Which browser do you trust?

Hello! I am slightly busy these days with me exams and all. Science over, not bad. And English tomorrow, no worries. So I thought to write a post. While I was browsing, I came across this groovy comparison between the two supreme web browsers which rule the market. They are : Internet Explorer 7 and Mozilla Firefox 2. If you are still doubtful as to which one you should use, then read this. Most of the reviews are copied, yet the have been slightly edited by me.

For years, Microsoft Internet Explorer has enjoyed near dominance of the Web browser space–but not any more. Since the release last year of Mozilla Firefox 1.5, Firefox has been steadily eroding Internet Explorer’s claim of superiority. According to information from NetApplications.com, in October 2004 Internet Explorer had 92 percent of the market; in September 2005 that dropped to 86 percent; and as of September 2006 Internet Explorer’s market share dropped to 82 percent, with Firefox’s rising to 12.5 percent. In two years Microsoft ceded 10 percent of its audience to its competition. So how do the latest versions of each browser compare? So here is a contrast between the two considering various aspects of browsing. Each had been rated on scale of 5, and will give the total out of 25, as well the winner too. So here’s it!

Installation woes
Here’s where we examine the overall process of upgrading or installing the two browsers. Our individual judges’ ratings are based on a 0-to-5-point scale, which results in a final score of 0 to 15 per round.

Internet Explorer (1) : The IE 7 installer asks users to temporarily disable their antivirus and anti-spyware protection, which doesn’t inspire confidence. Installing IE 7 requires Windows validation, a restart, and a connection to Microsoft servers, which significantly slows down the process.

Mozilla Firefox (5) : Firefox, on the other hand, is a small download and installs in about 30 seconds, no reboots or gene sequencing required.

Look and community
Which browser looks and feels the best? Here’s where we look at navigation, as well as overall look and feel. But the online world is rapidly becoming a community. Which browser best embodies the community aspect of the Web?

Internet Explorer (4) : Departing from the classic look of version 6 by hiding the menu bar, IE 7 allots more space to the main browser window. The full-screen view is particularly well designed–tabs and the address bar disappear until you hover over them, creating a true full-screen window. The tabs are clunkier than necessary.

Mozilla Firefox (5) : Firefox doesn’t have a radical visual refresh, but it does have some new UI features, such as a “word wheel” in the search bar. Firefox destroys IE in the extension and plug-in department. Hovering over a tab in Firefox 2 now highlights it, and each tab has its own close button, which was previously possible only with add-ons. Most themes aren’t yet available for Firefox, but one of my favorites, Littlefox, works OK. Selecting a new theme now prompts Firefox to ask whether you want to restart the browser to see the effects. Customization for Firefox 2 via add-ons is a major bonus.

Tabbed browsing
They both have it; who does it better? Tabbed browsing has become a part of the Internet browser world. Microsoft just added it to Internet Explorer 7, but Mozilla has had it in Firefox for years. Which one implements this feature the best?

Internet Explorer (3) : IE 7 includes a New Tab button to the right of your last open tab that takes up unnecessary screen space. I couldn’t find a way to remove it. IE 7 bunches two Favorites icons, all open tabs, and the standard browser toolbar in the same row of real estate. A helpful tab preview icon displays thumbnails of all your open tabs for any window.

Mozilla Firefox (4) : Firefox 2 opens new web pages in tabs by default. Each of those tabs has its own close button, but nothing to worry – if you accidentally close a tab, you just need to go to the History menu to bring it back from the list of “Recently Closed Tabs.” When you have too many tabs open to comfortably fit in a single window, scroll arrows appears on either side, and a button on the right side always show you an easy-to-read list of all your open tabs.

Cool new features
Which new feature rocks? Microsoft had five years to dream up a new Internet browser; Mozilla’s been updating its popular Firefox browser pretty regularly in the last few years. Which offers the coolest new features?

Internet Explorer (3) : RSS feeds: Once you’ve subscribed to a feed via IE 7, it’s easy to see, sort, manage, and read your subscriptions from a two-panel interface. Firefox’s Live Bookmarks do a similar job, but not as neatly. I only wish IE 7 detected available feeds better.

Mozilla Firefox (4) : Firefox does a much better job of managing feeds: It will let you subscribe in Firefox’s own reader, which awkwardly makes bookmarks of headlines, or in Google, Bloglines, Yahoo, or any reader application you have on your PC. IE will subscribe itself only to feeds, and it doesn’t display RSS content as reliably as Firefox.

Security and performance
Which browser do you trust? You can’t surf the Web these days without fretting about online villains eager to take your money or your identity. Which browser offers the best?

Internet Explorer (3) : A phishing filter within IE 7 checks the Web pages you visit using heuristics and a whitelist of legitimate sites. IE 7 lets you clean out your history, temporary files, and Web cookies with one button, but it’s not easy to delete specific files in those groups. Another nice browsing-security touch is the “Web page privacy policy” feature. The past history of exploitable security holes in IE is a factor to consider.

Mozilla Firefox (4) : Firefox’s stronger reputation for security and Mozilla’s practice of addressing vulnerabilities soon after they’re discovered precedes its latest update. Also adding anti-phishing measures, Firefox 2 offers a choice to check sites from a pre-existing blacklist or via Google. Firefox 2 also offers more customization than IE 7, letting you specify which warning messages you’ll receive and allowing you to view all your cookies in a list.

And the Winner is……


Internet Explorer ends up scoring merely 14/25, while on the other hand Mozilla Firefox scores a competent 22/25. Firefox 2 still rules the browser roost for now, despite a much improved version of Internet Explorer. The most obvious new feature for IE 7 (tabs) has been in Firefox forever, and the security additions from Microsoft aren’t enough for us to allay concerns over new possible exploits. Lastly, the extensibility of Firefox 2 is its knockout punch, and IE’s add-ons cannot compare. The flexibility and customizability of Firefox might be best suited to more advanced Web users, but it has earned its spot at the top of the browsers.

So now its quite clear. Do I need to say anything else. If still you’re not able to decide which one to opt for, I can only say, you’re such a fool!
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