Browsers forum: Poll: Will you be trying Apple's Safari for Windows?

I have a Mac. The worst thing about it is Safari. I also have several PCs. I would never downgrade my Windows PCs by putting Safari on it. It's the most hopeless browser I have ever used. Slow, quits unexpectedly, and I probably have to force quit it twice a week. I would get a different browser for the Mac, but just haven't gotten around to it.

I downloaded Safari/Windows yesterday 6/12 and am very pleased with the results I've had so far.

I'm now running about 30% faster, using XP Professional Windows 64 bit on my Athelon 64 with 1 GB of ram, for most all applications which I have tried to date, using my Athelon 64 with 1 GB of ram. Yahoo loads and operates about 50% faster for me then it did prior to the switch but I can't explain why.

I do extensive work with Photoshop PS2 in restoring old 35 mm film negatives - old in the sense of dating back to the late 1980s - and I often felt that the MS browser was the cause of some of my frequent slowdowns.

My project requires maximum resolution and image quality, which often means 100mb+ initial scans. Sure enough, when I switched to Safari/Windows I gained between 20% to 30% faster initial processing times for an overall speed-up of about 12% in throughput.

I strongly recommend that you give it a try and see if your own results match mine. After all, it is supposed to be simple to switch back if you want to.

Deb Kohlrust, US Merchant Marine

however, jobs must have been testing it on a very special machine cos it runs slower than ie7 on my vista notebook.

I havent really heard anything about it to make a decision. I currently use firefox and Im very happy with it. Unless I hear any really compelling reasons to switch, I probably wont.

...because I already dumped Windows!!!

Background: Former IT Manager, Microsoft Certified, with 'bout 15 years of intensive Windows-based PC usage under my belt.

Reason: I got tired of several things. a) Getting ripped-off for software (that goes for OS' and Apps) that are as flawed as they are funtional. b) Constantly dealing with hassles such as incompatibilities between HW and SW. c) Tired of false expectations such as the plug-and-play a.k.a. plug-and pray.

Really... I was one of many who beta-tested the Vista OS (fka Longhorn), as well as Office 2007. I got such "good results" that decided to buy both licenses as soon as they were put out in the market. EXTREMELY disappointed when I found out that "upgrading" would cost me close to $2000 (wether I upgraded my existing hardware and software, or bought a new notebook with the required HW to run Vista Aero and getting an Office 2007 license).

Instead, I sold my "old notebook" (Dell Inspiron 710m for about $1200), and "spent" an extra $800 out of my own pocket, and got me a MacBook Pro with better hardware than most "Vista-Aero" ready notebooks (that is Dual Core 2 2.33 ghz, 2GB Ram, 120GB HD, 128 MB graphics card, etc. etc. etc.), with a $180 Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac license (this is when the ripped-off concept kicked in) - yes, I know, office again, but because my co-workers are still using msoffice for windows - an $80 Parallels Desktop license (so I can still use my ACad license, as well as MS Project - dido -.

The only time my computer has frozen, is when either I am running Windows XP on Parallels, or PowerPoint for Mac.

However... I've only been a Mac user for the past 5 months, and so far I say I'm never going back... once you go Mac, you never go back!...he he.

So... why would I use Safari Beta on Windows, when I already use Safari on Mac. No need.

Why would Apple would put out a version of Safari for the Windows users? To give the a taste of what they are missing!!! That's why.

Safari/Konqueror are fundamentally broken when it comes to CSS/XHTML standards compliance. Yes...I know that IE is also, but, in my experience, Safari's non-compliance issues are harder to work around than even the abysmal IE.

It's nice to see another old timer who started with an Amiga! I got mine around 1986 or so and was amazed at what I could do with it regarding video animation and some early local TV spots for the Algonac, MI cable system. I kept it through my 2 1/2 years at Northwest Michigan College's Great Lakes Maritime Academy,'89/'91, and it never let me down.

Wish I could say the same of the Windows systems that I've used since.

I support both Macs and PCs daily. I prefer Macs. That being said, I think Safari is a fair browser, though in many ways not as mature as Firefox. I am not a fan of IE. The primary feature Safari has over Firefox is its handling of RSS feeds. Given my particular interests and desire to track news developments, this is sufficient for me to use Safari as my primary browser on the Mac.

On the PC, Safari feels like a beta. Most pages display quickly and accurately. Some display quickly and wrong. Nonetheless, it shows enough promise that I'll continue to track it. I'll use it for its RSS feeds, and Firefox for most everything else (for now). I look forward to it maturing, though.

Chris

And when do you think all the holes have been closed? I use Opera too, and I utilize the widget Stay Secure. I see today, after a year, Microsoft has patched ONE of its holes. It now has 6 of them, after having 7 for more than a year. Safari has been steady at 4 for at least six months. So, when would you say it's safe to use Safari?

Safari's vaunted "speed?" It's slower than IE7 and Firefox, and on a par with Opera.

I was excited about the release, used it for about an hour, and will keep it. But there's a lot of improvement needed for me to consider regular use of Safari.

I don't have any Windows machines (Linux & Mac only) so it won't be happening.

I don't do anything Apple because so much of it is single-sourced just to Apple!

After reading some blogs on why Apple would even think about getting into the browser business on a PC, I just had to shed some light on the apparently missed observation. Apple is not looking to take over Windows, nor is it looking to be a browser qualifier. The simple reason that Apple is making Safari available on the Windows machines is to help integrate the synchronization of the browser elements with the upcoming iPhone, which uses Safari as its browser. The iPhone promises to be an amazing leap in cell phone technology, and many are lining up to get one. Just like iPod is to iTunes on a Mac or PC, iPhone is to Safari on the same platforms. I only wish Apple could make the decision to use a world-class browser like Firefox on the iPhone to really put it all together, but that reality only exists in my mind.
And as far as all the criticism about the lack of bugs and possible exploits through Safari beta, I challenge any software maker to make a bullet-proof beta product on a Windows system, including Microsoft.

I love trying new software, but I won't be getting my mac with windows for a few more days, and then I'll probably wait until the reviews are all positive and some of the bugs have been worked out. Then I'll try it on windows and/or mac systems. I probably won't wait too terribly long.