Three Browsers

Yesterday I was trying to hunt down a very annoying problem with database reporting. In the course of troubleshooting I ended up installing yet another browser on my Windows laptop at work. So now I have Internet Explorer, Chrome, and Firefox all on the same machine. They all have their strengths and weaknesses.

My preference is Firefox. It runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux machines. Internet Explorer only runs on Windows. Chrome is something new and so I have tried to avoid it until recently. The one advantage Chrome has over the other two browsers is security. If you need to visit a website where there is a chance it will try to install a virus or malware on your PC, Chrome is the browser to use as it does the best job of keeping that from happening.

The only problem with Chrome is its user interface. Google (the developer of Chrome) does a great job of adhering to the KISS principle. KISS is an acronym that stands for Keep It Simple Stupid. While that generally works to its advantage for its search engine website, it becomes a negative for its browser.

The sad thing is that I use all three browsers. If I am reading some of my old e-mail that uses Microsoft Exchange Server, I use Internet Explorer because the interface is so much better. If I am using my work computer back on the boat and surfing the net, I use Chrome just in case I unintentionally visit a site that may try to zap my computer. Then I use Firefox for everything else. Wouldn't life be simpler if the best features of all three products could be found in one?