Episode 60: The Browser Wars - Is Anybody Winning (Part 2)
March 28, 2008
First of all, let me apologize for taking such a long time to post Part 2. My father-in-law had open heart surgery and we had the flu at our house since I posted Part 1, so I’ve been a little bit behind….and now that I’ve whined about it, on with the show!
Kim and I welcomed Allison back to further discuss browsers, browsing, cellphones, Mac vs Windows, etc, etc. Actually, we tried to stick to the browser wars but we did follow a pig trail or two! Thanks to Allison, Kim and I had some new visitors to the chat room at Blog Talk Radio and Allison took the time to introduce us to Bart Busschots, a friend and colleague of hers who joins her weekly on The NosillaCast in a segment called Chit Chat Across the Pond. Bart lives in Ireland so we had a real international show!
Our discussion primarily focused on why we chose specific browsers as our personal favorites. I’m still using K-Meleon right now because it FITS ME….not Kim or Allison, but ME. During my browser testing, I liked Opera but it was the hardest to use. Bart asked from the chatroom if it still had those annoying ads and I’m happy to say it does not, but Opera led us right into a conversation about something I have absolutely NO experience with: mobile browsing. Kim and Allison, however, are frequent mobile browsers and both have had absolutely painful experiences with Opera’s mobile browser, Allison on her Blackberry and Kim on her Sprint Mogul. Allison prefers to use her iPhone to browse with Safari and Kim, who is still looking for the perfect mobile phone/browser, uses IE with her phone.
My question to both was, “What do you use a mobile browser for?” I still use my cellphone to send/receive phone calls….Both tekkie chix use their mobile browsers for such tasks as:
- Chat (Kim recommends eBuddy which is available as a download for your phone or from the eBuddy website)
- Browsing websites - Kim uses the convenience of mobile browsing for customer service opportunities. She doesn’t have to wait unti she gets back to the office to view a website her customer, or potential customer, wants her to see.
Of course, my next question was, “How do you do all that on a cellphone?” Needless to say, both had a ready answer. Their cellphones are equipped with built-in Querty keyboards. Kim’s pulls out and Allison used the touch screen on her iPhone.
Allison got a message from her friend, Darrell Shandro of the Blind Access Journal, who was listening but couldn’t participate in chat. It seems the chatroom on Blog Talk Radio isn’t accessible to the blind. Hmmmmm….we’ll have to let them know about that, huh Kim?
Since Allison’s a Mac chik, I asked her if security was an issue she doesn’t worry about because she uses the Mac OS, or if browser security was an issue for her. Cyber slut that she is, she relies on her Mac to keep her from catching any bugs and the browser she uses is dependent on personal preference. Since most dangerous files are written for the Window OS, they wouldn’t work on a Mac even if she downloaded one of them, but a warning to Windows users: Choose a secure browser! Even though IE7 had addressed a lot of security issues, Allison believes that using Firefox is probably much safer for those of use who haven’t stepped into the Mac world.
We ended our discussion with predictions on the future of the browser wars now that so many applications are available via the web as opposed to residing on our computers. Although I’m stuck with dialup in the rural part of Missouri where I live and see the development of web application outpacing the availability of broadband, Allison had to remind me that at one time, electricity wasn’t everywhere. I guess my wish is for universal broadband accessibility be available while I’m still alive to use it!
Until next time….we are Paige “Chicki Chicki” Eissinger and Kim Beasley, “The Blog Queen” inviting you to drop us a note with your questions, comments and suggestions and join us live at Blog Talk Radio on Views from the Coop!
Posted in Browsers
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