A report published in newspaper described thier test ride with safari , here is a description of it
Just when you thought that the browser wars were well and truly over, with Firefox being the techies’ choice, Internet Explorer (IE) being that of the masses, and Opera bringing up the rear; Apple has thrown its own browser into the PC arena. Safari, the highly-acclaimed internet browser that was previously available only for the Mac platform, has now been made available for Windows.
The browser comes in two versions (for Windows XP and Vista) for the PC—one with QuickTime bundled with it and the other without. Both are available for free download from http://apple.com/safari he former is a handy option for those with ample bandwidth (it’s a 28 MB download) and the need for an incorporated media player (handy if you are YouTube freak and cannot live without your daily online video fix), but if it’s just a browser you are looking for, then grab the latter, which tips the scales at a more moderate 8 MB.
Looks, speed, functions to kill for:
Mind you, the term ‘just a browser’ is misleading. Like all Apple applications, Safari is drop-dead gorgeous. And it sure is fast! It launches in no time at all and continues in the same vein when browsing the net. Apple claims that the browser is the fastest in cyberspace when it comes to rendering HTML pages and Javascript, and judging by my brief experience, it is no idle boast. Then there are the inevitable little touches that are the hallmark of Apple design—a scrollbar is visible only when you need it; the address bar (in which you type the URL) acts as the progress bar too, filling up with blue colour to indicate how much of the site has been downloaded; and a smooth metallic look that makes FireFox and IE look downright dowdy.
There are some neat touches in browsing too. The browser automatically transfers your bookmarks from other browsers the first time you start it. iPod users will find adding new bookmarks absurdly simple—the interface is almost the same as iTunes.
For those who scan web pages for text, selecting the ‘Find’ option throws up a handy ‘Find’ banner in the browser toolbar. Just enter the word you are searching for on the page in the space provided, and the browser will highlight the instances where the text appears—and dim out the rest of the page! The browser also creates ‘anchor’ points (generally the search results page or the top level of a website) during your surfing to which you can go back instantly using the SnapBack feature, saving you the trouble of hammering away at the ‘Back’ button. The browser comes loaded with what has now become standard browser baggage—popup blocking, downloads manager, private browsing, RSS feeds, tabbed browsing and automatic form filling (you can fill forms with information directly from your Address Book if you wish).
But it's a beta! All of which should have the net browsing community hailing the arrival of a new contender for the ‘best browser’ crown. The problem is that Safari is still in beta—a term that is used to hide a thousand vices. And the browser does have its problems. It is prone to at least one crash every three hour. Some websites also do not function completely within Safari—I could not chat in Gmail while using the browser. Finally, rumours (not confirmed, alas) are already rife about the browser’s not being quite secure.
That said, the Windows version of Safari is faster and sleeker than anything in the browser bazaar today. And that should give the folks at Microsoft and Mozilla something to think about. With a bit of luck, this could trigger off another session of browser wars. Which is good news for anyone browsing the net!
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