Alternatives to Firefox?

[gus]

I used to love Firefox, but with each rev, it seems to be getting more and more troublesome. The number of updates is now outstripping Microsoft, and many of the plugins break with new updates.

Google Chrome seems to make everybody excited, but I'm not happy with the level of intrusion Google has demonstrated on my privacy. Opera is another alternative that seems popular.

Internet Explorer is Internet Explorer...

Looking for some recommendations for good web browsers, including just keeping Firefox.

Thanks,

--
Bob Alman

[dane]

I use Chrome, in it's default form - but others prefer it without Google. Here's three resources:

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/th ... ncerns.php

[gus]

Thanks, Dane,

I loaded up Chrome with the ID turned off. So far there is a noticeable improvement in performance.

Bob

[thulsa_doom]

I've been using Iron for a while, it's a Chromium web browser without any of the Google-based spooky behavior. I did a quick test with Wireshark running, where I loaded my personal website (which uses no external resources) with a freshly-installed copy of Chrome and again with a freshly-installed copy of Iron. Chrome made several calls to Google and another third-party site in addition to my web server. Iron only did as it was asked, and did not appear to leak anything to the Chocolate Factory. Their super-creepy perma-cookie is still there watching my every move, so I can rest easy knowing Big Brother is supervising my Internet activities. It's like a security blanket that won't need replacement until my kids are old enough to drive:

Name: rememberme
Content: false
Domain: .google.com
Path: /
Send for: Any kind of connection
Accessible to script: Yes
Created: Friday, January 14, 2011 9:12:51 PM
Expires: Monday, January 11, 2021 9:12:51 PM

Several of my coworkers prefer Opera.

[justeps]

Mozilla's solution for this is Firefox ESR. Your plugins won't break every six weeks, but you'll still get all the security fixes.

http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/or ... s/all.html

You'll need to upgrade eventually (i.e. around the time Firefox 17 comes out), but if stability is more important than new feature bragging rights, the Extended Support Release might be just what you're looking for.

There's no single browser that's going to be "best" in all circumstances. I tend to favor a mix of Chromium, Firefox, and Opera, all of which are standards compliant and cross-platform. Since they don't share DNA, they're unlikely to exhibit identical failure modes (as, say, Safari and Google Chrome might). Being on different release schedules, you'll have viable alternatives if one of them screws up.

I don't consider Internet Explorer suitable for general use. It may be desirable for accessing particular Microsoft owned and operated sites (e.g. Hotmail), and I understand users of certain adaptive/assistive technologies are forced to use it. But, if you have a choice, pick something else -- anything else (that isn't just a shell around IE). Wikipedia can quite helpful here.

--Eric