mdshamz
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Browser Battle: Firefox 3.1 vs. Chrome vs. IE 8
Contender #1: Google Chrome
The status: Windows beta released September 2. Mac OS X and Linux versions still under development and said to be coming soon. No indication of targeted full release date.
The good:
* Reliability. Chrome's multiprocess architecture makes a bad Web page less likely to take down the whole browser.
* Speed. Chrome loads fast and keeps your surfing super-fast.
* Simplicity. Its clean design wastes no screen space.
* Searching. The Omnibox lets you type search terms or URLs into a single spot and figures out what you want.
* Privacy. Chrome offers an "Incognito" mode that lets you easily leave no footprints from where you've been.
The bad:
* Privacy. Chrome's taken a lot of heat for its monitoring and collection of user data, some of which happens before you even hit enter.
* Security. It didn't take long for users to discover vulnerabilities in the beta browser. Several of these have already been patched.
* Reliability. Some sites and online services still don't work with Chrome.
* Consistency. Because Chrome is build on the WebKit system, it differs from the dominant platforms that most designers focus on.
* Support. Chrome doesn't yet have any add-ons or customization options available. It's yet to be seen how these, once developed, will compare to the rich options available for Firefox.
Contender #2: Firefox 3.1
The status: Second alpha build released September 5. Beta expected in the next month. Full release targeted for end of 2008.
The good:
* Strong foundation. Mozilla's already built a loyal following with Firefox, and it doesn't intend on letting that go. With Firefox 3.1, you know you'll have a powerful library of add-ons and support already at your fingertips, not to mention the slew of other assets unveiled in Firefox 3.0.
* Speed. Mozilla says its still-under-development TraceMonkey JavaScript platform will leave Google's V8 in the dust. The second alpha build revs things up, too, with added support for "Web workers" -- a system that lets multiple scripts run as background processes.
* Competitive edge. Mozilla's developers have good reason to watch what Chrome is doing -- and work to match it, if not one-up it.
The bad:
* Security questions. Some studies -- albeit, Microsoft-funded ones -- have suggested Firefox, with its frequent new versions, is more susceptible to threats than the other options.
* Crash potential. Unlike Chrome, Firefox does not have separate environments for each tab -- so one rogue page can still take the whole program down.
* Support. Firefox has worked hard to snag a small portion of the browser market share, and most early predictions show Chrome taking away more of its userbase than IE's.
* Google's focus on Chrome will also take away some of its previous focus on Mozilla's development efforts. Will Firefox be able to remain a key player in the browser war?
Contender #3: Internet Explorer 8
The status:: Second beta released August 27. Full release expected before the end of 2008.
The good:
* Support. Love it or hate it, Internet Explorer is hanging on to about three-quarters of the browsing market with its default status in all Windows machines. You know developers and designers are going to cater to it.
* Security. With Microsoft at its helm, IE hangs on to a reputation of safe and reliable browsing.
* Privacy. IE 8 was the first to offer a no-record browsing mode, branded here as InPrivate Browsing.
* Searching. IE 8's Smart Address Bar offers similar functionality to Chrome's Omnibox, letting you type in URLs or search terms and taking you to the right place.
* Added add-ons. IE 8 finally catches up to Firefox with a new "Gallery" full of third-party add-on options..
The bad:
* Speed. Independent tests have found IE 8 to be significantly slower than the alternative choices. Resources. IE 8 uses a lot of memory compared to its competitors -- a factor that could considerably slow down the rest of your system.
* Crash potential. While IE 8 does use separate processes for tabs, similar to Chrome's approach, it does not do so to the same degree
* -- still leaving room for a total meltdown.
* Competition questions. Can IE's add-ons reach the level of Firefox's? Already, some users are complaining of problems even getting them to work.
