2 posts tagged “safari”

So ten days ago right here I pondered a change of web browser, frustrated at Safari's lack of functionality when it comes to a lot of these newfangled 'Web 2.0' sites, in particular Google's services. Though Gmail works in Safari for the most part (that is if you're not too fussy about how much control you have over your messages appearance-wise), the likes of Google Calendar brings the software to its knees. Vox, too, is pretty much unusable in Safari -- because the tools for styling and adding links aren't rendered, all you can do is type, which is pretty limiting even for a limited tool as this.

As I explained previously, I began to get reacquained with Camino again, just using it for Vox in parallel to my usual browsing in Safari. (I decided againt Firefox, partly because I don't like its method for storing bookmarks, but also because it doesn't really feel like Mac software, so I wouldn't ever be comfortable.) At the same time, Safari became more and more of an annoyance for me, taking far too long to open pages, or react to my mouse clicks -- compared to Camino which was zipping along, just as I remembered it from my pre-Safari days.

I decided on a trial run earlier this week, copying over my Safari bookmarks file into Camino, opening a window full of tabs and seeing if I was comfortable with it. It only took an evening for me to make my mind up -- the Safari icon was dumped from my dock on Wednesday, and since then I've been using Camino exclusively across both my computers.

The benefits were just too much to ignore. Camino is fast -- even with multiple tabs open, the way I like to browse, it's much faster than Safari ever was. It's also much more customisable and usable than Safari, without having to pay for extra plug-ins. Bookmark portability is just everything I could ask for -- I can copy and paste direct from the app support folder to keep my computers in sync, and use the built-in bookmarks exporter if I ever decide to switch again. (There's also an FTP sync option built in, which I haven't tested yet but could prove very useful.)

Vox, of course, is fully-featured -- even if things tends to jump around a bit when I type. As for Google's services? Gmail comes with all the extras that Safari cuts out, and Google Calendar actually loads -- and works! So well, in fact, that I've now migrated from iCal permanently, and subscribed to my online calendars with iCal on both computers. No .Mac for me, thank you very much.

The ad blocking in Camino is another bonus; for one, it makes Pitchfork far less seizure-inducing. You know what I mean.

There are a few niggles here and there to elicit a few grunts on my part (it doesn't really like Flash so much) but those are things I can live with, when everything else about Camino puts it so far ahead of Apple's sluggish, bloated muscle car of a browser.

I'm still getting used to this Vox thing. I haven't even begun to sample all the features yet (give me a few weeks; I'm a sloo-ooo-ow adapter) but I can say how nicely arranged everything is, and how easy it seems to add content to my space with the minimum of fuss. I also think the lack of complete customisability in the design is a plus: Vox isn't for getting lost in the details, it's for creating and communicating, and the constraints force (too stong -- maybe persuade?) you to do just that.

One thing that does annoy me, though, is the lack of functionality in Safari, which is my main web browser and has been since I upgraded to Panther all those moons ago. I know Vox is still in its testing phase and all that, yet it's still a hindrance, so it's forced me to use an alternative solution -- which has led me to be reaquainted with my old friend Camino.

And it's reminding me of how much I enjoyed using Camino -- for its simplicity, its speed, its ease of use. It's even, dare I say it, making me consider switching back from Safari.

So I might as well put out an open question, for any other Mac users who happen to come across this: Should I stick it out with Safari, or switch back to Camino for a better browsing experience? Should I stay, or should I go?