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Apple's (Nasdaq: AAPL) Safari 3 has made its debut on Windows systems with a free public beta. There are lots of free browsers out there, some of which are really outstanding. How does Apple's latest offering stack up?
Safari 3 is a very easy-to-use Web browser that loads pages much faster than Internet Explorer. It also does not distort complex Web sites like many Internet Explorer alternatives do. Safari 3 has a sleek user interface with controls that are very intuitive.
Keeping Tabs
The latest version includes tabbed browsing, which allows grouping of Web pages in a single pane. If you've used the latest version of Firefox or Internet Explorer, you know that this grouping dramatically changes the way you surf the Web.
Apple was kind enough to include the all-important middle click tabbing to create a new tab from a link. If your mouse has a clickable scroll wheel, you can press it while hovering the cursor over the link. Instead of taking the entire page to that link's destination, it opens the link in a new tab.
The company also included a feature that allows you to drag a tab out of the current window and move it to a new window. This feature is not present in the latest versions of Firefox and Internet Explorer.
Speed Loader
Safari 3 is very aesthetically pleasing. The status bar is hidden by default, and the progress bar is placed behind the address bar. The controls are very simple and include a customizable search bar and one-click bookmarking. The browser also has the ability to change the size of text boxes in Web pages, spell check while typing in text boxes, and prevent pop-ups.
A private browsing feature is also included. With private browsing enabled, no text forms or history are recorded, which allows you to surf without fear of someone tracking where you have been. Amazingly, the back and forward navigation buttons still work until the window is closed.
The Web browser's main attraction is the speed with which it loads Web pages. Safari 3 boasts an HTML load speed twice that of Internet Explorer and 1.6 times faster than the latest version of Firefox. It also runs JavaScript at 2.8 times the speed of Internet Explorer and 1.6 times that of Firefox 2, according to Apple. Safari 3 speeds ahead of its competition in almost every way.
Definitely a Beta App
While Safari 3 zooms ahead of other browsers in terms of page-loading and also sports the same must-have features as its competitors, as well as a few extras, there are some drawbacks.
The software is still in its beta stage, which means there are likely to be bugs and frequent patches. In fact, researchers found eight security flaws in the program within hours of its release. These flaws have been patched, but it is likely that many more vulnerabilities will show up before Apple readies it for final release.
Firefox and Internet Explorer both have tabbed browsing and pop-up blockers. Firefox also has a spell checker as well as many supported add-ons that make it far superior to Internet Explorer. Safari 3 has some innovative additions, but it will not revolutionize the way you view the Web.
When finished, Safari 3 will likely be as good as Firefox, if not better. Until then, though, I will continue using the latest version of Firefox.
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