Believe it or not, web browsers have really not come all that far. Yes, Internet Explorer, Firefox and Chrome have upped the ante when it comes to speed, usability, and safety, but the basics behind how a web page is rendered is still the same as it was in 1997, when HTML 4.0 was introduced. The good news is that, beginning with the introduction of HTML 5, web browsers are beginning to make some serious changes that will benefit all users in the future. Many browsers have added HTML 5 support already including Firefox, Opera, Safari, and Chrome. Microsoft is planning HTML 5 support for Internet Explorer 9.
Let us look at why HTML 5 is going to help you: - Better looking webpages, that are faster and leaner
- Advanced browser functionality such as "Drag and Drop" and embedded video that doesn't require a plugin, such as Flash.
- Offline storage
You can see that some of these features are already in use on sites such as Gmail, which allows you to "drag and drop" images into your email. Youtube is also adopting HTML 5 and allows some videos to be viewed without the required Adobe Flash plugin. Instead, you are able to watch the video using the HTML 5 player.
If you are running an HTML 5 compatible browser, you can join the beta testing group here for the HTML 5 Youtube video viewer. You can then check out this video of the world celebrating Landon Donovan's game-winning goal. HTML 5 is just the beginning of why you should be excited about the future of web browsers. Be sure to check out Part 2 next week when I talk about my favorite upcoming feature: Hardware Acceleration.
As Technology Librarian John Robertson and I were finishing up a Google Reader class for Library staff recently, we began to talk about different browsers. While we at The Tech Desk use mostly the open-source browser, Firefox, the majority of librarians at Troy use Internet Explorer. We taught the class using IE, but answered some questions about Firefox.John mentioned that he uses Google Chrome as his browser. Many staff members were curious about it, never having heard of Chrome.This made me wonder which browsers are being used by our readers. Since we use Google Analytics to track our readership, I was able to answer that question fairly easily.First, let us look at the big picture. Worldwide, Internet Explorer’s share of the browser market is declining. Now, about 66% of surfers use IE. At the same time, Firefox has increased its market share to around 21%. Apple’s Safari browser makes up 8% of the market, and Google’s Chrome about 1%.Our readers look a lot like those worldwide. About 57% use Internet Explorer, down about 5% since September 2008, when we started keeping statistics. Firefox use has remained fairly constant at 36%. Apple users are starting to find us in greater numbers, as Safari use is up almost 38%, to 3% of our users. Google’s Chrome, the newest entry in the field, is up 25% since September, to 2% of users.However you look at these numbers, it is clear that a large percentage of Internet users – somewhere between 33% and 40% -- use a browser other than Internet Explorer.If you are interested in looking at browser options for your surfing, compare Internet browsers of today and tomorrow.And to learn more about Google Chrome, check out these short videos from the Official Google Blog. Some of them are pretty good.
Recently, I posted how Windows 7 -- Microsoft's new operating system due out later this year -- might allow you to remove Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE) web browser from your computer, if you use one of the alternative browsers -- Firefox, Safari, Google Chrome, Opera, etc. Today, about 1/3 of Internet surfers use a browser other than IE.
It occurred to me that many of you might be interested in an alternative to Internet Explorer, but might not know what other browsers exist or whether or not they are any good.
For you, here is a nice little review of 9 existing and beta browsers, Browser Battle: Nine Browsers of Today and Tomorrow Compared, from maximumpc.com.
[via Lifehacker]
