New Safari 4 (Beta) interface, Top Sites, and speed. Thoughts.

Apple has released, a while back, a new version of it’s Mac/Windows internet browser, Safari. I have been using Safari as my main browser because of it’s simplicity and clean interface. I (personally) don’t need all kinds of plugins that Firefox provides, I just need to browse the web in an easy, and fast way. The Safari 4 beta has brought a new interface, ripping off Google’s Windows/soon-to-be Mac browser, Chrome. This change one up side: gain of screen real-estate. This is a very welcomed change because my day to day computer is a 13″ MacBook, which isn’t huge by any means. There have been many people voicing their annoyance at this redesign. I have gotten used to this new interface and use it day to day. But if you wish to revert back to the “old” interface, there is an easy terminal command you can look up. Another small adjustment is the blue progress bar in the address bar. It has been replaced by a circular thingy that spins, much like Firefox. You can revert to the old bar by, once again, applying a simple terminal command. Another new feature is the new “top sites”, which , as the name suggests, shows you the sites you visit most. This feature I haven’t grown dependent on but I can see myself checking it once in a while in the near future, and hopefully not finding my list full of porn sites, which it currently is full of. Next minor, (or major, depending on your point of view) adjustment made to Safari is the inclusion of Cover Flow as a way of viewing your websites, or browsing history. This enables you to get a visual feel on what you are looking for, and hopefully helping you find the desired web page quicker. Another new claimed feature is that Safari can handle Javascript 4.2x (or a number along those lines) faster . This feature I cannot comment on because comment on because, quite frankly, I haven’t seen any speed increase at all (yes, honest IS the best policy). Well there you have it, a full close to 400 word overview of the new Safari 4 beta. Have you tried it? Will you? If so, what do you think of the interface, speed, or the browser in general? Leave your thoughts in the form of a comment below, and I will be glad to answer back!

Google Chrome

Another browser has just recently entered the browser war, Google Chrome. For the time being, the browser is currently only available for Windows (Google, where’s the mac love?) but will down the road be available for Mac and for Linux. So, because I cannot bring you a full review of the new web browser I will only say what people that have used it generally say after using it: Simple, non-cluttered user interface, and also quite a speedy browser as well, and with low memory consumption. Those reasons are why I chose to use Safari as my main Web browser because I am not looking for all the plugins and clutter that Firefox has, I only ask for a simple and speedy browser with a clutter-free interface that is straight forward to use, which Apple has perfectly delivered with Safari. Google Chrome sounds like a Safari-like browser which I will probably test once it is available on the Mac, and hopefully bring you a full-on review. What are you looking for in a Web browser? Do you like Firefox with all its plugins and extensions? Or, are you like me, and looking for a browser with a straight forward interface that loads web pages fast? Feel free to leave a comment on this subject and/or disagree with what I say in this article.