Safari For windows

When Safari for Windows beta was released recently, one of the most common questions that many computer users had was, “why?”  Well, there are at least a couple of reasons that Apple may have made the browser available on Windows.  The first is for avid Mac users that are, for one reason or another, stuck on a Windows PC.  This is most likely due to work, but there are a few other scenarios that may force a Mac fan to be stranded with just a Windows computer.  The second is for website developers.  When a web publisher makes his or her website live, he or she must fully test the site in all popular browsers to ensure that it renders and functions correctly.  Apple’s Safari for Windows allows for testing on that browser without having to hunt down a Mac user.

Safari offers many of the options that are pretty much par for the course with modern browsers and many of them originated with Firefox or Mozilla.  Safari has an integrated RSS reader much like the one that is offered in Internet Explorer and Firefox 2.  Additionally, like Internet Explorer, Safari now offers tabbed browsing, a feature that Firefox has offered ever since Firefox 1. 

In spite of its buggy release, Safari does have several functions that are not available elsewhere that are worth mentioning.  The first of these is called SnapBack.  SnapBack enables the user to jump all the way back to the initial page visited on a website or to the initial search results page.  This can be particularly useful when browsing sites that have inadequate navigation or when your search turned into more of an endeavor than you had originally thought.

Safari also has a neat feature integrated with the “Find” function.  When the “find” function is executed on most browsers, the word that is searched for is highlighted in the text.  Safari goes a step further and dims the text surrounding the searched term.  While this is certainly a neat feature, it probably wont be enough to make up for the awkward manner in which text searches are conducted in Safari, as it is the only popular browser that does not open links with the “enter” key during searches.

Finally, Safari enables Windows users to do a trick that they have probably never been able to do before.  Safari lets the user resize text boxes on web pages, in spite of the default settings that the publisher set on the boxes.  While this is definitely an innovating “cool” feature, it probably will not make up for the lack of security and added options that Safari lacks that other browsers such as Firefox 2 has readily available.

Apple released their Safari browsers for Windows computers and boldly announced that it was to effectively be the best browser for Windows.  However, with the slew of security issues that were announced by independent browser security testers, the Safari beta release looked much more like that of an alpha release.  In fact, more than one tester cited the Firefox 3 alpha release to be much more secure, robust, and functional than the Safari beta release.

Many seem to think that Apple is encroaching on Windows territory once again with their Safari browser in much the same way that they successfully did before with iTunes.  With the immense popularity of the iPod since 2001, Apple’s associated iTunes software is a very popular download for Windows users as well as Mac users.  So much so, in fact, that many Windows users do not even use the Windows Media Player that comes bundled on the operating system.  However, that may not be all that Steve Jobs hasp planned.

The iPhone that is to be released on June 29^th has garnered a great deal of buzz on- and offline because of it’s unique design and capabilities.  However, one of its most crippling drawbacks will be its inability to sync with Microsoft Outlook, by far the most popular email and calendar client on the market, which is due in no small part to being a part of Windows’ Office package of software.

It is speculated that Apple is much more concerned about the potential success of the iPhone when they released the Safari browser on Windows.  The iPhone comes with a fully-functional copy of Safari installed and it is no secret that the browser differs greatly from Internet Explorer.  Releasing the browser on Windows was a good idea for Apple, as iPhone buyers that are Windows users may begin to like the browser on their phone and prefer to use it on their Windows installations as well, increasing Apple’s browser’s market share from the dominating Windows and the much more robust, innovative, and secure Firefox 2. 

However, familiarizing Windows users with the Safari browser and the iPhone may also work to draw developers that are more traditionally associated with Windows applications into working for the Apple side of things as well.  It is pure speculation as to whether this is Steve Jobs’ master plan or not but if it is, it’s just crazy enough to work.

Currently, Internet Explorer has 78% of the browser market share, followed by Firefox with 15% and Safari with just 5%.

When Apple released the beta version of the Safari browser available on Windows, many computer users and speculators wondered if it would be an exact replicate of the Mac version or if Steve Jobs and company may have somehow “Windowzed” the look a bit.

Mac fans probably sighed with relief when they saw that the Safari beta looked very much like the Safari browser that is available on Macs.  The buttons are configured in the standard places, menu items are located in their traditional spots, and the overall look is nothing short of identical.

However, this may pose a problem for Apple when Windows users try to use the browser.  The Safari browser feels nothing short of clunky to users that are very used to Internet Explorer.  This isn’t necessarily a fault of the browser, but to users that have used nothing but Internet Explorer will undoubtedly look for options on the Safari browser where they traditionally are on Internet Explorer.  When the user ultimately cannot find those options and settings where they are used to them being, their experience with the browser will undoubtedly be soured. 

Firefox users will likely not have such problems from the simple fact that since one has to go out of his or her way to download and install Firefox, they are generally more computer-savvy.  However, compared to the look and feel of Firefox 2, Safari still feels clunky.  The nearly obscene lack of options that Safari offers compared to Firefox 2 makes it a losing race to begin with; however, the manner in which Firefox has comfortable users from both Windows and Macs proves that it feels “right” to proponents of both operating systems.  Safari will never have that cross-platform user-friendliness capability built right into the “feel” of the browser.

What is likely to be the most frustrating function of the feel of Safari to Windows users is the fact that Safari windows can only be resized from the bottom right corner.  Sit anyone that is a traditional Windows user down in front of Safari and tell them to resize the window and it is almost guaranteed to cause frustration.

Finally, Safari’s default font settings look very blurry.  Though there are options available for font smoothing, right from the initial download, the text on almost all sites that will be visited will be blurry and sometimes illegible.  This is observed on all resolutions so it is a mystery as to why Apple chose to set the defaults this way.

Overall, Mac fans should enjoy the look and feel of Safari for Windows because it is what they are accustomed to.  However, their opinion matters very little since they are most likely already using a Mac.

Apple has confirmed that its new Safari 3 for Windows browser has hit the one million downloads mark just 48 hours after the release.

Still,  Security updates are being released and the new Apple browser’s download numbers are a long way off the company’s biggest Windows - iTunes - which has been downloaded over 500 million times. 

Found on ZDNet

One of the most popular points that Mac fans bring up when pointing out how much better Macs are than Windows computers is how much more secure Macs are.  However, when Apple released the Safari browser for Windows testers quickly realized that the browser was anything but more secure than Internet Explorer 7.  This is especially troubling since Apple touted the Safari browser on its web page as being “secure from day one.”

Researchers downloaded and began playing with Safari on Windows almost the minute that it was released.  One researcher in particular, Thor Larholm, found a URL protocol handler injection vulnerability that allows commands to be executed remotely.  This was found less than two hours after installation.  Larholm was quick to note that Safari doesn’t handle URL validation in iframes like it should, which allows programs to manipulate protocol handlers in unpredictable manners. 

David Maynor of Errata Security also found bugs as well – six of them, he claims.  Of these six, four are DoS and two are remote code execution bugs.  Additionally, he claims multiple crashes just from idle use and especially from importing bookmarks into the browser, a feature that many, if not most, users will almost definitely use, at least upon initial installation.

While it seems to be lax on security, Safari is simply too stringent on some issues.  For instance, Safari simply will not allow open a website with expired or unsigned SSL certificates.  While this keeps users safe, it can be extremely frustrating when the user is familiar with the site and wishes to continue.  Firefox is much more clever in handling expired or unsigned SSL certificates in that it gives the user a choice of whether or not to continue by enabling a warning to pop up.  Safari users would just be forced to use another browser, probably Firefox. 

In its defense, Apple has been diligent in releasing updates for the Safari browser but not all claimed exploits have been thoroughly patched.  This may be due to the fact that many people that actively search out these exploits give feedback to the companies whose software they test.  This is particularly true of David Maynor.  Maynor has vehemently stated that Apple has chosen to attack his credibility instead of fixing crucial security exploits in his previous attempts to point them out to the company to be fixed.

Apple will hopefully address all of the concerns with their new browser as it is clear that they cannot rely on hackers to simply target Internet Explorer just because it is a more popular web browser these days – particularly if they want to enable their fans to continue the argument that Macs are more secure.

Recently, Apple made available a beta production of its Safari browser that is capable of being run on Windows computers.  While many computer users that are familiar with both Windows and Macs may applaud the effort by Apple to further cross link the two computer operating system giants, the cold, hard fact is that there are simply better browsers available.  Safari looks and feels on Windows computers pretty much identical to how it looks and feels on a Mac.  It is no secret that many Mac users are rabid proponents of the Apple brand of computer hardware and associated software.  Many would have anyone within earshot believe that anything Apple puts out is light years more capable and user friendly than anything available on Windows PCs.  But this is simply just not the case, though it certainly is in some instances.  But no matter how loud Mac fans applaud Apple for blessing PC users with its proprietary internet browser, there are still bugs and concerns to work out before it can be considered an adequate replacement for other browsers.

Security tops the list of concerns about the Safari for Windows browser.  It’s simply too stringent on some issues and too lax on others.  For instance, Safari simply will not allow open a website with expired or unsigned SSL certificates.  While this keeps users safe, it can be extremely frustrating when the user is familiar with the site and wishes to continue.  Firefox is much more clever in handling expired or unsigned SSL certificates in that it gives the user a choice of whether or not to continue by enabling a warning to pop up.  Safari users would just be forced to use another browser, probably Firefox. 

Bugs have been popping up ever since Safari’s release on Windows as well.  There have been several very large vulnerabilities pointed out by the browser’s users that aren’t even a problem with Internet Explorer, much less Firefox or Opera.  This can probably result in Apple and many of their biggest fans having egg on their face as one of their favorite arguments in the “Mac vs. PC wars” is that Macs and their software are notoriously much more secure. 

It is no secret that computer users are big on customization options for their operating systems and browsers.  However Safari for Windows is frustratingly lean on customization options that are readily available for its Mac counterpart.  However, even on Macs, Safari offers nowhere near the options that are readily available for other popular browsers such as Firefox and even Opera.    

It should be taken into consideration that Safari for Windows is a beta release, however the flaws that it already exhibits (and frankly, always has) are more than enough to ensure that any Firefox user will continue using their browser because it is simply much more secure, much more functional, and much more customizable than Safari or any other browser that exists.  Currently, Internet Explorer is used by 78% of internet users, followed by Firefox with 15% and then Safari with just 5%.

A quite extensive speed performance test of different browsers, including safari for Windows was done by 0wn th3 1n73r.net

I will add a graph and average tomorrow.

Microsoft Windows!

Although apple is happily touting the security of its new browser, the bad news are hitting hard.

Several first day vulnerabilities have already been discovered, amongst them memory errors and even code execution exploits.  Yes, that means someone could use a website to execute code on your computer.

This sheds a bad light on the application and we can just hope that Apple will adress those issues as soon as possible.

Right now, Firefox still seems to be the most secure browser out there.

The infamous acid test 2 is passed with flying colors.

You can test your favorite browser on the webstandards site, too.

This list was posted over at aslamp.

Pro’s 

• Highlighted textarea/input
• Speed
• Softing and smoothing of fonts
• No borders on edges
• Import of bookmarks
• Bookmark organizer
• Dragging of tabs into new windows
• Dragging of links into new tabs
• Adding bookmarks is easy
• Resizable textareas
• Bold is Bold

Cons

• Dragging bookmarks into new tabs deletes them
• Middle clicking bookmarks don’t open them
• Middle clicking tabs doesn’t close them
• Close button is on left side
• No status bar at bottom
• No setting for showing tabs when only one is open
• No hover label for buttons at top
• Right clicking sets off “onClick” javascript
• No integration of plugins
• Bookmark manager opens in the current tab
• No middle-click-drag scrolling