you like the clarity of Internet Explorer's user interface (the arrangement of buttons and panels on your browser screen), then IE is for you. If you find FireFox is convenient (no fumbling for the right button) and consistent (your personal work routine is not disrupted with each new version), then FireFox is for you.

Browsers change periodically because of security concerns as well as new features, so find the browser you like, and settle in with it as best you can. But be prepared for frequent updates (mostly security-based) and fixes for known functional problems.

Before you update any browser, or do a Windows Update session or give any new browser an audition, it is helpful to create a System Restore Point. If anything unacceptable happens, you can return your system (for the most part) to its former state.

Ref. Speed of initialisation.
Firefox 4 has a neat little addon, which starts it in about 12 seconds , even on XP,. This addon uses low-level Windows API to start Firefox faster. Look for Start Faster by Taras Glek.
Steve

Google chrome for me is by far the best web browser(In my opinion). The user interface, extensions, apps are great. Accessing bookmarks and favorites is very easy. The speed of a loading web page is a bit faster than IE. Ive only used Google chrome and IE. Is there any other browser recommendations?

For years, I was ONLY an Internet Explorer user. Just over 3 years ago, my daughter convinced me to try Firefox.

Must admit, I was really leery about using a Mozilla browser. I was never a fan of Netscape, because of it's bloat and difficulties using the browser. Yes, it took a bit to getting use to Firefox, but once I understood how the Tabs and Add-Ons worked, I was hooked. I really am glad that I took the plunge.

Now, I LOVE Firefox, because I pick and choose what I want!!! Not Microsoft. In fact, when I started using Firefox, IE 6 didn't even have Tabs, yet alone Add-Ons.

In the last couple of weeks I have participated in a number of baseball drafts. The drafts at strt up load a great deal of information. Anyways when I used IE or Fox I want able to laod all the data. I used "Opera" and it worked fine, and breezed through all tasking. I was surprised.

I'd have been happier seeing an article on how long the browsers take to open initially and the perceived security of each.

Another consideration is some webpages/websites will only work with Internet Explorer and not other browsers. I've had my share of frustrations with this problem. After much trying of this and that in Firefox I'll call the site's tech support and they'll say, "Oh, such and such functionality only works with IE, don't use Firefox." Absolutely no where on the webpage does it say that.

I'll agree with Bob on this one. Everyone can switch at a whim for free, and try another. It's not often life gives you this opportunity :)
Personally, I'm finding IE9 with W7 64bit/DSL kinda slow to update pages...what do yall like?

I've used Chrome for quite a while and loved it's speed and smoothness as well as some of it's features although it lacked the ability to restore lost bookmarks. However, Chrome 10 is very prone to crashing especially when trying to open up several pages at the same time. Now I'm using Firefox 4 as my default as it seems more stable.

With XP-Home I like IE 8 sandboxie for safety but also sometimes Firefox 4 for the special add-ons. My only wish would be if they would all have only one tool bar line, like only the bottom line in IE 8 without the top 3 to increase the size of the page. The menu bar is easy to get rid of and with one click of "alt" temporally back. But the rest is a waste of space.

I use several browsers also, however, my favorite is still Opera, I've been using Opera since version 2.0. I find the changes they make are eventually adopted by the rest.

@RichF: here's a link that provides an answer to your questions: http://internet-browser-review.toptenreviews.com/

After having read it, I switched to Opera for my netbook (I'm travelling at the moment) and I'm quite happy with it, except for the fact that it doesn't function properly with Blogger.

I ENJOY READING YOUR NEWSLETTER BUT AT MY AGE 81 IDID NOT LIKE THE NEW FIREFOX EVEN THOUGH I HAD BEEN USINGIT BEFORE
REASON I COULD NOT FIND MY FAVOURITES AND INSTRUCTIONS WERE COMPLICATED
REGARDS
JOE

Since the day Microsoft changed the way "favorites" are saved (used to not expand the tree by default) I have cursed them every time I press + D to add a favorite. I have so many favorites filed in folders and subfolders that it scrolls 25 pages in the "create in" window! So my gripe isn't with speed as much as vendors changing the functionality and not giving end-users options of HOW THEY WANT THE BROWSER TO FUNCTION. It's fine with me if someone finds the new way of saving favorites to be better than the old, or if Microsoft's focus groups find "ribbons" easier than "toolbars and menus" but for crying out loud, give me the option to use the old style.

To the topic on speed, I find, even with a broadband connection, that web pages are bloated beyond belief. I don't like "bookmark" based browsers - Chrome or Firefox - and would prefer better interoperability between them when it comes to "favorites/bookmarks."

Bob this is a well balance article. I personally only use Firefox myself, love the restore previous session and tap feature. IE is a joke.

I know I didn't understand everything you said in this article, but I am sure that IE8 and Firefox take longer to display than Chrome on my particular system. There is such a great disparity between them that every single time I decide to again try IE8 and Firefox I absoltely have to go back to Chrome so I don't go crazier. I should mention I am on dial-up with a single core CPU.