Chrome, Safari, Internet Explorer, or Firefox? The small, subtle differences.

After briefly touching on the topic: browser architecture in the last article, this article explains how a browser is structured, what it must be capable of, and how it is tested. Additionally, there is a brief overview of the latest versions of the browsers discussed in this article.

What a browser must include:

The browser is one of the most important software programs on a computer. It serves as the gateway to the internet. This increases the demands on a browser. The core goal of a browser is: information must be displayed quickly and securely.

The following factors are crucial for users:

• Ease of use

• Speed

• Modern standards like HTML 5

• Modern user interface

• Plugins / extensions / add-ons

• Security

A browser must have a key function: Displaying the web resource that is called from the server and displayed in the web window.

Both HTML documents can be created and PDF files, images, and other formats can be displayed. Every browser has a high-level structure. This includes the user interface with its address bar, the bookmark menu, and other components. Furthermore, a rendering module for content display and a JavaScript interpreter are included. These and many other components describe the architecture of a browser.

The most well-known browsers are Microsoft's Internet Explorer, Safari from Apple, Mozilla’s Firefox, and Google’s Chrome browser.

Browser Benchmarks

As soon as a new browser version is released, so-called browser benchmarks are created. Benchmarks are specific tools used to test the performance of browsers.

Benchmark test from www.chip.de (August 16, 2015)

In this test, the Safari browser is completely ignored. Instead, the new Microsoft browser Edge is tested to also show the differences between the two current Microsoft browsers.

„Browsermark“ is a benchmark for mobile phone and smartphone browsers. This tool compares mobile browsers independently of the connection technology used.

A JavaScript benchmark checks whether modern and sophisticated web applications can be implemented by the respective browsers. In this case, „JetStream“ is used as a benchmark tool.

In GPU acceleration, the graphics processor accelerated calculations are particularly scrutinized with „BMark“.

The security test is realized with „Browserscope“. This offers a collection of security tests to determine whether the tested browser supports JavaScript APIs in such a way that secure interaction between web pages is enabled and best practices for blocking harmful sites are followed.

With the „HTML5 Test“, a browser's compatibility with the newest HTML5 web standards is checked. Examples of this include video and MP3 playback.

A quick glance at the table quickly reveals who is leading the race. Chrome's exciting features and speed speak for the test winner. However, the competition is closing in steadily. Below is a brief overview of all the latest browsers and their innovations.

Firefox 40

At Mozilla, security is a top priority. Add-ons can be useful but may also contain malware. A solution to this is an extension activated in the store to ensure compliance with certain rules, the so-called add-on guidelines.

Moreover, according to Mozilla, a protection against unwanted downloads has been established, smoother scrolling on websites implemented - cue VSync - and memory usage as well as loading time of JPEG graphics optimized.

Chrome 44

A major advantage of Google Chrome is the integration with Google services like Gmail, Maps, or Docs. For this reason, 43 security gaps were closed in the latest version. Google also announced that they collaborated with external security researchers here.

An updated rendering algorithm is supposed to improve video playback. Additionally, links can now be added directly to the taskbar.

Safari 8.0

A new version of the Safari browser also always offers optical innovations. In this case, the design is very much aligned with the new operating system for the Mac: OS X Yosemite.

The new tab view with thumbnail windows is useful. These are displayed in the Safari browser from a kind of bird’s-eye view. Safari offers integrated use for the DuckDuckGo search engine. Unlike other examined search engines, this one promises no tracking of search queries.

The browser now also supports HTML5 Premium Video Extensions, allowing, for example, Netflix HD videos to be watched for two hours longer.

Internet Explorer Version 11

Even with the Internet Explorer, newer versions are used more sparingly. At most, with a new Windows version, there are also new browser functions.

The design of the IE has barely changed. The browser works with menus, submenus, and sub-submenus. Even the competition surpasses the Internet Explorer in terms of speed and performance.

But Microsoft has a trump card. With Windows 10, a new browser will be launched: Microsoft Edge. In addition to a clean and modern design, new browser technologies are meant to bring more speed and security.

Ultimately, personal preference decides which browser makes surfing the vast expanse of the World Wide Web the most enjoyable.

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