A general overview of the new safari browser

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%.