What Internet Browser(Google, IE, Firefox, Safari Opera Etc..) Do You Use & Why?

If you don't mind entertaining me for a moment, please, pitch and sale me on the idea of using Opera in lieu of Chrome in three sentences.

 

tl;dr version:
Built-in mail client with RSS.
Speed Dial lets me access my favourite pages quickly.
Opera link keeps my browsers synced across platforms.

Elaborate version:
1. Built-in mail client! Although I've considered switching to a dedicated client (Thunderbird), Opera Mail is just too convenient - includes RSS too. Ctrl+M and I'm done.

2. Speed Dial where you can enter your favourite webpages, and get to them with Ctrl+1 to Ctrl+9. Keyboard shortcuts lets you map even more slots if you have them (I use the 0, -, = keys as well).

3. Text AND image zoom when you zoom in to a page with both. (EDIT: Apparently, every browser and its mother has this feature now. I apologise for not being up-to-date).

4. Voice. I can control Opera while having dinner.

5. Customisable search phrases. I can go to IMDb's page, right click on the search bar, select 'Create search..', assign it a shortcut ('i', say), and then type 'i twilight new moon' in the address bar to search IMDb for this movie that I'm never going to watch.

6. Opera Link syncs my bookmarks, speed dial, and most importantly, notes between the browsers on my computer and phone.

 

I gotta try Opera.

 

well, besides being hip at bashing twilight (now you're so cool ), these are features that mostly any browser has. unsure about ie, though.. but firefox has it since the dawn of time, or so..

 

IE8 zoom the image too.

Either FF (early v. 3 build) or Opera 9.62 doesn't zoom in on a background image...
(if I remember correctly it has been a while)

 

I used back Firefox currently. LOL.
I found Firefox 3.5.5 improved a lot. So, I dropped the Google Chrome again. XD
I wonder how much improvement will be on Firefox 3.6 and 3.7.

 

1.- Mouse Gestures: very quick, built-in navigation so you never have to use toolbar buttons again.
2.- Newsfeed Reader: built-in amalgamation of newsfeeds
3.- Highly customizable interface: interface can be made more minimalistic and take up less room than Chrome (mine does - you could even skin it to be the same as chrome if you so prefer, but I love the default Opera 10 skin).

 

Yes, yes. I must be behind the times, since bashing Twilight is no longer hip (hey, at least my internet sarcasm detector works).

In other news, I was comparing Google Chrome to Opera, not Firefox (although I consider Opera to better than that as well - see bullets 1,2,4,6).

By the way, Google Chrome does zoom both images and text. I will edit that in my other post. I will from now on try one browser per week or two, until I settle on a favourite, although it's going to be tough competing against Opera.

 

Almost all the browsers have the same functionality now.
However, in the past FF and all the other browsers did not zoom pictures, had no mouse gestures, no speed-dial ... For everything you needed, and often still need, a plug-in, if available at all.

Because Opera was and still is other browsers years ahead regarding useful features I enjoy using every new Opera version. Now with Opera Unite in v.10.10.

Sure, I can emulate my Opera experience on FF after I installed tons of plug-ins, but why should I do this and waste so much time in searching for the plug-ins if I have everything and much more in a much faster and better coded browser called Opera already?

 

the tons of plugins are about 5+ plugins and opera is way behind your config, then.

wasting much time, like entering 5 words and click 'install'. yes, it's very hard work

there should actually be a way to configure your plugins and all into some sort of "setup profiles". but i haven't really tried.

 

correct this to "tough competing against your habits". all browsers are nice nowadays, it's mostly a matter of what did you got used to.

 

i use IE 8
because i like it
tried FF but not a fan

 

No, it's going be tough competing with Opera, not my habits. Opera has too many features to ignore. Yes, Google Chrome has faster Java performance, Firefox has many extensions, Internet Explorer has a great Compatibility View mode.

But if you give me a browser with more useful features than Opera, I will gladly switch, even though I'm "used to" Opera.

 

Question is, do you need those "features".

You could build a car with a self destruct mechanism - that would be a "feature" - how often will you use it?
Extreme example, but I think it gets the idea across

 

well, then you would gladly switch to firefox + addons. but your habits say no.

in short: nothing you do in opera can't be done anywhere else. there is no magic in opera. simply none. all the features you got used to ARE available in the other browsers in one form or another. it's just your habit blocking you from even really seeing that.

 

well, if you can use it more than once, the feature has a bug

 

True, but what I want to say is, why have a browser with all sorts of "junk" (using this word on purpose) if I won't need it.

Features are only useful it you use them - or plan on using them.

Same as Outlook is overkill for just e-mails - LiveMail does the same.
But once you want to synchronize with a phone (BlackBerry/RIM I want my Office 2010 support even if its still in Beta!) Outlook makes more sense than LiveMail.

I went back to IE8 from Opera 9.62 (one of the 9.6x build was the last I used).
And FF - because I'm not a huge fan of customization (all the time and effort wasted, what for?) there isn't a great advantage in FF for me either.
Yes I have it installed - originally as backup but nowadays a neccessity for Google Wave. Its also nice if you want to see a website you are logged in on as a logged out user

 

Firefox, and this is why.
Pure customizability. I have been known to use Opera or Rekonq(Webkit based browser for linux). I never use IE and I have used Chrome a little bit. Mainly Firefox, though.

 

funny the first part is actually why firefox rocks and the second one negates it

that's what private mode in all the browsers is for...

(and with Toggle Private Browsing, it's one button away. uses for it, i explained to you before in detail (in essence: someone else wants to quickly check mail, facebook, or whatever.. that button, and then he/she can do what she wants. the button again, and back to my normal mode)

 

Well, I didn't add that add-ons and features can be useful if you want to use them - I think that's obvious.

I mean IE8 comes with suggested sites etc. I switched that off - don't want or need it.

 

I do actually use those features.

Yes, Firefox + extensions has tempted me in the past, mostly because of the sheer number of extensions available, but there are features I use in Opera that I must have (Opera Link, for example. With Firefox, I would have to e-mail myself something I wanted from my phone browser to my computer).

Also, I said all these other browsers would have a hard time competing, not that it is impossible to beat Opera.

Anyway, arguments over the internet are rarely fruitful, and I will stop here.

 

obviously, using the same browser in the mobile is a +. i guess i will use that once firefox is ported over to my mobile, too but i'm not often browsing with my phone.

i could use xmarks as a start page on my phone, having all my bookmarked stuff right available..

don't know how opera link works exactly

 

I use Opera because of the innovative features that get copied by other browsers. It was the first browser with tabs (yes, look it up). Most notably, I like the thumbnails as tabs (tab shows a thumbnail of the page), built-in POP3/IMAP client (I have 5 Gmail-based accounts that Opera checks automatically for me), Speed Dial, and Zoom. The new version includes a built-in web server as well called Unite, but I haven't used it much.

 

IE8. especially with my NB on battery.

 

Oh yay. Another one of these threads.

Firefox>extensions>enough said

My favorite extension is Personas.

 

I use IE8,FireFox,Opera10
IE8 I like the inprivate / interface
Firefox I like the addson
Opera I like the IRC, Mail, speed dial,

 

a fair amount of 'professional' electronic reader software that uses MSIE as an interface is turning up broken with IE8. I'm holding off for another full quarter before trying to shift away from IE7.

 

I just got a new 64 bit W7 laptop, I had been using mainly FF but I tried IE8 and it works very well and does not seem to drain resources and become unstable like FF or opera with heavy usage. It has become my primary browser. Strange after all the problems I had with IE7. I uninstalled and went back to IE6 because of bugs but this new version seems to have been thoroughly tested before it hit the market. It has borrowed most of the good ideas like private browsing, the easy screen sizer, Thumbnails etc. I like it, best MS product in a long time. Surprised me.

 

Chrome.

Faster than FF for me, by ALOT.

Small, I especially like how the Tab bar is in the top bar itself.

I LOVE how you can highlight something, and either Google search it, or if it's an address, you can click "go to www.google.com".

 

I am one of the 3 voted for safari, lol.

I used to be pure firefox, but for some reasons, i decided not to use it. Tried IE8.... it was a complete nightmare. I will never, ever try IE again. So I decided to use that browser form the most evil company on earth.... Apple's safari! I love it.

My only issue with safari is opening websites that end in ".cfm".

 

I use Opera 10, fast, secure and cool features. I love Opera Unite. But it takes a lot of ressources, 300MB Atm. And no 64 bits version is available yet.

IE8 for incompatibility issues with Opera.

 

I was a firefox user for a couple of years. I tried out Google Chrome beta a long time ago, hated it, so went with firefox. Now a couple of years later, i downloaded Google Chrome, and never looked back..... ugh, i really liked firefox too!.

 

The problem with 64-bit browsers is that Flash is still only 32-bit-compatible. So although IE has a 64-bit version, it's pointless because tons of content does not display.

I've uninstalled Chrome after I realized that IE8 can do everything that I used Chrome for, just as well as Chrome does. So now it's Opera + IE8 for me as well.

 

Found this interesting study comparing Browsers. IE 8 is the least of the memory hogs. So it is RAM verses CPU usage.

http://recyclableelectrons.blogspot.com/2009/10/performance-comparison-of-major-web.html

 

That article is just comparing the memory usage, here is an article which the write of that one references for cpu, hdd and overall "speed" of 4 major browsers.

I, myself use firefox because of the add ons and security.

 

Firefox for its extensions and customizability.

Don't like Chrome for the fact that Google installs like 3 extra programs and runs them on startup, however I do like the tabs in title bar setup.

IE is good, just kinda slow for tab operations and lack of add-ons.

Don't use other ones regularly.

 

Alternative to Chrome is Iron - even exists as a portable app - I use it for Google Wave as FF is too laggy with it