Browser Issues & Questions

[Ar-Pharazon]

Here's the situation:

I've been a FireFox fan since it's inception. Netscape had become a bloated POS and, at that time, FireFox was simple & quick.

Now, with the retarded update schedule implemented by Mozilla, FFx has become the bloated POS it basically replaced so many years ago.

Lately, I've been getting numerous & regular "connection was reset" error messages....only with FFx.

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I have Chrome on my machine, it's lightweight, but I don't really like the way it feels to use. There's just something I can't put my finger on. Maybe too simple & stripped down?

It doesn't seem to have any way to set the tabs up the way I like, mainly "when I open a tab, switch to it immediately". In fact, I don't see any tab control functions under tools or options in Chrome.

Ctrl+B for sidebar bookmarks does not work any more in Chrome. I've read where it used to be in there, but not now apparently.

Also, Chrome has no about:config, so no way to get into the bones of it to see if these things can be altered there.

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I also have Opera 11.6. It has the bookmarks sidebar, which I usually need due to the large numbers of bookmarks I have.

Opera too does not have a "when I open a tab, switch to it immediately" option. It does have about:config "access", but I didn't see anything I recognize there as help in this area.

I didn't go with Opera much in the past because it always felt & looked just like Firefox, which worked in the past.

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Now I see some other browsers I might want to try and would like some input on them (as far as usability & lack of BS):
Maxthon
SeaMonkey
Safari

I'm running Win7 x64 and these 3 have versions that work with Windows.

And to sum up, I loathe IE, no matter the version, always have. I'm forced to use it at work, since our web-based apps only work properly with IE.

Help!

 

[smiki]

Opera too does not have a "when I open a tab, switch to it immediately" option.

I don't see what you mean by this.

When you click on the "new tab" plus sign, it opens a new tab and you're looking at it immediately.

Also, if you right click on a link you have the option of either "open in new tab" or "open in background tab", the first switches to it immediately, and the second opens it but stays on the current tab.

You can also right click on your individual bookmarks and do the same thing.

?

 

[Tora Ziyal]

I use Safari. I like it much better than Firefox (or IE), though it's been long enough since I used Firefox that I couldn't tell you anymore what I disliked about it.

However, I've never used Safari for Windows.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Opera too does not have a "when I open a tab, switch to it immediately" option.

I don't see what you mean by this.

When you click on the "new tab" plus sign, it opens a new tab and you're looking at it immediately.

Also, if you right click on a link you have the option of either "open in new tab" or "open in background tab", the first switches to it immediately, and the second opens it but stays on the current tab.

You can also right click on your individual bookmarks and do the same thing.

?

It happens when I hold the Ctrl key & hit a link. That's the way to open a link in another tab that wouldn't normally open in a new tab or window.

Actually, I remove the + sign for a new tab since I frequently hit it by accident when I'm closing a tab at that end. Chrome doesn't seem to be able to do this, but FFx & Opera do.

Also, and it's a minor thing, when you double click on the middle part of an URL (trekbbs for example) Opera won't highlight just that part, it highlights the entire URL.

 

[Bisz]

I use Safari and Firefox interchangeably and find that they are equally as functional in terms of tabbed browsing.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

OK. Using Safari right now. Yes, it has the "switch to new tab immediately" option.

At first, the double-click & back thumb buttons on my mouse didn't function at all, now they kinda work. I have to double-double click the center part of the URL to highlight it.

At first the scroll wheel worked OK, though no "smooth-scroll" option anywhere, now it almost doesn't work at all. I really have to let it rip to get it to move.

And yeah, using the up/down arrows or the scroll bar works fine.

Never thought it'd be such a PITA to find a browser I like, but I didn't expect FFx to go to hell the way it has either.

Also, no refresh button in Safari? Weird.

 

[smiki]

It happens when I hold the Ctrl key & hit a link. That's the way to open a link in another tab that wouldn't normally open in a new tab or window.

You can do that in Opera with holding Shift whilst clicking, instead of Ctrl (Ctrl opens it in a background tab).


Just in case you decide you fancy Opera more than Safari.

 

[Methos]

while i'm a chrome user myself, i understand what you mean about the browser being 'too streamlined'...

one i do use alongside Chrome is called Rockmelt... it's like a 'super chrome' to coin a term, it's as fast and secure as chrome, but has a lot of addins and bits that really make the difference...

http://www.rockmelt.com/

it's mainly targeted at the 'social' side of browsers, but ignoring that, it's actually pretty easy to use and get along with

M

 

[Tora Ziyal]

...no refresh button in Safari? Weird.

Yes, a refresh button in Safari. Or at least in Safari for Mac. It's sort of a clockwise-curving arrow at the end of the URL.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

...no refresh button in Safari? Weird.

Yes, a refresh button in Safari. Or at least in Safari for Mac. It's sort of a clockwise-curving arrow at the end of the URL.

Ahh, OK. They've done it up like IE9, I don't like it

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Today I'm trying Sleipir, a Japanese browser that seems to have stolen it's GUI from IE. The "Internet Options" pop-up is an exact copy of the one from IE. It even says "let Internet Explorer decide how pop-ups should open" at one point.

It also has problems with the back & double-click buttons on my mouse and doesn't seem to do a bookmarks sidebar,

So, out with Sleipnir and in with the next contestant.

 

[Canadave]

It happens when I hold the Ctrl key & hit a link. That's the way to open a link in another tab that wouldn't normally open in a new tab or window.

You can do that in Opera with holding Shift whilst clicking, instead of Ctrl (Ctrl opens it in a background tab).

Chrome has the same function as well, but it's Control-Shift click. Shift opens in a new window, Control in a background tab.

 

[shivkala]

There are some "about:" pages in Chrome, they're just not as easily accessible as in Firefox.

about:cache
about:credits
about:dns
about:flags
about:gpu
about:histograms
about:memory
about:net-internals
about: plugins (no space, but when I enter it without the space, it gives me )
about:sync-internals
about:terms
about:version

Source.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

^ Now that's interesting. They seem to have broken them up. Easier to find what you want.