In recent weeks, we have seen the introduction of two major new browsers: FireFox 3 and Google Chrome. Network admins are sure to start seeing these browsers show up on client systems and will be getting questions about whether they are OK to use with Microsoft web servers.
As I have been experimenting with both new browsers, it has occurred to me that features and performance are only part of the story. Manageability is the otherpart. Here, IE still seems to have a significant edge.
I enjoy using FireFox in spite of its sometimes-quirky JavaScript misbehavior and unfriendly customization interface (about:config being a rather lazy substitute for property sheets). And Chrome appears to be a snappy performer at first glance. But what will interest network admins is the extent to which these browsers may be managed via Group Policy, or other administrative means. IE is highly manageable in an AD environment, which is a huge plus in corporate IT ecosystems. For those situations, the best things about the new browsers may be the innovations that they inspire Microsoft to “borrow” – just as IE7 borrowed tabbed browsing from FireFox.
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Adventures in Benchmarking, Part II
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