WithIE 8 Beta as well as Firefox 3 in Beta available for development testing, what browser(s) do you currently use or will be using once these two browsers come out of beta?
Personally, I have gone back to Safari as my Firefox browser on my mac just seems so slow, even with all the extensions uninstalled it's still the same speed. I also use Camino which is a great mac browser. I am looking forward however, to the new Firefox 3 and hopefully the mac speed problem will have been ironed out.

24 Comments
Ozone42
Written Mar. 6, 2008 / Report /
Safari.
Though I'm glad to see the other browsers are trying to catch up. Firefox performance is much better on windows machines, but still doesn't compare to safari.
RightOn
Written Mar. 6, 2008 / Report /
I use Safari, Firefox and IE depending on what I'm doing at the time.
IE only because the moron who developed our backend app used ColdFusion and somehow locked the site down to absolutely not work on any browser but IE. You literally get pop ups that say "IE only".
Oli
Written Mar. 6, 2008 / Report /
Been on FF3b for a while. Loving it and I'm proud of how well it does in the Acid3 test.
Not that I like CF, RightOn, but you shouldn't affiliate it with poor browser support - it's just as capable as producing x-platform code as any other server side language.
Mike
Written Mar. 6, 2008 / Report /
I switched from Camino to nightly builds of WebKit a few months ago and I've been pretty happy. There are still some bugs (obviously, since these are test builds) but it's incredibly fast. For cross-browser testing I still keep Firefox handy though.
WebKit gets 87 in the new Acid3 test, which I believe to be higher than all other browsers. Oli, what does FF 3 beta get?
RightOn
Written Mar. 6, 2008 / Report /
Oh I'm sure CF is capable of creating decent apps and has good browser support... the guy who coded it is a moron.
posure
Written Mar. 6, 2008 / Report /
When I'm on Windows - I use Opera because it is faster and lighter weight than Firefox or IE. IE8 is pretty slick though (love Activities and WebSlices), and Firefox 3 supposedly fixes its existing speed problems and hopefully memory leaks.
When I'm on OS X - I use Safari + WebKit nightly because WebKit is the fastest engine out there.
I'm big on lightweight, minimalistic, and extremely quick apps. Optimally, I would like to use Safari + WebKit nightly on Windows but it ruins my flow because it doesn't follow Windows UI norms, the main culprits being not using ClearType (supported in nightlies via XML config) and the UI looks like a Mac app instead of a Windows app which makes it feel out of place.
RightOn
Written Mar. 6, 2008 / Report /
What are WebSlices? From what I can find on Google it looks like WebClips on Safari.
dougvought
Written Mar. 6, 2008 / Report /
Safari or Webkit + Firefox + Flock + IE + Opera + x = Browsers I use interchangeably; for x = random browser.
chapstick
Written Mar. 6, 2008 / Report /
I usually use Safari on my Windows PC mainly because I like the text rendering it does. It find text easier to read in Safari than in IE or Firefox. Some people think it looks blurry, but I think it looks smooth and less jaggy.
dreamweaver
Written Mar. 7, 2008 / Report /
Firefox 2 daily. IE6, IE7, Opera, Safari, Camino, etc. for cross-browser testing when I design. I'll get caught up with IE8 and FF3 when I'm settled in my new house and everything is unpacked. For now, I'm too busy for it!
Craige
Written Mar. 10, 2008 / Report /
I'm sticking to Firefox. After all the problems I've had to endure developing for MS IE, I just can't use it as my main browser. Grated, Microsoft is getting MUCH better at standards compliance, compared to how IE used to be, but I still don't think I can use it.
Johnny
Written Mar. 10, 2008 / Report /
One thing I have noticed is that even a lot of non 'web people' or 'regular users' have switched to Firefox due to it's speed. Looking at my web stats, it's still worrying me that 10% of my visitors are still using IE6 with around 40% using IE7, rest is dominated by Firefox and Safari with a small percentage given to Opera.
I really hope that when IE8 does come out of beta and is made available to everyone, Microsoft include this as part of an update rather than an optional one. With it's new features I sincerely hope that the regular users of IE will catch on and do the update.
Thanks everyone for adding your thoughts here, its my first thread and I am pleased with all the replies. Cheers :-)
posure
Written Mar. 10, 2008 / Report /
@chapstick
I'd say that the Safari text rendering is smoother, my problem with it is that in Safari/OS X, there is no such thing as normal text. Its either bold or more bold.
@Johnny
Ironically, I've switched off of Firefox due to its lack of speed. ;-)
aadil
Written Mar. 11, 2008 / Report /
Firefox screws up - all the time on my MAC. Safari's what I'm clung onto. Camino for non safari supported websites.
Christian
Written Mar. 11, 2008 / Report /
I just run the latest version of Firefox. If it ain't broke, don't fix it...
anadgouda
Written Mar. 11, 2008 / Report /
I am currently using kazehakase as my default browser on Arch Linux. However, Firefox remains the chosen one for development.
Johnny
Written Mar. 11, 2008 / Report /
@ posure @ aadil - I have the same problems too. FF is very slow on a mac, I remember Molly Holzschlag talking about this and I didn't believe it at first. It's weird as when I first got my mac, FF ran pretty good, but since late last year it's got to the point that I have to use Safari or Camino. It's a pity as i love the extensions such as Firebug and Web Dev toolbar.
shellygrrl
Written Mar. 13, 2008 / Report /
I'm going to upgrade both when the time comes (natch); but I'm still going to be using Firefox mainly. (That and Flock.)
dhjones
Written Apr. 24, 2008 / Report /
I switched to mac in January, so I mainly use Safari, but I found its web developer tools somewhat lacking compared to Firefox (colour picker, ruler, web dev toolbar, syntax highlighter) so I installed Firefox too.
However, I switched to Firefox 3 beta recently and althought its faster (I dont like its new design though) - not all of these extensions work.
A big tip for mac users though for website testing;
Get Crossover for mac, and install IE6, I did that to test the rendering of my design for TagTicket.com and it works brilliantly.
ldragon
Written Apr. 24, 2008 / Report /
At the moment using Firefox for browsing, Opera for feeds and web galleries sites (love that speed dial) and IE for constructive swearing. Yum.
qeek
Written Apr. 27, 2008 / Report /
Safari on Windows. Switching to a mac very soon. :)
The slickest, the fastest.
alexsuraci
Written Apr. 27, 2008 / Report /
I'm always on the latest WebKit nightly; I have a script that runs every night and grabs the latest for me. WebKit has simply the most advanced and complete rendering engine, and it blends in beautifully with the OS X environment.
Firefox can try all it wants to catch up, but at the end of the day, the engine is second best and the UI will always be the oddball on the Mac. I still use it once in a while for testing though.
markupninjas
Written Apr. 30, 2008 / Report /
Man, firebug owns me, but I still "browse" in Safari. Looking forward to seeing the firebug-esque tool for safari though.
dubsar
Written May. 9, 2008 / Report /
I use FF daily (firebug FTW!) and check for cross-browser issues on IE7... I'm unmacable so safari can eat it...