OJBs Web Site: Safari

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Update: Safari 2

Safari continues to get better. Version 2 has a useful RSS handling facility and various other improvements. Compatibilty is also improved, although I still find a few sites which don't quite render properly. Gernally these problems are minor though, and the site is still usable.

Update: Safari 1.2

Version 1.2 is a useful upgrade to older versions. Unfortunately its only available on Mac OS X 10.3 and later. JavaScript is complete in this version, and the availability of LiveConnect (communications between JavaScript and Java) means Safari works with some of the trickier Java-enabled sites where it didn't before. A more up to date version of Java, 1.4.2, is now supported by the system. Being able to resume interrupted downloads is a much needed feature which is also now available.

Since using version 1.2 I have had no crashes (version 1.1 was very stable as well) and it might be a bit faster than earlier versions as well. Overall, Safari 1.2 is just another good reason to move to Mac OS X 10.3 (Panther). Safari is so good now that I just don't use any of my other Web browsers at all (except iCab to do syntax checks - a very handy feature for Web developers).

Safari

Safari is Apple's own Web browser. Its written in Cocoa, so it only works in Mac OS X. There are many browsers available for Mac OS X but I think Safari is the best, here's why...

It is fast. Generally it loads and renders pages faster than other browsers.
It is reliable. Even the unfinished beta version rarely crashes.
It is easy to use. The controls and menus are simple and elegant.
It has tabbed browsing. After using tabs you won't want a browser without them.
Autofill works well. It does this better than any other browser.
The Java works. If you have a Java site giving problems in other browsers, try Safari.
Javascript is quite reliable but currently incomplete.
Its written in Cocoa. So it interacts with with other programs better.
It only works on Mac OS X. It isn't a program designed for another platform.

If you are currently using a cross-platform browser like Mozilla (which is fine, but not optimised for the Mac) or even a horrible piece of Microsoft trash like Internet Explorer, try Safari instead - I don't think you will want to go back!

Actually, despite Microsoft ceasing development of Explorer for Mac, the situation with Web browsers on Mac OS X is remarkably good. I have nine browsers installed, and they are all usable programs. Its quite hard to choose between Safari, OmniWeb and Camino, but as I said above I think Safari is both the best currently and shows the most promise.

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