By Harsh Choudhary:
When it comes to the Internet, you must be very careful about the web browser you use, if you are not a novice. People often use what they get with their OS like Internet Explorer for Windows, Safari for Mac OS and Firefox for Linux. For most, the speed matters and the latest browsers are all very fast. The browsers are all good in their own ways and that is exactly what puts everyone in dilemma. One is more secure, the other is faster and the third option is much more stable. The two Internet Browser giants discussed here are Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome and they seem to have occupied a major part of the Internet world of browsers. I personally like Mozilla Firefox but I shall not provide you with a biased opinion, so here is a neutral take on the two:
Firefox is an old brand in the browser realm and Chrome is a newer entry. Whereas Chrome is a software of Google Inc, Firefox is a product of the non-profit organization Mozilla. Most people prefer either one of the two browsers considering their taste in visual effects and user interface. There are many more things behind their working which prove to be very important for ones experience. The features, hardware support and language support make up for the world-wide standard and enhance the functionality of the browser. The different aspects thus tell how suitable Firefox or Chrome is for you. Both, however, run on all three major platforms (Windows, Mac and Linux).
User Interface: The first thing is the user interface that makes the impression on the user. Chrome has a slightly simple user interface because it utilizes the same logic which is behind the Google search engine. Therefore, Google Chrome takes less time to open than Mozilla Firefox. A first time user does not really have problems finding any setting option in Chrome. The top-right corner has a settings icon that covers all the options. Also, the front page of Chrome displays the recently opened websites which pretty much impresses and comforts the user.
Memory Management: Its one of the most important things which differentiates the two browsers. Google Chrome is very advanced on this plot and is fascinating. For every tab you open in Chrome, there is a separate process which provides more stability to the tab, while in Firefox there is only one process for all of the tabs. Thus in Firefox, if one tab crashes it results in the whole browser being closed while due to isolation of tabs in Chrome, one crashed tab does not bring down the browser. Also, Firefox is a memory eater. Memory consumed when two tabs are opened in Chrome is the same as Firefox with no tabs. Although when tabs are more, Firefox does not consume a large amount memory as compared to Chrome. Closing the tabs one by one in Chrome releases much memory while Firefox has no appreciable release of memory. But for Firefox lovers like me, there is good news that the new Firefox 15 has fairly overcome this mismanagement and memory leaks by virtue of add-ons.
Extensions: This is what makes the Firefox users to come back to it despite Chrome outperforming it in most other areas. For a geek, a programmer or a web designer Firefox extensions address everything that they want to do with browsers or web pages. Firefox is an open-source software which makes it useful for computer students and developers. Chrome has a flourishing extension gallery too but the support of extensions in Firefox is much better. One will not find alternatives of extensions when one switches to Chrome unless they are famous ones.
Privacy: Most of the people shy away from the Chrome because it is a Google product and they think Google already has a bulk of personal information about them. They therefore stick to the Firefox. Privacy is a major concern in this era of Internet. Firefox has a ‘Do Not Track‘ header tag option which prevents third party advertisers to track your activities. Chrome, on the other hand, is yet to implement any tracking protection.
Sync: Synchronization has also become a very important aspect and a differentiator for most of the browsers. However, both the browsers concerned are equal as far as this ability is concerned. Both come along with bookmarks, sync tabs and add-ons. The extensions also help to sync in between the browsers too.
HTML5 support and Hardware Acceleration: As technology is advancing, HTML5 is emerging to be the competitor of Adobe Flash plug-in. Chrome has a better support for HTML5 features. One point of digression is the HTML5 video. The codec used in Firefox and Chrome is Google’s newer codec WebM which is unproven and not widely used. The browsers are now using a graphics processor to speed up the browser actions. Chrome, however, supports only particular graphics cards for hardware acceleration to boost performance.
Choosing one of the two is difficult. Just make note of the features you want most and the features that can be compromised upon. However, there is no constrain of using only one browser and you can use both, the way I do. Google lovers would love Chrome because of its integration with the other products and services that Google has to offer while geeks would prefer Firefox. But whatever you choose must enhance your web experience and the level of satisfaction. I would love to advise you to adopt any of the two browsers for full-time use.