Technology musings…

Much has been written and speculated as to why Steve Jobs and Apple Inc. decided to release Apple’s Safari web browser for Microsoft Windows.  Honestly, no-one really knows why except for Mr. Jobs (for some excellent analysis, you can read some postings from Roughly Drafted).  All I know is that there is now another option available to me as a current Microsoft Windows user.

I downloaded a copy of Safari 3.0 (beta) the first night it was available.  Installation was just a few clicks.  I am using a generic desktop PC running Windows XP Professional with all of the latest patches installed.  This machine has only necessary programs installed as I’m trying to keep it “lean and mean” so I can finish my PhD work on it.  My browser of choice so far has been Mozilla’s Firefox and I’ve been using it since version 0.8 or so (it must be at least two or three years now).

After over two weeks of use, here are my thoughts about Safari on Windows (very unscientific):

• After downloading a patch/update, Safari became much more stable.  I haven’t had any problems with the browser crashing on me even thought I’ve been using it as my main browser since installation.
• Web pages seem to load about the same as Firefox or Internet Explorer 7.x.  I couldn’t discern any noticeable differences to back up the claims of being the “fastest browser on Windows” as Steve Jobs claimed.  On some of the Apple.com pages, the browser did seem a bit more “responsive”, but I could be mistaken.  Some pages on the web may load slightly faster, but nothing significantly faster that I would notice.
• I like the overall “look” of the browser, as it seems consistent with the Apple look.  I’m certain that on a Mac running OSX, Safari would fit in very well.
• I wish I could figure out how to install some plug-ins to customize this browser or add addtional functionality.  I tried looking for about 30 minutes and gave up because all I could find were results for Mac versions (oh the irony).  Maybe this will change in the future.  As a side note, not installing plug-ins does make Safari very stable.  I’ve noticed that Firefox has gotten less stable/reliable ever since I’ve installed a number of plug-ins.
• My biggest beef is that some websites do not load properly (or at all) with Safari.  With Firefox, I seem to be able to manage about 98% of the sites I visit, as there are only a few sites that I visit that specifically require IE.  For example, WordPress.com doesn’t seem to load properly, or perhaps more accurately not all of the web features work properly on Safari.  I seem to have some issues with the dashbar/dashboards when I’m logged in using Safari – no problems using Firefox of IE.
• The biggest advantage with Safari is color management.  I came across this site/page explaining color management and the differences between Safari and other browsers.  There’s something to be said about proper color management.
• Some of the options (or “preferences to manage how the browser handles cookies, cache, disk space, etc. seem to be missing in Safari when compared with Firefox and IE.
• I didn’t like how documents, notably PDFs, can’t be viewed directly in the browser window.  A separate “download” window appears and you have to open the file manually.  This reminded me of Firefox 1.x.
• Some keyboard short-cuts are not “standard” Windows (e.g., CRTL+SHIFT+H vs. ALT+HOME to get to the home page or CRTL+SHIFT+[] vs. CRTL+TAB to switch between tabs).  This didn’t bother me so much – just took a while to learn the new short cuts.
• Bookmarks.  I didn’t like the way Safari handles bookmarks as it seems somewhat rigid.  I’m sure there are reasons for this, but I think Firefox organizes bookmarks much better, as there is a specific bookmarks manager for you to use.

Based on my limited experience so far (only two weeks), I’d have to say that Firefox 2.x will reamin my primary browser on Windows (for now).  Forfox has two main advantages:  1) it’s ability to customize with plug-ins (I really miss my mouse-gestures), and 2) the overall acceptance on the web.

I will still keep Safari around and download updates to see what new features/improvements will be added.  If plug-ins become available for Windows users (or at least I can figure out how to install them), I think Safari can give Firefox a good challenge.  I’d have to say that in its current state/form, Safari 3.x for Windows isn’t as good as Firefox or IE7.  IE7 isn’t a bad browser, contrary to what everyone thinks of Microsoft products.  Safari could give IE a run for its money if more websites accomodate it (it’s somewhat of a chicken/egg situation right now).  I can see some potential in Safari, but right now, I prefer Firefox.

Just a few last thoughts to conclude.  I wonder why Firefox wasn’t made available for Linux?  If the idea is to make Safari available as a development platform for the iPhone and also to increase market share (so that Safari is more accepted), then why not make a release for Linux?  I mean, look what the open source community has done with Firefox in a few short years.  The second thought is that I’ve read that many Mac users don’t really like Safari on the Mac, and that Firefox isn’t that great either – apparently there are some other flavours like Camino that users prefer.  Regardless, I think having more browsers available as options is a good thing.  The most important thing is that open standards are enforced and that we move away from a solely proprietary web.