New browser versions tested

A new, exciting browser generation stands on the presenter, which is no coincidence, all manufacturers have waited for the large-scale appearance of the new Internet Explorer 9. Microsoft is progressing with slow version steps, two years have passed since version 8, and the Presseecho is broadly broad.


Firefox 4


Microsoft does without the project browser completely for intermediate versions and stuffs only minor security holes via Windows Update. Anders Firefox, whose version 3.0 is three years old, but the last big step was 3.6 a year ago. The intermediate numbers are quite relevant for Mozilla.


The web community now looks like IE 9, Firefox 4.0, Opera 11 and Chrome 10. Only Safari users are waiting for a larger update.


Chrome is the secret winner, according to the numbers of Webmaster Pro (www.webmasterpro.de, see graphic), the strongest growth rate and secured a user share of a good five percent. In addition, Safari also enjoys increasing numbers, accounting for just under 5%.


Firefox stagnates on high (fifty percent, slightly falling), Opera on low level (just under three percent). The downside is only with the IE, which is still at almost 38 percent. The next few weeks will show whether the IE 9 can stop its case.


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If one chooses the image of the electorate migration, the IE loses strong and Firefox easily to Chrome. Opera and Safari have a small but stable fan base. Interesting is also a look at the update behavior of the users, because 86 percent of the Firefox users use the current version (3.6), which is only the case for 77 percent of IE users (IE 8).

Of the remaining 23 percent, two thirds use IE 7 and one third even IE 6. These are two percent of all browser users. The shorter update cycles of the Firefox seem to cause a faster modernization of the browser group. Conversely, web developers still have to reckon with IE legacy.


The new generation of browsers has a few similarities: All vendors work hard on the integration of HTML 5, which offers web designers many advantages: the code is slimmer and easier to use for mobile applications. In addition, the new standard provides for embedding video directly and without a player (Flash). Two detailed articles on HTML 5 can be found on the magazine DVD.


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The new browsers can be accelerated, especially by means of new JavaScript machines and the possibility of accessing the computing unit of the graphics card (GPU). The speed gain against the older versions, especially IE 8 and Firefox 3.6, is huge. The slim interface has done well with many browsers.


The new fox of the Mozilla is definitely faster than its predecessor and just the alpha version of 4.2 (Minefield) is still a tooth too. He has a very good Sunspider value and wins in the in-house Kraken test. In addition to the graphics and JavaScript acceleration, there is also new on the user interface. Most of the menus and functions are now hidden behind the orange Firefox button at the top left.


Tabs are placed above the address input bar, and some of them can be pasted as so-called apps. They then appear as small logos to the left of the tabs and are always preserved, even if all other tabs are closed. The combined stop / reload button is very tidy, because in fact you never need it at the same time.


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For a better overview, the Tabs groups, which allow the user to place all currently open tabs on a surface, provides a good overview of all web pages. Multiple tab groups can also be named and operated in parallel.


In terms of security, Firefox now has a container for plug-ins, so they do not crash the entire browser. In addition, Mozilla introduces the Do-Not-Track technology, where the browser sends a header entry to all web pages that the user does not want to be tracked.


This does not mean, however, that the visited web pages also stick to it. If you want to activate Do not Track, you will find the corresponding option in the advanced settings. In addition, the new browser supports multi-touch interfaces, so it is suitable for tablets, and it provides synchronization for the list of up-to-date, passwords and favorites.