What’s Your Browser Preference History?

If you took some time to look back at your Internet browsing habits over the years does it amaze you? Like most, I started out with Internet Explorer but back then, Netscape was pretty major for me as well.

Can’t say what exactly made me shift from IE to Netscape, for a time I stayed with Avant browser and later on SeaMonkey, Phoenix, Firebird and finally Firefox but that’s pretty much the progression. I also tried meddling with Opera but somehow it didn’t ’stick’ with me.

But why Firefox? If I have to give one reason it would probably be for the plugins/add-ons.

One of the things I often hear from people who do not use Firefox is they don’t understand or want a browser they have to find/install add-ons or plugins to make it ‘whole’. They want a browser in a complete package. That was my exact thinking for the longest time. I just couldn’t wrap my head around why I’d use plugins when you could get good browsers that came with everything – like Avant Browser.

Then a light bulb turned on. Today, I understand it perfectly. Because a browser is like a computer or even a car. You know when you get a new computer or buy a new (or new old) car, you begin to fill it with your own things. In your car, you may add an air freshener you like, adjust the rear and side view mirrors to your liking, adjust the seats etc. On your computer, you begin to uninstall things you don’t want, install things you use regularly, change the default settings and all that stuff.

You and I can buy the same computer, same model, on the very same day but at the end of the day I bet your computer and mine will be quite different because we work differently. That’s how it is with a browser. The plugins aren’t meant to make the browser whole – it is already whole. However it is meant to be mixed and matched to my own liking. Dropping the things I don’t need and adding the things I really do.

Anyhow, that’s a quick history of my browser preferences. What is yours?