Safe and Fast Browsing

I have been on the Internet since 1989 (yes, the Internet existed before there were web browsers - thank you UIUC), and I’ve used nearly every web browser out there since 1993. Here is what I think is the best web browsing platform today.

Firefox

I know I lot of people live by Safari, and I like it, too (#applegeek uses Mac and iOS devices primarily), but for pure functionality, Firefox does everything I need, runs on every platform I use, is standards-compliant, and has the following extra bits of funtionality that make desktop web surfing nearly perfect. Whatever you do, don’t use Internet Explorer.

Flashblock (Firefox add-on)

I’ve got a previous rant on Flash, but there are a few sites for which I find it useful (Youtube and ESPN). But in order to keep Flash from killing performance for everything else, Flashblock does the trick. It allows you, the user, to determine when Flash content is downloaded and displayed.

Adblock Plus (Firefox add-on)

I don’t know how people browse the web without Adblock Plus. Just subscribe to the default list, and nearly every commercial website will load faster.

Note: For historical reference, I’ve been advocating for Firefox publicly for over twelve years 😀 .