The best browser for Windows.

Browsers are the gateway for us to enjoy everything the Internet has to offer - which is not little. Due to the popularity of the immeasurable great network in our lives, these browsers have gained great importance to any User.

Each "navigator" has peculiar tastes and needs. That is why choosing a browser that meets these needs can make the Internet experience richer and more efficient.

In order to help you, the Baixaki tested the five most popular browsers "pumped" from Baixaki. Following a scientific orientation, design and implement objective tests where the performance of each browser is analyzed based on hard numbers. Certainly other factors and possibilities were also tested, enriching this test.

Our analysis begins even before the installation of browsers. For starters, what operating systems are compatible with every browser?

Opera proved to be widely compatible and can be used in Windows 98, 2000, XP and Vista. Internet Explorer also showed a high level of compatibility and can be used with Windows XP, 2003 and Vista. However, for the latter system, the installation file is different.

Mozilla Firefox does not fall behind in terms of compatibility. It can be installed on Windows 2000, XP and Vista.Since Safari and Google Chrome are compatible with Windows XP and Vista.

Chrome

Installing Google Chrome was very quick and simple. Within seconds, the browser was already installed and Internet Explorer favorites were already imported automatically. It was the intervention of the User at any time.

Firefox

Installing Mozilla Firefox took a little longer, but was also completed in a few moments. Here it took little action, just to set the type of installation, the destination folder and the import of settings from Internet Explorer.

Opera

Opera showed a very similar setup to that of Firefox, both in time and level of intervention by the User.

Safari

The installation of Safari is also fast with a significant difference to many users: it was the only one allowed to choose to create an icon on the desktop.

Internet Explorer

Since the installation of Internet Explorer follows a different pattern. First you must choose whether or not to participate in the program to improve the browser. Then you have the option to find and install updates during installation. Then, Internet Explorer downloads the content and applies the necessary tool for removing malicious software to finally start the installation.

In the end, it is recommended to restart the machine. It was the only facility that recommended such a procedure. Overall, it took 8 minutes.

Interface - initial appearance

We can divide the browser into two groups: on one side, Chrome and Safari, on the other, Firefox, Internet Explorer and Opera.

The first two browsers have a slightly similar interface. The interface of Chrome is a clearer idea of simplicity. We can see that there is only one bar, not two as is very common.

This means that the same bar allows you to type a text or a search term. Side of this bar, there are five buttons.They are: update, bookmarks, go to control the current page and settings.

The problem is that there is no indication. The first buttons are easy to guess what they are for, but the last two may arouse doubts in many users. Chrome displays your most visited sites and recent bookmarks on the homepage. However, as this is the first implementation of the browser, there is still no content to display.

Safari also does not display the menus "File", etc.. The address bar is divided into two, but also consists of icons similar to Chrome. The look goes back to Apple software, and of course it's no wonder. Favorite sites are also displayed, but it depends on you to browse for a while.

Security

Pop-ups

All browsers have analyzed feature for blocking unwanted windows (pop-ups). Explorer shows a blocker with more configuration options, which allows you to create a list of sites that can display pop-ups and can also play a distinctive sound when a window is blocked. To supplement, it offers three standards of protection against pop-ups: low, medium and high.

Antis-pywar, Antivirus and antiphishing

All browsers offer tools that are not antis-pywar, virus or phishing themselves, but offer resources to prevent the suspect pages are accessed. Firefox, for example, warns about sites that try to install or add-ons that are targets of fraud.

Chrome license checks of sites to confirm their identity, and provides encrypted connection. Since Opera has fraud protection, certificate management and choice of cryptographic protocols.

Safari warning about fraudulent websites and allows you to choose which plug-ins and content of risk can be executed. Internet Explorer also offers different levels of security, which block the installation of suspicious add-ons, cookies and other suspicious content.

Clean History

All browsers offer an option to clear the browsing history, ie, clean newly accessed address and temporary files.Firefox, Safari and Internet Explorer are differentiated by offering the possibility to determine the frequency with which this history should be cleared automatically.

Privately

Chrome and Explorer have two features that appeal to most users. It is the private browsing mode, which does not record which pages were visited and what files were downloaded. All cookies used in this mode are deleted as soon as the incognito mode is disabled. Worth the reminder that this mode is temporary, and you can not use it as default.

See this chart with the tabulation of the scores on questions of security:

Tests

We submitted the five browsers to different types of tests in the style benchmark. In other words, are practical and quantitative tests to analyze the speed of all browsers, both for navigation and for downloading files.

Benchmarks

For these tests, we created a kind of ranking. In each issue, the fastest browser gained 10 points. The second six, the third four, the fourth, fifth and three, two. Sum up the points to take an objective classification of browsers.

Loading the browser's homepage

On average Google Chrome was the most efficient in this regard. The first shipment of the browser lasted about 14 seconds. The second shipment took about five seconds, and from the third, were not needed more than three seconds.

Internet Explorer, Opera and Safari showed similar numbers for second and third shipments but had a first load slower.

In this variable, Firefox alternated good and bad times. Sometimes, the first shipment did not arrive to 20 seconds. However, in other attempts, he reached more than 30 seconds. However, it pays off in the second and third charge, or up to five seconds.

Loading a page in a new tab

In a first attempt, Opera and Safari opened pages in a new tab in just two seconds. Firefox and Chrome came next, with four seconds. Internet Explorer took five seconds.

Loading new page

Firefox and Safari took two seconds to open a new page in the same window. Internet Explorer, Opera and Chrome took just over three seconds.

Downloads

We have downloads two files - one with 1 MB, 120 MB with another - with all browsers. For the smaller file, Chrome and Safari were the fastest, completing the download in just two seconds. Opera and Firefox were within three seconds, while Internet Explorer took five seconds.

As for the 120 MB file, Chrome proved fast and stable, completing the download in 5m53s, at an average of 340 kbps. Right behind came Opera, 6m03s; Safari, with 6m09s, Firefox, with 6m24s, and Internet Explorer, with 7m02.

Time to download a file of 120 MB

Stability tests

This question is simple. We access the Task Manager of Windows with the browser open to the concept with the use of processor and RAM. To begin, open any browser, one at a time, with six tabs simultaneously.

In terms of processor usage, Safari and Opera showed levels between 15% and 30% use of processor capacity.Internet Explorer showed an average use of 40% of the processor, ahead of Firefox, with a rate of 50%.

Chrome switched a lot between 50% and 100% in some cases. However, the behavior of Explorer and Chrome were developed for safety. Each tab is equivalent to a process, which consumes more memory effect, but allows for the recovery of tabs with errors.

In terms of memory use, Firefox showed the best average, alternating between 60 and 75 MB. He was closely followed by Opera, which consumes an average of 70 MB. Safari was on average between 90 and 110 MB, with Chrome right behind at 150 MB. Internet Explorer has indicated a use of about 190 MB. Again, the high rates of Explorer and Chrome are the result of an open process for each tab.

Safety tests

We access a site false-positive test the heuristic of browsers, ie, the ability to identify malicious sites before they activate a virus on our computer. Note that the site tested did not represent a danger in fact, only one false-positive.

Firefox, Safari and Chrome warned of the possibility that it is a malicious website, it is our choice to take the risk of accessing content permanently. Internet Explorer and Opera have accessed the site normally.

Acid3

The Acid3 is a test page that gives the ability of a browser has to follow certain Web standards, especially those related to document templates and JavaScript. That is, the better the performance of a browser, the greater the chances of it display the entire contents of a site correctly and smoothly.

Safari and Chrome "feedback" test, with a note of 100/100. Opera came close behind, with 85/100, followed by Firefox with 71/100. Internet Explorer showed a rate of 20/100. Just uninstall Internet Explorer has an uninstall feature that needs to restart the computer. All other browsers have uninstall quickly and effectively.

Understand the sum

All items of the criteria and safety features were evaluated in notes simple 0 to 10.

The criteria of the tests were adapted. In each test, the fastest browser received 10 points. The second six, the third four, the fourth three, and the fifth, two. Added to all points in all tests. The end result was converted proportionally into units of 0 to 10 to allow the sum with the questions of character and safety.

The same goes for the stability criteria: the browser's performance received 10 points and the worst two. He converted data in units of 0 to 10 to add with the other parallel results.

In the test page suspicion, only browsers that identified won 10 points. browsers that does not identify scored. In the Acid3 test, the same grade from the browser test was used in the sum of Baixaki, just converting the unit of hundred to ten.

Soon, joined by scores of browsers in Features, Security, Testing, Stability, and Page Suspected Acid3.

Conclusion

1. Features

Analyzing all the dispute for each item, we have the following results: features, was also the best Firefox, with 180 points. The second was the Opera, with 169 points. Internet Explorer, placed fifth overall, remained well in this regard, getting 150 points and third place.

Google Chrome and Safari shut this race with 142 and 128 points respectively.

These results indicate that Chrome and Safari, although efficient, have a range of resources and possibilities of its competitors. The fact is that these two browsers no longer earn points for not presenting features that its competitors had.

2. Security

In terms of security, the competition was fierce, with Firefox getting 29 points, followed very closely by Explorer and Safari, with 28 points each. The fourth set was the Opera, with 26 points. The lantern was the Chrome, with 24.

A very little difference between Firefox and Chrome indicates that none of the browsers have security issues, just Firefox have details that put you at an advantage.

3. Speed

It was here that Internet Explorer, the browser most common today, lost his reign. And in a very abrupt. He managed just four points. Chrome got the best medium and reached the highest rating: 8.4.

He was followed closely by Safari, with note 8. On the other hand, all the power of Google. Otherwise, Apple is showing the guys in the world of Microsoft. Opera was the third place, with note 6.2. Firefox was fourth with 5.4.

4. Stability

Stability, ie the need that the browser has to use RAM and processor, had a dispute almost unfair. Opera just got the top score in this question: 20 points. That is, in different situations, he showed the browser that requires less of your PC.

The second was Firefox, confirming the reputation he has to "Fox Fast." He made 11.5. Safari and Chrome tied at 9.5 points. The first faces the difficulties of adjusting to Windows, while the second sins by process management.

Finally, the Explorer, which was only 7.5. He really suffers in the process management. First, create a process for each tab allows the retrieval of specific content. On the other, sacrificing much of the computer User.

5. False positive

Explorer and Opera failed to identify a page with dangerous behavior. That does not mean that they are vulnerable, but indicate that they may have an excess of confidence in his nose, which can harm them.

6. Acid3

Here, Internet Explorer crashed once, with a score of only 20 on the Acid3 test - these tests were not prepared for us. Safari and Chrome show that they are able to open pages with any content type without errors. Opera also proved to be very competent. Firefox proved on average.

General

In the overall score, Firefox was our champion, with a total of 243 points. He was closely followed by Opera with 229.7 points. Third was the Google Chrome, with 203.9 points. Fourthly, the Safari, with 193.5 points. The lantern was Internet Explorer, with 191.5 points.

This result indicates that Firefox is a browser that can be assigned to any User, since he has always maintained a high rating in all types of test. Of course, these conclusions are not intended to impose which one is better, it should also take into account the practicality and affinity that each User has with your browser. So, feel free to comment on your point of view.