I am only using Firefox because I am still using a Mac Pro from 2009 and Firefox is still supported albeit in Extended Support Release.
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My bad for not distinguishing between iOS/iPadOS & MacOS versions of Safari. The key question is why none of Safari is completely HTML5 compliant? If it/they were then we could truly interoperate, which would erode big tech companiesâ walled gardens approach. For more detail see Cory Doctorowâs The Internet Con.
Firefox has been my go-to web browser for many years now. In fact, it has been so long, that I canât even remember when I first started using it. At the time, what I do remember is that I was not pleased with the drab, simple user interface of Safari, or its limited functionality compared to Firefox. Perhaps they are now on par with each other insofar as functionality is concerned. I really donât know. Nevertheless, I am quite comfortable with using Firefox.
I do occasionally use Safari and Google Chrome, but normally, that is only when I am experiencing a particular problem in Firefox, and I want to verify whether or not the problem is actually with Firefox itself, or with something else. That is when Safari and/or Chrome come into play.
I didnât notice any mention of using Safariâs Developer menuâ
Develop > User Agent >
Default (Automatically Chosen)
Safari 17.2.1
Safari - iOS 17 - iPhone
Safari - iPadOS 17 - iPad mini
Safari - iPadOS 17 - iPad
Microsoft Edge - macOS
Microsoft Edge - Windows
Google Chrome - macos
Google Chrome - Windows
Firefox - macOS
Firefox - Windows
OtherâŚ
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I had the impression long ago that some websites didnât play well with Safari, so I began using Firefox, which is now my default. Rarely that doesnât work well, either, so I try Chrome (despite not liking being connected to Google) or Safari or both. Occasionally I try others but have seen no benefit.
Isnât Chrome dangerous? Why are people still using it?! Why are some companies forcing you to use it because, they do not support other browsers?!
It is bafflingâŚ
I removed it years ago.
Dangerous? As a Google product, you can probably assume that it is always logging what you do, and itâs unstoppable auto-update can be really aggravating if youâre someone who prefers to read release notes before deciding if/when to install an update.
But dangerous? Iâd reserve that term for something like the old Internet Explorer, which had so many security holes that using it for anything without bolting on a virus scanner was to risk malware infections.
Fortunately, web sites that say they require Chrome will generally work just fine with any other Chromium-based browser. I donât know of any site (except maybe for some Google app sites, perhaps?) that requires Googleâs customizations in order to work.
So you should be able to use Brave, Opera, Edge or any of the dozens of Chromium-based browsers to access such a site.
FWIW, I donât have Chrome installed, but I do have Microsoft Edge installed. And I know that Debian Linuxâs default browser is a build made directly from the Chromium projectâs base code.
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More so, the intrusive nature of Google on personal data and the corporate big brother. The opposite of privacy focused Apple.
Search (I use Duck Duck) for âWhy Google Chrome is badâ to see many reasons why.
Plus, some security issues as well.
But if you do not even use it, why comment?!
I have found Chrome to be a memory hog, havenât loaded it in years, perhaps fixed by now. Work requires Edge, so I have to use that.
I avoid using Safari for two reasons, both under Appleâs control.
First is the browser warz whereby not-invented-here groups create new web formats and code that Apple refuses to follow, despite them being open sourced. Current examples include Googleâs animated .WebP from 2011, and Alliance for Open Mediaâs .AVIF formats from 2019. It is sadly common to run into web pages on Safari that contain non-compatible code and formats.
Second is Appleâs rejection, for better or worse, of non-invented-here web browser extensions. This started with Safari 12. Many extension makers, uBlock Origin being prominent among them, refused to play. Therefore, the great majority of browser extensions have never been made compatible with Safari, and it shows. They include both security and ad blocking extensions. Very gradually, parallel or similar extensions have been created to be compatible with Safari. But the compatibility gap remains large and annoying.
There have been some, IMHO, minor benefits specific to security to justify Appleâs reluctance to allow not-invented-here code and formats into its software products. But I rarely find them important enough to justify bothering with Safari. Because of the browser warz, I mainly use Chromium derivatives, most commonly Brave. Note that Chrome itself is banned from my Macs. I also enjoy using Firefox as my alternative browser. Whenever I want a no-extension webkit based browser, for whatever reason, I run the still updated OmniWeb browser. [Yes it is. Check for yourself please.]
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Safari 16 and newer supports WebP, including animated WebP (I just confirmed it with this example). AVIF support was added shortly thereafter.
Itâs not common for me, I use Safari exclusively on my iPhone (no choice) and on my personal Mac.
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