nwlinux

Safari 4 – A quick look

published May 3rd, 2009 | categories: Browsers, Reviews | all categories

First off, let me say that the browser wars are beginning again. I am confident that IE will tumble soon, and open-source or free browsers will run the markets. With that said, let me continue with a quick look at Apple’s Safari browser.
Apple’s Safari is compatible with Windows and Macs, however no Safari for Linux is available. I suspect this derives from the need for Directx9, which Linux clearly does not use. Safari was installed on 26 February 2009 on a Vista machine with dual AMD 5500+ and 3GB RAM. On a side note, my primary machines and server are Linux. Thanks to my wife for the test Vista box! Also, I attempted the install of Safari through Wine as well. Safari went through the normal paces of install. However, the program would not load from the Wine directory. Again – DirectX9.
Installation on Vista only took about a minute. Fairly simple without any hiccups or complaints from either end.

The initial page of Safari offers a similar “Speed Dial” launch to that of Opera 9+. However, this browsers has a totally slick interface. I really digg the smooth transition from page to page. As I type this, I am reading through the 150 new features that are included in the browser, realising that there is so much more that I tried.Take a look at all of the cool stuff here!

Overall, it appears to be a great browser with many new and old features enhanced by Java and animated CSS. No crashes to report here. For now, take a look at the rest of the screenshots. It is so perty.
The only thing that really jumps out at me with this browser is that the tabs are a bit too small. I found myself actively scanning a bit too long to find the tabs. Otherwise, no gripes.