Which browser is ideal for normal browsing? IE or FireFox and why?

[zohaibahmed]

Hello Everyone!

I am very confused which browser to use for normal browsing and for SEO work?

Thanks in Advance!

[mikeyb]

I would say it's down to personal preference.

I prefer to use Firefox mainly because of it's tabbed windows, and things like clicking on a link with the middle-button to open it in a new tab in one easy move!

And I've just got used to using Firefox more than IE now.

[encyclo]

Try them both and see which one fits best for you - you should also check out Opera:

[opera.com...]

Both Firefox and Opera have better features for heavy internet users, whereas IE is built in to Windows and is important to check for compatibility when building sites.

[john_k]

Whichever of the two you choose, I would recommend using the other one at least one day a week for your browsing.

[MatthewHSE]

For normal browsing, Firefox will give you greatest customizability and excellent security. For SEO work, Firefox wins again due to the several SEO extensions you can add to it. Opera is nearly as good for normal browsing, but I don't find it as flexible as Firefox.

I would recommend using the other one at least one day a week for your browsing.

Why is that? I can understand testing in all major (and some not-so-major) browsers, but why would you use your non-preferred browser just for normal use? (This isn't a sarcastic question, by the way. I'm sure you have a reason for that statement and I'd be interested to know what it is.)

[john_k]

First - I don't take my own advice. But I do make it a point to occasionally use a different browser for a day.

And I recommend doing something like that simply because it gives you a better real world experience as to how the browsers differ in rendering sites. If you only use a different browser just to see how a specific page or site looks, you may be missing some great examples of "how to do" and "how not to do" things.

[g1smd]

I prefer the Mozilla suite (currently at version 1.7.12) as it has more features than Firefox, and less bugs, problems, and exploits than IE.

[drhowarddrfine]

The popup blocker works better in Firefox.
Firefox doesn't use ActiveX so there is less problem of junk getting installed on your computer without your knowledge.
Firefox displays web pages correctly and follows standards.
Personally, I have never had spyware/virus problems since switching to FF last year. I have had three trojans when I used IE to visit sites that was IE only.
Firefox can display leading edge web code, such xml and svg which IE cannot.
Firefox has many great extensions for web development as well as personal use which aren't available anywhere else.

Much of the same can be said for Opera but I had a problem with a few sites with it. I don't experiment much with other browsers but Netscape is good as is Safari and Lynx :) .

[MatthewHSE]

john_k, that makes sense, thanks for taking time to explain. Although I would recommend that anyone who uses IE, regardless of the reason, still be very careful about the types of sites they visit! ;)