The Linux Extremist

Both Firefox and Opera are on the cusp of releasing new versions of their browser software.  Firefox is on the fifth beta of the up and coming Firefox 3: it is the browser of choice for the new release of Ubuntu Linux.  Opera is on the second Beta of Opera 9.50 - code named Kestrel.

Comparing the two at the moment may seem unfair, given that both are works in progress.  However, the two have been going back and forth in being the best, fastest browser for Linux; and the betas are an indication of how the next round is going to shape up.  After having used both side by side for the past week, I believe I have an idea as to who is going to come up trumps.

Firefox 3 is a good, well-rounded browser.  It is reasonably quick, and with some slight modifications in “about:config” - its speed can be improved further.  There is no doubt as to why this is the standard; however, there is no doubt that the new Opera is much better.

With 9.50b, the previous sins of Opera have been forgotten: it does run Flash plugins, and whatever was throttling its performance in 9.27, has been eliminated.  I don’t have a stop watch, but speaking as a user, its throughput is much faster than it is on Firefox 3.  Admittedly, I am using a lower end machine: however Opera seems to be able to do less with more.

I am also a strong believer in the idea that the class of a browser can be seen in its font rendering.  In Firefox 3, this has apparently taken a step backward: the rendering is less sophisticated than it was on Firefox 2, and its variants such as Swiftweasel.  It somehow looks like a throwback, almost like how browsers look on Windows.   The difference can be seen in these samples:

Firefox 3
Opera 9.50

I found after several hours of using both, I much prefered using Opera: as the samples show, it’s quicker, easier on the eyes, and there is a better “finish” to it.  Firefox 3 still has the feel of a beta; there are niggles in it, for example, how the history on the URL bar drops down, that indicates it still has some way to go, that some concepts have not yet fully arrived.

Opera 9.50 simply does not feel like a beta; there are no niggles or annoyances to distract, rather, it simply works and works well.  No doubt Firefox will catch up to it again; the to and fro of this struggle is unlikely to stop.  However, for the moment, Opera is the winner.

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