Web browser wars: developers defend themselves

As cloud computing shifts processing power from operating system to web browsers, our personal preferences will naturally evolve.

Whether you want a Facebook feed in your sidebar, fashionable skins or super-fast speed, the future of computing will rely heavily on web software.

Here's a roundup of the most popular browsers out there and why each corresponding developer thinks we should use their product.

Mozilla Firefox

"Mozilla Firefox gives users more control over their online life. Firefox comes with Firefox Sync, that let's users sync their Firefox history, bookmarks, open tabs, passwords and form data across multiple computers and mobile devices making browsing more intuitive, seamless and efficient while on-the-go. Firefox is the only browser to offer the Do Not Track privacy feature on both desktop and mobile, giving users more control over the way their browsing history is tracked and used on the Web. Firefox offers hundreds of thousands of add-ons, extensions and Personas to make it easy for users to customize their web experience." -Mozilla spokesperson

Google Chrome

"It's simple and easy to use: we've designed Google Chrome to be as unobtrusive as possible, taking up the minimum amount of space on your screen, allowing you to search and browse all from the address bar. Its sophisticated technology also makes Google Chrome fast and stable. For example, we've designed each tab to act as a stand-alone browser. So if you have lots of tabs open at once, and one crashes, they don't all go down. And its powerful JavaScript engine, V8, helps speed up your web applications. The better the browser experience the more people use the web. We believe that to maximize that experience, a new browser had to be built from the ground up - one that was faster, more secure and didn't crash as often. We did just that with Chrome, and we made it open source so that anyone can build on it, helping create even more innovation on the web." -Google spokesperson

Microsoft Internet Explorer 9

"Internet Explorer delivers the best web experience on Windows, and Internet Explorer 9 makes it even better using the full capabilities of Windows PC hardware so that websites are fast, responsive and interactive. Internet Explorer 9 takes advantage of the user experience in Windows 7 to bring sites to the forefront of the PC experience. Raw performance, one-click navigation, speedy launch time, and quick page loads get you online and to your favorite websites faster than ever before. Once you're there, the focus is on the web, not the browser. Simplified navigational controls, a minimal browser frame, an increased viewing area, and clean, graphically rich and immersive experiences, integrated with Windows 7 navigation, put websites at center stage. From the moment you launch Internet Explorer 9 you've got the latest protection built in, privacy technologies that keep you in control of your personal information, and reliability features that help ensure your browsing sessions remain uninterrupted, right from the start." -Microsoft spokesperson

Opera

"A typical Opera user is someone who has a deep passion for the web and they want to get the most out of it. Opera users have done their homework and they've picked the tool that's best for them. Because they made a conscious decision about which browser they use, our fans are among the most loyal on the web. Comparing Opera with other browsers is a little like comparing a Swiss Army knife to butter knives. Opera is fast and easy to use, yet it comes with all the bells and whistles right out of the box. Other browsers make you search for and download additional software to get the features that are standard in Opera." -Opera spokesperson

RockMelt

"We've reinvented the [RockMelt browser, which is built on Google's open source browser Chromium] around the way people use the web today by making it easier and faster for users to consume and share content, and search and connect with friends. We built RockMelt knowing today's web users need a browser that does more than just navigate pages and with a design that delivers high functionality without being distracting." -RockMelt spokesperson

Apple Safari

"Safari [is the] world's fastest and most innovative web browser, featuring the new Safari Reader for reading articles on the web without distraction, a 30 percent performance increase over Safari 4, and the ability to choose Google, Yahoo! or Bing as the search service powering Safari's search field. Available for both Mac and Windows, Safari 5 includes improved developer tools and supports more than a dozen new HTML5 technologies that allow web developers to create rich, dynamic websites. With Safari 5, developers can now create secure Safari Extensions to customize and enhance the browsing experience." -Apple spokesperson