# 2011: The Attention will be on the Browsers



## LarryFlowers (Sep 22, 2006)

The 1st quarter of 2011 is going to bring about extreme changes in Internet Browsers. Internet Explorer will be releasing version 9, Mozilla will be releasing version 4 and Chrome will be releasing version… uh well, who can keep up with the Chrome release numbers.

The browser is poised to become almost more important than the OS. Google, Microsoft and Mozilla are taking his very seriously.

Internet Explorer v 9, currently in beta with release expected in February, is making web developers across the globe very happy with Microsoft’s newly adopted position of compliance. The current beta version is testing at 98 on the Acid Test and they are still tweaking. I have been running the beta version and while it is still a little buggy it is a fast and tight browser. Full compliance with HTML5 is a given as they are already running test HTML5 web pages that perform flawlessly.

Google’s Chrome is a rapidly changing product with version updates happening so fast it is hard to keep up. In its latest iteration, the browser remains incredibly fast though they are experiencing some HTML5 issues. These issues will I am sure, not persist. This is probably the cleanest browser in the marketplace and IEv9 has clearly been influenced by it. It is experiencing unprecedented growth which is coming at the expense of Internet Explorer and the stagnation of Firefox growth.

Mozilla Firefox is the one browser I am not currently running so I can’t comment first hand on their situation. I have garnered information from other sources. Firefox growth has screeched to a halt, but their bright spot is that they are currently the #1 browser in Europe according to the latest numbers.

Mozilla seems to be having a lot of problems with V4, currently in beta. Much has been written about this and the fact that many promised changes are being scrapped. While again, I am not currently testing their product, I am exposed to it on other computers and it appears to me as if they are experiencing some growing pains.

There is a lot at stake in 2011 with the browser, many would say that the future of computing will hinge entirely on the browser. I am not sure that I agree with that, but there is no question that the browser has become a center of extreme importance. None of the companies involved are taking this lightly and you can expect the moves to come fast beginning with the release of IE9 in February.

I am holding myself to 2 browsers and I use them equally. I am not sure I can handle a 3rd so I will rely on others to fill in with Mozilla Firefox. Chrome and IE9 will be my choice going forward.


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## Stuart Sweet (Jun 19, 2006)

For myself, I started 2010 as a Firefox fan, having used it almost exclusively since 2006. However, I jumped over to Chrome in the fall, after figuring out how to start it in "incognito" mode all the time, which is how I like to browse. It's proven extremely quick and capable and even though it still lacks support for the Slingplayer plugin, it is more often than not my browser of choice. It is less compatible with some web sites, which drives me back to IE sometimes even though there is an IE Tab extension for Chrome. 

I think that it's a mistake to count Safari out of the browser wars though... just because it's now cross-platform and runs on all those pesky iPhones as well. I'm not a Safari fan but it's not a total non-starter like Rockmelt was for me.


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## wilbur_the_goose (Aug 16, 2006)

For me, Chrome is my #1 choice (except it has issues with pdf files), and IE9 my 2nd.


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

Until I find a valid reason to leave....IE will continue to work here just fine.


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## Grentz (Jan 10, 2007)

I use Chrome as my main, but also use firefox and IE every day.


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## Stuart Sweet (Jun 19, 2006)

hdtvfan0001 said:


> Until I find a valid reason to leave....IE will continue to work here just fine.


Mr. fan0001, may I ask, how does IE9 handle security issues? Better than previous versions? Can you completely disable ActiveX and other scripts if you want? Can you automatically start in a private mode? I ask because I just haven't tried it.


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

Stuart Sweet said:


> Mr. fan0001, may I ask, how does IE9 handle security issues? Better than previous versions? Can you completely disable ActiveX and other scripts if you want? Can you automatically start in a private mode? I ask because I just haven't tried it.


Since IE9 is still a beta product, and I'm still on IE8...can't answer that...but I bet Mr. Flowers can.


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## trdrjeff (Dec 3, 2007)

Firefox 4 has a long way to go from the last beta I tried


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

wilbur_the_goose said:


> For me, Chrome is my #1 choice (except it has issues with pdf files), and IE9 my 2nd.


Ditto. Chrome 10 handles PDF's very well. As a result, I actually uninstalled Acrobat and made Chrome my default PDF viewer. For those that haven't tried it yet, the latest Chrome beta is usually available here.

It also optionally supports auto-completion of forms pretty well.

One other new feature I like is being able to install and launch Chrome web store apps from the "new tab" page.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

LarryFlowers said:


> There is a lot at stake in 2011 with the browser, many would say that the future of computing will hinge entirely on the browser. I am not sure that I agree with that, but there is no question that the browser has become a center of extreme importance. None of the companies involved are taking this lightly and you can expect the moves to come fast beginning with the release of IE9 in February.


Regarding the future of computing, I too am very uncomfortable with the idea of the general purpose browser being critical.

The folks at _Wired_ magazine this year covered the core of the subject pretty well when they declared the web is dying and the internet is more alive than ever. According to them, virtually all of the future growth in the "use of" the internet will be done through _apps_, particularly _apps_ that stream video content.

They offered this graphic showing that :

​

But a good browser will still be important.


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## LarryFlowers (Sep 22, 2006)

Stuart Sweet said:


> Mr. fan0001, may I ask, how does IE9 handle security issues? Better than previous versions? Can you completely disable ActiveX and other scripts if you want? Can you automatically start in a private mode? I ask because I just haven't tried it.


The answer to all of your questions is yes and I will show you how in a future post.


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## Stuart Sweet (Jun 19, 2006)

Thanks!


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

LarryFlowers said:


> The answer to all of your questions is yes and I will show you how in a future post.


Thank you Larry...I knew you were 6 months ahead of me on knowing that information.


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## LarryFlowers (Sep 22, 2006)

The In Private browsing feature has been made extremely easy to use in IE9. Open the Internet Explorer Window and then select Control+Shift+P and you will get a new window that displays "IN PRIVATE" as aleader to the address bar. That's one of the basic methods.

Go one step further after you do this and drag the address bar to the desktop and create an IE Icon that goes straight to in In Private windows.

You can also access it thru the menu toolbar.


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## fluffybear (Jun 19, 2004)

Chrome is my preferred browser but occasionally I will use Safari and Firefox.

I am not sure how long it has been since I last used IE but my guess is IE 7 was still in beta


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Well, here's the sign that browsers (and maybe the term "software") will be far less important. While everyone else is busy showing off their "me-too" tablets, we have this headline Apple opens app store for Macs which explains:


> The store launches with more than 1,000 free and paid apps and is available for Snow Leopard users who fetch version 10.6.6 (use Software Update for the download.) "With more than 1,000 apps, the Mac App Store is off to a great start," says Apple CEO Steve Jobs in a statement. "We think users are going to love this innovative new way to discover and buy their favorite apps."
> 
> ...The Autodesk SketchBook Pro drawing program, Ancestry.com's Family Tree Maker and Boinx Software's animation and video production software are among the apps available at launch. And Apple is now selling iLife '11 apps iPhoto, iMovie and GarageBand individually for $14.99 each, and Pages, Keynote and Numbers (from Apple's iWorks suite) for $19.99 each. Apple's Aperture photo editing program can be had for $79.99.
> 
> Of note: when you buy an app, you can download it to any of your personal Macs, so long as they're authorized with your AppleID/iTunes account. There is no limit. I'll say more when I've had a chance to check it out the new store firsthand.


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## Earl Bonovich (Nov 15, 2005)

I still don't see what this is a a race/concern....
Last time I checked, everyone one of these browsers were free to download and install.

I have 4 browsers installed on my main PC... because each one is better at something then the other (it also makes it easy to stream audio in one browse version, so hyper link clicks don't mess it up)... but that is completely different topic.

Safari is on my PC, mostly when I have to go to Apple sites, becuase IE just isn't compatible.

On my Mac... I have two Safari and Firefox... mostly because I can't view formated XML in Safari.

The "standards" is such a joke... multiple years, and no recourse if you don't follow the standards anyway.

So I just don't get the "race"... 

I've also installed Chrome on a few different computers I have access too (Wife's Laptop, TKD School, InLaws)... so I can surf while not impacting their stored and saved cookies (like Facebook)


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

LarryFlowers said:


> Full compliance with HTML5 is a given as they are already running test HTML5 web pages that perform flawlessly.


I suspect that full compliance with an international standard that Microsoft didn't author is something Microsoft will probably never attain.

The road thus far is littered with countless attempts to supplant or pervert precisely those standards and paradigm shifts often take years in fat companies.


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