This article is written with reference from
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/browser_battle_2011_who_new_king_web.
Browser Battle-(Chrome 10 vs Firefox-4)
For starters, Internet Explorer still claims the largest
share of the browser market. This has been the case for more than a
decade now. Firefox, meanwhile, has maintained its rank as the world’s
second most used browser and remains a fan favorite among enthusiasts.
But there’s also now a third contender vying for browser
dominance. We’re of course talking about Google Chrome, which didn’t
even exist four years ago. That’s OK, because Chrome has had little
difficulty making up for lost time. Now in version 10, Chrome’s expanded
feature set and growing popularity have earned it the right to go up
against IE9 and Firefox 4. These are the latest and greatest among the
“Big 3” browser makers, and what’s at stake is not just bragging rights,
but piles of advertising dollars and control over emerging web
standards.
Google Chrome 10
Google didn’t invent the web browser, but it did popularize the concept
of a minimalistic interface. Chrome 10 retains this bare-bones approach
and takes it a step further by eliminating the Page button. Now the
Wrench icon sits by itself to the right of the Omnibar.
Other changes are just as subtle. The Options menu now opens in a tab
and includes an awesome search function. Type password, for example, and
you’re presented with a bunch of related options and privacy settings,
which would normally appear on separate pages. Also new to Chrome 10,
you can synchronize passwords, not just other items, between various
computers.
Security
Chrome has always been big on security, and version 10
includes dozens of patches. It also updates automatically and disables
outdated plugins so you’re never rocking a compromised build, so long as
you restart Chrome when prompted.
Google expanded Chrome’s sandboxing feature to wrap around
the browser’s integrated Adobe Flash Player plugin. This is important
because Flash seems to be attracting more attention from hackers lately.
It took a collaborative effort from Adobe and Google to put Flash in a
sandbox, adding an additional layer of protection by isolating it from
the OS.
Privacy
If you steer clear of thunderstorms because it’s too risky
with your tinfoil hat, then you’re probably worried Chrome is just
another vehicle for Google to track your every move. The disclaimer that
Chrome “only communicates with Google services where absolutely
necessary to deliver features and functionality” probably doesn’t help,
but Google points out that you can disable features that require this.
Performance
In addition to popularizing the concept of a minimalistic
browser UI, the other thing Chrome is known for is speed. Chrome 10
kicked it up a notch with its retooled CrankShaft JavaScript engine and
ran circles around the other browsers in the majority of our
JavaScript-specific benchmarks. It reminded us of that scene where
Superman circles the Earth to reverse its rotation.
Unfortunately, Chrome 10 lacks GPU-assisted acceleration,
at least by default. Even when enabled—which entails mucking with secret
commands – Chrome struggles to process 3D content at the same clip as
FF4 and IE9. (See our comparative benchmarks chart on page 48).
Power User Tips
1. Turn on GPU acceleration by typing about:flags in the
Omnibar. Enable GPU Accelerated Computing and GPU Accelerated Canvas 2D.
2. To make a favicon-only bookmarks bar, simply delete the
text in the Name field when saving a bookmark. If you do this, Chrome
will just show the favicon, and you’ll earn 200 geek cred points.
3. Get a geeky breakdown of Chrome’s resource management
by typing about:memory into the Omnibar, which even shows how much
memory other open browsers are using.
Mozilla Firefox 4
Mozilla completely overhauled the user interface in Firefox 4 with the
intention of making it sleeker and easier to use. It’s the biggest
aesthetic update since Firefox first came out, and a welcome one if you
appreciate less clutter. All the menu items are neatly tucked away and
accessible via a single Firefox button in the upper left corner.
New features abound, like the ability to sync your browser settings
across multiple devices, multitouch support in Windows 7, and a new
tabbed interface drawing inevitable comparisons to Chrome. The Add-On
Manager now opens in a tab, too.
Security
As you might expect, Firefox 4 is the most secure version
of Firefox yet. It’s also the least glamorous topic because many of the
safeguards that keep the bad guys away work silently in the background.
One of the biggest new security safeguards is a new feature called HTTP
Strict Transport Security. This is supposed to prevent man-in-the-middle
attacks that hijack regular HTTP connections and make them appear as
HTTPS, like when logging into a banking institution using an
untrustworthy network (think of a public Wi-Fi hotspot). Support in
Firefox is only half of the equation; HSTS also requires websites to
play ball.
Privacy
Firefox’s Private Browsing mode is left largely unchanged
in Firefox 4, which means you can’t run an incognito session and a
regular session simultaneously like you can in Chrome, even if you have
multiple browser windows open. Firefox does, however, restore your
regular session when you’re finished, um, looking up anniversary gifts
(that is why you use Private Browsing, right?).
There’s a new Do Not Track feature receiving tons of hype.
When enabled (found under Options > Advanced), Firefox sends a
header to websites telling them you don’t want to be followed. It’s a
neat idea, but still relies on the honor system; a website can choose to
blatantly ignore your request.
Performance
Midway through Firefox 4’s development, Mozilla injected
the browser with its JägerMonkey JavaScript engine, a wise move
considering that earlier betas of the next-generation browser felt
sluggish and were getting slammed in the enthusiast community. In its
current form, Firefox 4 runs and feels much faster than its predecessor,
though it still isn’t as nimble as Chrome in JavaScript heavy tasks.
But unlike Chrome, Firefox boasts hardware acceleration, tapping into
your GPU to boost performance when rendering graphics heavy tasks.
Chrome will address this in version 11, but for the time being, the
advantage belongs to Firefox (and IE9).
Power User Tips
1. To quickly view pages you’ve recently visited, right-click the left and/or right arrow(s).
2. Is your favorite Firefox 3.6 add-on blocked in FF4?
Type about:config in the address bar. Right-click and select New >
Boolean, and enter extensions.checkCompatibility.4.0. Select False for
the value.
3. Miss the menu bar? Bring it back by pressing Alt > View > Toolbars > Menu Bar.
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