CogBlog

If you use Mac OS X, like I do, then you probably see the occasional site that doesn't quite appear as you would expect it too. It is rare, but an annoyance just the same.

Well, just recently I started using FireFox, another Mozilla browser, and have found that it is by far the most compatible browser I've yet found for OSX. And, even better it is OS X native, so it is super-fast.

Here is my highly scientific Mac browser opinion matrix.
I think I'll grade them too:

Internet Explorer: A carbonized version of the previous IE browser for OS 9 (this means it is slower than it should be). It's alright from a compatibility standpoint, but there are some CSS2 implementations that completely fall apart. Witness the Looksmart administrative interface for an example.
Grade: C-

Safari: Props to Apple for putting together an OS X native browser. It renders pages very quickly, but sometimes type sizes display in unpredictable ways. The Overture management interface is nearly unusable in Safari. So, just don't start thinking that what you see in Safari is what everyone else is seeing.
Grade: B

Camino: This is a good browser. Comes with automatic pop-up blocking enabled. They were the first browser I know of to use tabs (which I could not live without). Good all around compatibility, but also fails in rendering some CSS2 properly. Oh, and it is OSX native too.
Grade: B+

FireFox: All the good things of Camino are here, along with a nifty Google toolbar. I give Camino a slight edge in the way it handles bookmarks. But, in terms of compatibility there is no equal. FireFox is the only browser officially compatible with Gmail, and it is the only one I've ever seen on a Mac to properly render the Looksmart log-in page (http://listings.looksmart.com).

Here's another great feature of FireFox: If you have multiple accounts that use the same login screen most browsers password manager will only remember one version. FireFox remembers a separate password for each username -- even for the same log-in screen. This is great for a site like Overture where we have many accounts which all log into the direct traffic center from the same location.

I've only encountered one significant bug -- when you get a JavaScript alert box, sometimes you just can't close it. You must exit the browser to get away.

So that's it. FireFox gets docked half a grade because of that bug, but all the other features still earn it a well deserved A-.

Oh, I didn't mention Netscape. Sadly, it is the only Mac browser I never use. The agonizingly slow application launch time is just too much for me.