I use several browsers. IE8, Firefox 3, Opera 11, and Chrome.
Each is good at something. (Except maybe Safari – I can’t see the point of that unless you are an Apple – Person. I’m not. ON a PC it doesn’t make sense, and the Apple Software Updater is a nightmare. “NO – I DO NOT WANT ITUNES”… )
IE8 appears to be good at most things. Unfortunately, I don’t get on with it. I’m forced to use it eBay UK “Print Postage Online”, as that application doesn’t work with anything else. Bad programming.
I used Opera simply because it was the only one that ran on my crappy home internet connection at a reasonable speed. My new, 24 Meg Broadband / Wireless connection makes this irrelevant.
Opera does have some interesting and useful features though. “Speed Dial” for a start, synchronisation for another. Chrome (now) does something similar to “Speed Dial”, and is capable of Synchronising EVERYTHING via my Google account.
However,Opera does weird things. There are sites I can’t access properly, or at all, because Opera can’t handle authentication properly. I can’t login to some of my WordPress Sites’ admin areas, because it screws up the passwords..
So I moved to Chrome. Everything was Rosy in the garden.
I moved to an Android phone as well (HTC Wildfire – I should have held out for a Desire, but I got a good deal ) which also ties into my Google Account. I’m a big Google user – GMAIL, Analytics, Adsense, Webmaster tools, etc..
Just when I had started to appreciate this synchronised Utopia, I got “Flash Plugin has crashed” every time I accessed my sites. Re-installing the plugin made no difference. Aaargh! Disaster..
So I wandered off and made the best of it, using Firefox. Sigh. It wasn’t the same.
It somehow feels “clunky”. Although I found a good set of website analysis tools that ran from the Firefox Toolbar. Very Useful.
Anyway, there I was. Stuck.
Then I had a brainwave. I realised that I’d never actually installed Flash on Google Chrome, and yet it had always been there. Therefore, it must come as part of the Chrome Installation.
I removed Chrome completely, and then re-installed that. Jackpot! No Crash..
I then re-enabled synchronisation, and all my settings were back. Woohooo!
Try it!
Oh, and I did a bit of detective work. The “Flash Crash” started happening immediately after I installed Microsoft Silverlight, in order to use Bing Webmaster Tools.
Now, I can’t PROVE that Silverlight wrecked Chrome, but you have to admit, it’s a HELL of a coincidence.
