Spartan
For many, it’s not exactly a confidence booster that Microsoft’s forthcoming new browser will be a “Windows App,” rather than a traditional desktop application. It sports the characteristic borderless frames and blockily minimalist aesthetic, and the overall impression is of a stripped-down, simplified version of IE, according to an initial appreciation by Network World’s Howard Wen. ("First Look: Microsoft's new Spartan browser for Windows 10")
But, in a lot of ways, that’s probably a good thing – Chrome’s got a very similar look and feel, and it’s doing pretty well for itself.
Chrome
So what about the browser Spartan’s trying to knock off of its perch? Chrome’s still got major advantages over the rest of the field, including a perceived performance edge, simple and elegant design, and tight integration with Google’s wildly popular web services like Gmail.
For the moment, those features seem to be keeping Chrome in the ascendancy. Moves like the upcoming adoption of HTTP/2 – a new web protocol that should further boost performance – reflect a continued focus on a successful design philosophy. Probably the biggest point of criticism for Chrome is that its integration with the rest of Google’s services – and, consequently, with its ludicrously profitable advertising business – makes for something of a privacy nightmare.
Firefox
From its roots in the wreckage of Netscape Navigator, Firefox has become among the best-known and most-used pieces of open-source software in the world – but it’s never quite taken over the market the way some thought it might when it really started to take off, about a decade ago.
For many, it’s not exactly a confidence booster that Microsoft’s forthcoming new browser will be a “Windows App,” rather than a traditional desktop application. It sports the characteristic borderless frames and blockily minimalist aesthetic, and the overall impression is of a stripped-down, simplified version of IE, according to an initial appreciation by Network World’s Howard Wen. ("First Look: Microsoft's new Spartan browser for Windows 10")
But, in a lot of ways, that’s probably a good thing – Chrome’s got a very similar look and feel, and it’s doing pretty well for itself.
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| Spartan appears as a Windows app |
So what about the browser Spartan’s trying to knock off of its perch? Chrome’s still got major advantages over the rest of the field, including a perceived performance edge, simple and elegant design, and tight integration with Google’s wildly popular web services like Gmail.
 |
| Simplicity is key for Chrome |
Firefox
From its roots in the wreckage of Netscape Navigator, Firefox has become among the best-known and most-used pieces of open-source software in the world – but it’s never quite taken over the market the way some thought it might when it really started to take off, about a decade ago.
It’s tough to escape the conclusion that Chrome essentially stole Firefox’s thunder – taking over as the alternative to Internet Explorer before Firefox had fully stepped into the role. The flexibility, via the huge ecosystem of extensions, is still there, but the browser’s reputation (fair or unfair) for lackluster performance next to its Google-powered rival may have damaged its brand.
But Firefox is starting to find its stride again in terms of development and features – a new focus on performance is evident from the first new release of 2015, and the WebRTC communication gadget Hello is an intriguing one. Firefox isn’t done yet.
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