If web browsers were cars
from www.migueltodaro.com/img_2/internet_timeline.jpg
What if web browsers were cars? We attempt to make the comparison…
In the last 15 years[1] the internet has redefined the way we do just about everything in our lives. From socialising to business, there isn’t a single category that hasn’t been affected by the online domain. Most of us use the internet daily in our businesses whether it’s for product research, competitor analysis, communication, engaging with our customers or simply reading industry news. So if the internet is something that has become so important to us, what if we were missing out on a large chunk of it without even knowing? Almost like someone who has the wrong set of spectacles on (or needs specs but doesn’t know it); it’s only once your vision is corrected that you realise how poor the old experience was. This is what many of you may be experiencing by using an outdated web browser. But what is a web browser? If you don’t know you’re in good company – Google recently took a random survey of people asking what a web browser was, and fewer than 8% could answer the question correctly[2].
So, in short: a web browser is the program on your computer you use to view websites.
Find out if your browser is good
If so little people know what a web browser is, it stands to reason that they probably aren’t aware that there are several web browser brands available, and that some are better than others at certain things. To take a quick test of how your browser rates with current internet technologies you can follow this link or click on the image below:
Based on the number of ticks or crosses you can start to get an idea of how your browser stacks up.
Web browser brands
There are hundreds of web browsers to choose from, but there are only a few that are widely used and typically tested for when websites are built (Passionfruit tests its sites against all the major browsers). They are as follows:
Firefox - 46.6%
Internet explorer – 31%
Google Chrome – 15.9%
Safari – 3.6%
Opera – 2.1%
Percentages represent market share as at June 2010[3]
If web browsers were cars
So hypothetically speaking, for the non-technophile, if browsers were cars they would probably be the following:
Firefox by Mozilla – Toyota Corolla – 8/10
Just like the Japanese did to the American car market after WW2, Firefox has been steadily eating away at Internet Explorers (IE) marketshare for years and has finally taken over the Microsoft giant. Firefox has become the dependable well known alternative to IE, and with it’s vast array of plugins has single handedly redefined what browsing the web is about. It is the dependable Toyota Corolla of browsers that is infinitely customisable and will suit the needs of 99% of all users. But the question is, does Mozilla as a Non-Profit Open Source Organisation have what it takes in the long run to compete with the likes of Google? Time will tell, but it will be the ultimate test of the open source model.
Internet Explorer by Microsoft – Lincoln Town Car – 3/10
In the realm of computing, a lot of people love to hate Microsoft. But almost 10 years ago on August 27, 2001 when Internet Explorer 6 was released it was a very good browser with a whole raft of cutting edge technologies and improvements[4]. It floored Netscape Navigator, which was up until then, the browser du jour. Unfortunately over time, IE has become convoluted and increasingly thumbed its nose at web standards and new technologies. IE is therefore likened to the Lincoln Town Car – as back in the day it may have been quite something, but it has become outdated, lumbering, ugly and cumbersome. It still lacks adherence to the latest web standards, and when compared with all the other browsers, fails miserably with modern web technologies[5]. Unfortunately there’s no government bailout for the dinosaur that is IE6, and the newer versions of IE are overly complicated and (probably) an outcome of design by committee with every department manager getting their way.
Chrome by Google – Mitsubishi Evolution – 9/10
Chrome is a relative new comer to the web browser scene, but ever since its launch on 11 December 2008 it has made steady in-roads into the market. This is because it’s blindingly fast, is built on a framework called webkit which is arguably the best browser engine around (also used in Safari) and most importantly is built and supported by the largest force on the internet – Google. When they “imagineered”[6] it, Google really went back to the fundamentals of what a browser was for, and what was important. So Chrome is like a Mitsubishi Evolution – it’s really fast, but is an every day driver that is comfortable and well designed. Even though it’s a race bred stallion of a car, you can happily pop down to the shops for some milk or pick up the kids from school, albeit in record time. It’s packed with technology to make you feel like a professional driver, even when you’re not. And it’s customisable with plugins and extensions, so if tints and Chrome plated wheels are your thing, you can go crazy.
Safari by Apple – BMW 3 series – 7/10
Safari is the native browser that is packaged with Apple Computers, much like Internet Explorer is with Windows. It is a robust and standards compliant browser that is very well built, and secure. It’s easy to compare this to the BMW 3 series, because much like the BMW, Apple is very design focused and their products reflect this. This browser stacks up very well against the others although is limited as there are no plugins available to extend it.
Opera by Opera Software – Fiat 500 – 7/10
Finally there is Opera, a niche browser that has many passionately vocal advocates. It has a relatively small percentage of market share, but has consistently done so over the years. It really is the Fiat 500 of browsers – cute, niche, a little strange from a design perspective and definitely focused to Geeks with its inbuilt Bit-torrent capabilities. Just like the Fiat you tend to either love it or hate (but mostly love), and also it suits being tiny, as it’s probably one of the better solutions out there for mobile browsing of the web on cell phone operating systems.
In summary
The motivation for this article is because, as of today for the first time in 5 years I am seriously considering switching from Firefox to Chrome. I have always liked Chrome because of it’s speed and awesome bar (the bar that has predictive typing where the www.address.com goes). But until now I never realised that the recently launched extensions functionality for Chrome was so far ranging, and that 99% of the plugins I use for Firefox are now available for the Google Chrome browser. I still haven’t made the switch entirely, but I’m writing this article from the back-end of Passionfruit in Google Chrome so that says something.
Regardless of which browser you use, Passionfruit build all our sites so the experience is consistent across all the main browsers. Be wary of anyone who doesn’t build websites to W3C standard, as this can mean that your site may not display correctly in all browsers. You can test whether your site stacks up against W3C standards by using this validator (http://validator.w3.org/). If it doesn’t, give us a bell and we’ll be happy to fix it for you quick smart so you get more Google search listings, and happier users.
