Apple released a new version of Safari web browser (for PC) a couple of weeks ago. I have tried and installed the previous versions and my impressions were mixed. There were "the goods" and "the bads". It was still buggy and felt unresponsive at times. So when they announced a new version release, I was excited.
So how’s this version doing? I’ve found out that this version is much more stable than previous ones. I did have a single crash yesterday and was forced to close it down. I clicked back on the Safari shortcut on my desktop, hoping Safari to remember all my opened tabs before it crashed. Well, my hope went in vain. I was presented back to the default page of the browser. After a few screams (because I was doing some research on the office and couldn’t remember the sites that I’ve opened), I decided to continue on using the browser.
Yes..talking about the default page browser setting, it works! On the previous versions, there was a setting where you could change the home page to any page (or blank page) but for some obscure reason, you were always presented with the almighty Apple home page! Well at least, not anymore! The setting now works as it should! The look is still kinda out of place in Windows. It uses its own "skin", and feels MAC-y a(look at the minimize, maximize, and the close buttons on the screenshot here)
There are some nice animations when you open the settings menu and also on the notification windows, though it’s purely eye candy. Nevertheless, it looks great and intuitive. I can’t remember how many times I’ve pressed the "+" button on the toolbar, thinking that a new tab will be opened. It is instead, a bookmark button! You either have to use "CTRL T" to open a new tab or go to File->New Tab.
One thing that shocked me though, was the "Do you want to make Safari as your default browser?" window.
Bad Apple! Bad!
Most people would have expected the "Yes" button to the left, and the "No" button on the right. I almost clicked on the "Yes" button due to the placement! Come on, Apple! You don’t need to trick us! We’ll set it as our default if we want it to ourselves! Geez.
One thing I love about Safari though, is the font rendering. It’s like having a ClearType on a ClearType. Some people hate Safari’s font rendering, and some love it. I’m on the side that loves it, especially when I’m still staring at two 19-inch CRT monitor in the office. Every little thing that helps me see better without straining my eyes is a plus for me.
"Safari – the fastest browser"
Yeah, yeah.. to me, this is just a marketing gimmick. I don’t find it faster than my Firefox (or even Opera). Besides, with most people having ADSL connections or even faster, I don’t think it matters much but Safari is definitely not the fastest browser around. All in all, I think I’ll stick with my Firefox as my default browser mainly because of its extensions. I’ll still use Safari when I want to read articles or lots of texts on the web due to its excellent font rendering.
