Safari 3 vs Firefox 3 - Round 2: Security and Standards

Welcome to the second round in our Safari 3 vs Firefox 3 series. Round one covered speed, which is a big factor. In round two, we’re going to cover security and standards.

Both security and standards are important, and because they’re so short I decided to lump them together. Also, I’m ignoring the Windows versions of each browser as this is a Mac site. The argument for security would be different on Windows for each browser, so we’re going to ignore it. Let’s get started.

A Secure Browser is a Happy Browser

Browser security is one of the biggest reasons Firefox has gained so much market share. People tired of spyware and malware jumped ship on Internet Explorer to something more stable. As Mac users, we’re in a little better shape–but not completely immune to the problem.

While both browsers are fairly secure, Firefox 3 takes a big lead here in proactively warning users of phishing sites, malware and potentially dangerous content.

Below is what an SSL site looks like in Firefox 3. Notice the blue background behind the favicon in the address bar. It’s easy to see which sites have SSL certificates at a glance.

Safari has it’s SSL icon hidden up in the right hand corner. Discrete but still easy enough to find.

Safari’s SSL certificate is comparable to the one in Firefox:

I hate to say it but I think they both have it wrong. Firefox 2 was much better in informing users of a secure site by turning the address bar yellow:

I’m not sure why Firefox changed this–I considered this to be one of the best features of the browser. Simple, elegant and informative. What does a blue favicon mean? Who can see the tiny icon in the corner of Safari unless they’re actively looking. This one is a tie on account of both browsers making poor decisions.

This is where the similarities end, however.

Firefox 3 comes with an array of new features focused on security that Safari should consider adopting:

• Check sites against a blacklist sites from Google and warn users (Test Page Here, thanks Cris!)
• Automatically check plug-ins and add-ons for insecure versions and disable when appropriate
• Add-ons that update insecurely will also be disabled
• Anti-virus integration

One of my favorite additions is a security tab that displays common information about the Web site you’re visiting:

Extremely simple, but very useful if you’re trying to find out information about a website.

While both browsers are secure, Firefox has the advantage in that it does more to proactively warn users of potential problems. Firefox wins security.

Update: I should have remembered Safari’s Private Browsing feature. This is a big plus for Safari and something Firefox does not currently have. This certainly would have made the decision tougher–but I think Firefox still comes out ahead on Security.

What About Standards?

Standards are something that’s often overlooked, but still important. If Web sites aren’t rendered correctly, it doesn’t matter how fast or secure your browser is.

The best way to test standard compliance is through the Acid tests.

Both browsers pass Acid 1 and Acid 2 with flying colors.

The real test is with Acid 3, which was recently released to the world. Unfortunately, neither Safari nor Firefox passed completely. Safari finished at 90% and Firefox finished at 67%:

Because Acid 3 is so recent, its not completely fair to hold each browser to these numbers. I’m sure by the final release each will strive for 100% compatibility. That being said, Safari did a little better and as a result Safari wins standards.

The Winner of Round 2 is Firefox

While Safari did win in standards, the security features offered by Firefox surpass anything offered by Safari. As a result Firefox wins Round 2!

Stay tuned for Round 3 which will look into customizations.

(I can’t seem to get away from this…)

Other Rounds in Safari 3 vs Firefox 3 series:

• Safari 3 vs Firefox 3 - Round 1: Speed Test