This article is mainly for those who recently made the transition from Windows to Linux. My intention is to give the newbie users an idea of what the best Linux web browsers are. So, my dear long-time Linux users, you can stop reading here because what we are going to talk about today will be pretty basic stuff.
First of all, congratulations to all who have jumped ship and made the transition from Windows to Linux. Let’s get straight into business. Although you might feel like many things are missing from what you had used to on Windows, that is simply not true.
Let me start this Linux basics article series by introducing the best Linux web browsers.
1. Firefox
Firefox is without doubt currently one of the most popular web browsers among Open Source fans. It has accumulated over a billion users within the past years. Programming languages C ++, JavaScript, C, CSS, XUL, and XBL were used in the making of this awesome browser. The Web Engine used is Gecko Web Engine.
Speaking of features, Firefox is not lacking any. With a number of unique features such as tabbed browsing, incremental search, built-in spell-checking, bookmarking, sync among devices, and private browsing, it is in a position to rival the market leader Google Chrome.
In terms of performance, one can notice Firefox performing well over numerous common standards, including HTML5, XML, XHTML, SVG, and APNG. In comparison to Google Chrome, Firefox uses a lot less RAM so it is not as heavy on your system. Plus it works without problems even on potatoes.
2. Opera
Opera is one of the oldest web browsers that is still available. Its first release was in 1995 and by now it is possible to use Opera on all operating systems. The programming language C++ powers Opera at the core. Just like Firefox uses Gecko Web Engine, Opera uses the Blink web engine.
One unique feature of Opera is that it provides a lifetime free VPN and an ad blocker built within the browser itself. In Firefox, these features are mostly available as third-party add-ons.
3. Google Chrome
Google Chrome is the browser we all know, the market leader in the web browser field, and the default browser on Android. This web browser is a fork of the awesome Chromium open-source project.
Speaking of functionality and customizability, Google Chrome leads the way. With the humongous quantity of extensions and themes that are freely available at the Chrome Web Store, you can easily tailor the browser to your needs and likes.
Although the Chromium project is open-source, Google Chrome is not an open-source browser. Nevertheless, the essential services offered by Google can be considered as one of the reasons for the popularity of this Google Chrome browser.
4. Vivaldi
Inheriting an Opera-like interface, Vivaldi is a relatively new web browser. Vivaldi Technologies released this web browser in April 2016. However, it became popular in a very short period of time. That is no surprise considering the convenience of customizability like Chrome, user-friendliness, high-speed loading, high performance, granular tab management, adaptive user interface.
Also, not only open source but also Vivaldi supports popular Google Chrome extensions, which is one of the reasons why this is rising so fast in popularity.
So, Linux beginners, I hope I did shed some light on what are the best Linux browsers out in the wild. If you happen to use something other than this, do let me know in the comments section below. See you with another article.
