The best browser for Linux, Windows and Mac isn't Google Chrome

3 years ago 580

Jack Wallen has yet settled connected a azygous web browser arsenic his default crossed each platforms. Find retired what browser that is and wherefore helium made the switch.

Web browser closeup connected LCD surface with shallow absorption connected https padlock

A mates of months ago, I yet near Opera arsenic my default browser connected Linux. That was a hard merchantability due to the fact that the Opera Workspaces diagnostic was thing I didn't deliberation I could permission behind. And yet, the load the browser placed connected my instrumentality (especially erstwhile utilizing Google Docs) was excessively large an contented to ignore. I'd beryllium moving along, minding my ain business, erstwhile each of a abrupt Opera would bring the desktop to a grinding halt.

Productivity, thy sanction is representation leak!

At that point, I was utilizing 2 antithetic browsers arsenic my defaults, connected Linux and macOS, and I was definite Safari would stay arsenic the go-to connected the Mac broadside of things. But past I continued utilizing that default browser connected Linux and, time aft day, grew much impressed with its show and simplicity. And past things took a crook for the worse connected Safari. Like with Opera, erstwhile moving with a longer papers successful Google Docs, Safari would popular up a informing saying that the tract was utilizing excessively overmuch memory. No substance what I did with Safari that behaviour would not stop.

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Finally, 2 days ago, I walked distant from Safari to marque the aforesaid browser I utilized connected Linux my default connected macOS. This was a prime I haven't regretted for a second.

That's not to accidental I recovered myself utilizing lone 1 browser. Oh, no. Would that it were truthful simple. You see, determination are inactive sites I indispensable usage that, for immoderate reason, were designed with Chrome successful mind. And that's a problem. Why? Because Chrome has go unreliable connected truthful galore levels. On Linux, I've had Chrome fastener up the desktop connected excessively galore occasions. On macOS, Chrome drains the artillery faster than immoderate different exertion (with the objection of Final Cut Pro erstwhile rendering video).

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This contented is complicated. Why? First and foremost, the browser is 1 instrumentality everyone uses. No substance your platform, you beryllium connected a web browser. I would spell truthful acold arsenic to accidental 90% of the enactment and amusement you undertake connected immoderate computing instrumentality is via a web browser. That means those ubiquitous applications person to propulsion a tremendous load. For the astir part, they each bash it reasonably well. Every web browser I've ever utilized renders sites good (though immoderate amended than others). So what's the problem? Why would anyone person an contented either selecting the browser that is genuinely champion for their usage lawsuit oregon migrating to a antithetic browser altogether?

In a word: familiarity.

We each person our workflow. Many of america person tuned our workflow to a circumstantial web browser's mode of doing things. Truth beryllium told, connected the surface, the differences aren't that great. Every browser offers overmuch of the aforesaid modular features:

Bookmarks
Tabs
Cookies
Saved data
Menus
Addons
Configuration options
Privacy features

The biggest quality is however each browser implements these features. That's connected the surface... wherever the users dwell. It's erstwhile you excavation a spot deeper than you find those browsers bash commencement to differ. Take, for instance, the information that determination are 5 progressive web browser rendering engines:

WebKit —Safari
Blink—Chrome and Chromium-based browsers (such arsenic Microsoft Edge, Opera, Brave and Vivaldi)
Gecko—Firefox
Goanna—Pale Moon and Basilisk
Flow—Flow browser

Of each the browsers I've used, those based connected the WebKit and Blink rendering engines look to person the biggest problems with longer documents connected Google Drive. And for me, that's a large issue. I enactment successful Google Drive astir 7 to 9 hours a day. And that the Blink rendering motor has the biggest contented with Google Drive should travel arsenic a shock, seeing arsenic however some were created (and are maintained) by Google.

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But since my power to Firefox (on Linux and macOS), I've not had a azygous occupation with representation issues. And, overmuch to my surprise, Firefox is nary longer a artillery vampire connected macOS. Prior to my M1 MacBook Pro, Firefox drained the precise volition to unrecorded from my MacBook Pro 2016 battery. When utilizing Firefox, I was fortunate to get 2 to 3 hours of artillery life. With the M1 and Firefox 89, artillery beingness is conscionable arsenic bully arsenic it is erstwhile utilizing Safari.

Outside of performance, rendering and artillery life, I perfectly emotion what Mozilla has done to the Firefox interface. Gone is the clutter and bloat. Now, Firefox is simply a sleek (almost minimalist) browser that outperforms each browser connected my desktop and laptop. I've adjacent migrated my Android default to Firefox and person recovered it to beryllium conscionable arsenic awesome a mobile browser arsenic it is connected the desktop.

The 1 hiccup to my maestro program is the information that (as I mentioned earlier) determination are inactive sites that bash not relation good with immoderate browser different than Chrome. That is dumbfounding. Every clip I spot a website garbage to relation successful a peculiar browser, I instantly presume Doc Brown has pulled up successful the DeLorean and has his sights acceptable connected 2001. But this is not the aboriginal 2000s, nor is it the browser wars of old. Even so, the situation does look ripe for a headlong clash betwixt Firefox and Chrome. And though Chrome has a monolithic vantage successful marketplace stock (at the infinitesimal Chrome has a 67% marketplace stock implicit the competition), the existent authorities of show doesn't bespeak that popularity.

If I had to instrumentality a guess, I'd accidental Google is conscionable fortunate the mean idiosyncratic either doesn't similar alteration oregon doesn't adjacent recognize determination are alternatives available. If you hap to autumn into that category, I would highly suggest you instal Firefox and spot if you don't find yourself mounting it arsenic the default connected each of your devices and platforms.