A Survey of Current Browsers

After many years of being on top, Internet Explorer has finally lost the browser race to Firefox. Due to how difficult it is to design/code for, as well as security issues, IE has never been very well-liked among the design community. However, most laypeople with computers in the US today have PCs, which come pre-installed with IE. Due to the availability of IE, it remains an important browser to consider for those that want to reach a wider audience. The good news is that version 8 of IE has become the most popular version, which doesn't have nearly as many problems as 6.

Firefox is the most used browser among those with at least a bit of Internet savvy, however. It's free, has solid code and is customizable with a number of plug-ins and skins. Most websites design for and around Firefox. If you have Firefox, you should have no problem viewing a well-designed site. Unfortunately, in some cases a user can have their Firefox program laden with too many plug-ins and unnecessary toolbars that can threaten the user experience and break even the best layouts.

Google's Chrome browser still only has a small chunk of the total share, but it has been steadily gaining momentum since its release in 2008. It's a very user-friendly and simplistic browser, without a lot of extra bells and whistles that can interfere with the user experience. It is as solid, if not more solid, than Firefox when it comes to defense against viruses and other issues. I expect to see more and more adoption of Chrome in the future, helping to eliminate IE and threaten Firefox's share.

Safari, the standard browser available for Mac, is also a very solid and user-friendly browser (just as Macs tend to be). However, it is very weak defensively and surprisingly easy to hack, despite the reputation of Macs themselves. Since most Mac users tend to be computer-savvy professionals, I believe they end up downloading Firefox immediately upon acquiring their new computers. For this reason, I believe, Safari continues to hold a very small share.

Overall, I feel Firefox continues to be the best browser for its availability, widespread support and solid history. In the future, Chrome might give Firefox a run for it's money, however!