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I use Firefox almost exclusively when I use Linux, or if I’m forced to use Windows, but the last couple of weeks I thought I’d give Firefox a proper ‘go’ and make it my default browser on my main work computer (A Mac Pro since you ask).

For whatever reason – most probably that I’d just become very used to Safari – I really struggled with Firefox. I just like Safari’s RSS implementation (and Firefox didn’t convert those bookmarks to it’s setup). I like the Safari’s reasonably quick startup time, and I like the shortcuts to the bookmark bar (option-1 opens bookmark #1). Plus Firefox’s plugins just get to be a pain with all the updates. And none of them really seemed to be a killer.

With Safari v4 coming out, I thought I’d give that a shot to see how it faired. I hate rebooting computers when adding applications (it implies too much deep integration for my tastes), Safari 4 feels faster. Bar the new tab setup (Think Chrome), I like all that seems to come with it. There are some hidden preferences that mean I can switch off the new tabs, but I’m going to see how I fare for now.

I did have a ‘moment’ when I realised 1Password didn’t work with the new version, but in perhaps one of the fastest update turnarounds I’ve seen in an application, they pushed out an update in no time, confirming that this is by far the best Mac application I’ve had the pleasure of buying. I’ve too many passwords to remember, by merit of my job, so a very secure and safe way of generating and storing them, makes a huge amount of sense.

So, Firefox on the Mac just doesn’t quite cut it for me as my main browser. It’s not about Firefox itself: It is a good browser, and I use it where I need a second browser (in my line of work, that’s quite often). It’s probably that my working habits have settled around Safari, and the Firefox User Interface just doesn’t quite work for me. I just can’t be bothered adjusting, and Firefox doesn’t have enough extra to warrant the change. It needed to be something special, and wasn’t.

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 26th, 2009 at 11:09 am and is filed under Apple, Technology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.