Browser Polygamy
Yesterday, I found Desktop Linux Survey conducted by DesktopLinux.com. The survey asked users of linux desktops to identify what distribution they use, window environment, web browser, email clients, emulator/virtualization software they use. When I filled the browser part, I realized I’ve been using multiple browsers to browse the web. Today I’m going to share my browsing habit.
I use Camino as my main web browser. It is an open source web browser based on Mozilla’s Gecko rendering engine. I installed CamiTools, CamiScript and Inquisitor to extend the functionality of Camino. I use Camino to browse sites that I frequently visit. Sites such as Gmail, Google, Sydney Morning Herald, Digg, etc. Out of all the browsers, I spend most of my time with Camino.
Flock is the browser I use to write a new blog entry. A built-in blog editor is included with Flock, allowing me to blog from within the browser without the need to install a 3rd party extension. One of my favorite feature of Flock is the ability to automatically generate HTML code I drag-and-drop a photo from my Flickr. When you drag and drop a photo from your hard disk to a textarea form, Flock will give you a choice to upload your photos to photo sharing service sites such as Flickr and Photobucket. Another reason to use Flock for blogging is it’s ability to store snippets of photos or text so you can use them later (by dragging and dropping it).
I use Safari with Saft plugin to read long documents/articles. Saft plugin gives Safari the ability to restore your browsing session when you quit Safari. Whenever I find an article that is too long (more than 10 pages) but I don’t have time to read it, I will open them in Safari and save the session so I could read them on the weekend.
Firefox is mainly used for web development. I installed different useful plugins such as FireBug, and Web Developer Plugin. Firefox is also installed on my secondary computers (Linux and Windows desktop computers).
Opera is installed on my computer for guests to use. When my friends or family wants to borrow access to my computer, I always let them use Opera to browse the web. The reason why I don’t want people to use my main browser is because I always have my gmail/Yahoo mail opened. I don’t want to logout from my mail account so other people can access their mail.
I also have access to IE6 and IE7 browser on my Windows desktop, however I rarely use them unless I have to. I use Internet Explorer 6 and 7 to test new sites and to run Microsoft Update.
Do you use multiple browsers or just one browser? Feel free to share your browsing habit!