In our last show, we reported that Apple released a beta version of its Safari Web browser for Windows XP and Vista users.


I decided to take it for a test spin, so I installed it on my Vista machine. I can best sum up my impression of Safari for Windows in four words: "I'm sticking with Firefox."


The inspiration for Safari for Windows was Microsoft's decision to no longer produce a Mac version of IE. Sensing an opportunity where one clearly doesn’t exist, Apple released Safari for Windows. I wish I could say that I'm just wild about SafWin, but I'm not.


My initial impression was the same as it was when I saw my cousin Jasmine for the first time in 15 years at a family reunion: Unattractive as ever. On the plus side, installing Safari was fast and easy—not unlike Cousin Jasmine, I might add.


Apple claims that Safari is twice as fast as Internet Explorer and 1.6 times as fast as Firefox. Not 1.7 mind you, but 1.6. I put a stopwatch to IE, Firefox, Netscape and Safari. My first thought was that I need to get a life. Sitting in front of a computer, stopwatch in hand, attempting to quantify the respective speeds of browsers is clearly a desperate cry for help. Emotional challenges notwithstanding, I found all four browsers to be equally fast, all opening in less than a

second, and Web pages displaying simultaneously.


I would describe Safari's interface as minimalist, but the price of minimalism is hiding useful features such as the status bar, plus there are no tool tips, and what good is a program without tool tips? And if you want to resize a Safari window, you can only do that by using the little graphical handle in the lower-right corner of the window.


Organizing bookmarks was easy; its pop-up blocking worked fine; it has tabbed browsing, an auto-fill feature and integrated RSS reader, all of which describe just about every other browser in the universe, as well.


Safari's SnapBack feature allows you to return to your original search or the top level of any Web site. The idea is to help you avoid becoming lost as you click various links. The same thing is easily accomplished in other browsers simply by opening new tabs when following links.


Resizable text fields permit you to grab the corner of a field on a Web page and stretch it if you need more space. I liked this feature because it was new and unique and I suspect if other users like it, it will be incorporated into other browsers in about ten minutes. It’s not stealing, it’s paying Safari a compliment!


As far as security, Apple says, "You can now enjoy worry-free Web browsing on any computer. Apple engineers designed Safari to be secure from day one." That turned out to be a bit of an overstatement because two hours into day one, a security vulnerability was discovered and exploited.


If you decide to use Safari, just keep in mind that it's a beta or test version, so be sure to keep it updated with the latest patches and fixes. Safari crashed several while I was using it, something that Firefox, Opera, and even IE 7 rarely do, but I suspect as updates are released, it will become more stable.


In conclusion, I feel that Safari for Windows is much ado about nothing. If we didn't have Internet Explorer, Firefox and Opera to choose from, Safari might be a good choice. But we do, so it's not.


The reality is that all current browsers do basically the same thing, so I don't envision Safari setting the Windows world on fire, or causing a spark, or generating even a wisp of smoke.


All things considered, except for my unfortunate stopwatch incident, it was interesting taking Safari for a test spin, but I am not recommending it, so I’d suggest passing on Safari and sticking with Firefox.


Safari for Windows was a nice try, but that’s about it. I just don’t see it happening.

Mr. Modem