With Microsoft readying Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) for release in the near future, Firefox threatening IE for the number one position and Google's Chrome advancing onto the scene, which is the best Internet browser? In Michael Muchmore's article on PC Magazine's website, he tackles the tough techie questions and rates the top five browsers. He did test-drive a pre-release version of IE9, but notes that it is under development and is not ready for prime time play.
The biggest challenges for the next round of browser wars will be the program's ability to handle the new HTML5 standard. Additionally, browser writers will have to optimize their programs to process video more efficiently. As more and more Internet surfers are gravitating to video centered sites, this will quickly become an issue.
Mr. Muchmore gave the following ratings (5 being the highest) to theses browsers. Let me know if you agree.
- Firefox - 4.5
- Apple Safari 5 - 4.0
- Google Chrome - 4.0
- Microsoft IE8 - 4.0
- Opera - 3.5