Please Recommend a New Browser

[Leith Jones]

I have been using Firefox and IE on occasion. However, they are not quite as satisfactory as they used to be.

Criteria:
I'm studying Java and Firefox has blocked it.
I usually have several tabs open at once.
I like add-ons (*ahem* if you know what I mean).
I'm a fanatic for YouTube and news sites so quick page loads is a priority.
Ease of use.
Free.

Your recommendations are appreciated! Let me know the website where I can download the latest version if you know it.

Thanks to everyone!

 

[Locutus of Bored]

Google Chrome. That's about the closest to Firefox in terms of add-on support.

https://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/browser/

Also, you can get the Java plugin to run on trusted sites in Firefox.

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/how-allow-java-trusted-sites

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Google Chrome

https://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/browser/

THREAD OVER

 

[doubleohfive]

Google Chrome

 

[Shik]

Google Chrome

https://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/browser/

THREAD OVER

No joke. Next, I'd say Safari, but...yeah, Mac guy. Or was.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

@Leith: In what way is Firefox no longer satisfactory for you?

 

[Locutus of Bored]

@Leith: In what way is Firefox no longer satisfactory for you?

He mentioned at least one major issue in the OP:

I'm studying Java and Firefox has blocked it.

Though you can override that in Firefox on trusted sites, I don't know if that helps with his studies or not.

 

[Leith Jones]

I've tried to make myself a trusted site (my own damn self!) but it didn't work. That was a day and a half wasted. Also my favorite add-on (won't mention what it is, but it is tricolor and there are 3 little squarish balls that rotate around the center (like Balok's tug in The Corbomite Maneuver) ) hasn't been working. It just seemed easier to start with something else.

Thanks for the Google Chrome suggestion. Would it be too Neutral Zone of me to mention that I don't trust Google these days with the NSA thing going on? It's probably just plugging one small hole in a busted dam...

Does anyone use or know about Safari or Opera? Some pros & cons of those would be good to know.

Thanks again!

 

[Locutus of Bored]

Also my favorite add-on (won't mention what it is, but it is tricolor and there are 3 little squarish balls that rotate around the center (like Balok's tug in The Corbomite Maneuver) ) hasn't been working.

You can mention Download Helper (sadly, I knew exactly what you were talking about). You can download legal content with it too.

Thanks for the Google Chrome suggestion. Would it be too Neutral Zone of me to mention that I don't trust Google these days with the NSA thing going on? It's probably just plugging one small hole in a busted dam...

Nope, you can discuss all the same stuff from TNZ here, it's just moderated so you can't flame or troll and so forth.

As far as Google and the NSA goes, I doubt it makes much of a difference to them which browser you use. If they want to spy on you, they can.

 

[Pondwater]

Chrome.

Even if it looks like a creepy eyeball watching you.

 

[Kemaiku]

Firefox can do all of the above, but I have something like 7 major addons and widgets working away to provide the same service with a large CPU strain, anything is better at this point.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

7 add-ons? Christ, I'm an add-on hoarder. I don't even want to mention how many I have now.

 

[Kemaiku]

7 add-ons? Christ, I'm an add-on hoarder. I don't even want to mention how many I have now.

I once likened Firefox to a tiny broken robot, it means well, but damned if you don't have to keep fixing and replacing pieces to make it work.

I'm on version 27, 25 wiped everything (bookmarks, settings, everything) on upgrade, 27 is glitching like it's having a seizure.

So yeah I'm open to suggestions too.

 

[Tora Ziyal]

I've always liked Safari. Tried Firefox and Chrome, but didn't see any advantage to either. Of course I've also used IE, but only at work, where I had no choice. I don't use add-ons, though, so I can't speak to how well Safari handles them.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I like how Firefox can block all cookies except for a whitelist I specify. Can Chrome do that?

 

[Robert Maxwell]

For those of you who don't like newfangled, high-tech browsers:

I also hear tell that the best browser is Opera.

 

[Leith Jones]

Also my favorite add-on (won't mention what it is, but it is tricolor and there are 3 little squarish balls that rotate around the center (like Balok's tug in The Corbomite Maneuver) ) hasn't been working.

You can mention Download Helper (sadly, I knew exactly what you were talking about). You can download legal content with it too.

That's one of the things I love about Star Trek fans. No matter what I'm trying to describe, there's something somewhere in ST that I can compare it to and be understood immediately.

 

[Spot's Meow]

Others have already said this, but Chrome is really a great alternative. I downloaded it one day just to test something, planning to uninstall it quickly thereafter, but instead it became my default browser and I've yet to find anything I dislike about it.

 

[Gary7]

Chrome.

Sometimes I have issues with it. Often all you need to do is clear the cache. And don't have more than 15 tabs open at once for reliable performance.

MAJOR ADVANTAGE: Integration with your Google account. It backs up EVERYTHING, or less if you so choose. This is a serious advantage. Using a relative's computer? Log in with your Google account in Chrome and see your bookmarks appear. How cool is that?

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I take it that most of you who use Chrome are satisfied with Google's privacy policy, such as it is? Do you have to have a Google account to use Chrome?