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Do you want more speed on the Internet? Opera is a fast browser that will speed up page loading for you and help you save time navigating the web. Speed is one of our top priorities.

Opera Turbo: low internet speed is not a hindrance

If the speed of your Internet connection leaves much to be desired, for example, in a public Wi-Fi networks, enable Opera Turbo mode. Open websites faster and continue working as usual.

Favorite sites are just a click away

Opera is a fast browser not only because it loads websites quickly. We have developed many features to help you navigate faster and save time. For example, Express panel in Opera - the name speaks for itself. It simplifies and speeds up access to the most important sites. Add them to home page browser, distribute it in a convenient order or put it into folders.

Hotkeys for quick navigation

Did you know that keyboard shortcuts (or keyboard shortcuts) save on average 2 seconds every minute? They can replace almost all the commands you normally perform in the browser with the mouse. In Opera, you can set your own keyboard shortcuts for various actions - try it!

Create new browser Today it’s easier than ever - there is Chromium, which you can fork and add any functionality. Companies do this according to the same logic by which toolbars were once created - this is just an attempt to hammer their brand into the user and force him to use other company products. But when independent developers do it, the product's goal is to make its mark in a virtually static browser market. Don't get me wrong - I don't believe you'll switch to one of the indie browsers. But it's interesting to see what they offer, isn't it?

To switch or not?

When it seems like everything that can be said in some area has already been said, trying to do something differently is breathtaking: at first you think it’s wild and utopian, but as a result you begin to look at market leaders in a new way. For the same reason, in the December issue ][ we talked about such “strange” mobile OSs as Tizen, Firefox OS or Maemo. Therefore, in my opinion, when talking about alternative browsers, it is incorrect to pose the question bluntly: to switch or not. No, you definitely won't cross over. But you can try to repeat the functionality you are interested in in your favorite browser - for this, in each case, I tried to select the appropriate extensions.

The idea of creating a browser that closely interacts with popular social networks has long been exciting the minds of developers. There were many attempts to create such a combine, but, perhaps, the Rockmelt company did a better job. No wonder they were able to receive serious financial investments.

The project of the same name was launched in 2009 and immediately enlisted the support of one of the founders of Netscape. A year later, the first beta version, built on Chromium sources, was released, and in a short time it managed to gather a decent number of fans. The main feature of Rockmelt is its unobtrusiveness. Integration with Facebook and Twitter was implemented as additional functionality, and not an intrusive addition.

Rockmelt may have had a bright future ahead of it, but in 2012 the developers shut down the desktop version and focused on creating an iOS app. Despite the drastic changes, mobile app It was born quickly and turned out to be quite interesting.

So, we are offered a solution that is interesting primarily because of its interface. Browser control centers around a single input line. She is at the same time address bar and a navigator for various content groups. For example, you can select a specific topic and immediately receive a pack of thumbnails of new posts corresponding to it. The presence of additional gestures allows you to perform a number of operations (sharing, liking) with one click or swipe.

Thus, together with the browser we get a content generator. At the same time, we have the opportunity to quite easily influence the conditions for issuing materials. You just need to go to any website and click on the “Follow” pimp. The resource is added to the watch list (RSS feed is taken into account), and new materials will appear in the personal news feed.

Extensions:

Content generator. Plugin for Google Chrome Feedly;
New materials by category. Plugin for Google Chrome: StumbleUpon;
Interaction with social networks (publications, sharing, etc.). Plugin for Google Chrome: Buffer.

SRWare Iron

Project audience: conspiracy theory lovers

The first releases of Google Chrome (as well as Chromium) caused a lot of noise. Users paid attention not only to the interesting interface and speed of operation, but also to a couple of clauses in the license agreement that deal a blow to privacy.

After this, a boom in articles on the topic “Big Brother is watching you” began, eventually forcing Google to reconsider its ambitions. Despite this, Chrome still contains several functions that somehow violate the user's privacy.

For example, everyone knows that immediately after installation, Google Chrome generates a unique identifier, which is transmitted to the company’s server. The "suggestions" function works in a similar way. All entered data is sent to Google for the purpose of providing search suggestions. The discussion about other nightmares is in roughly the same vein: the background update service, sending error reports, and so on.

SRWare is ready to solve all the problems raised. In fact, this is the same Google Chrome, but with the language cut off. It does not transmit any information to the Google server, but also brings several nice features:

offline installer;
built-in ad blocker;
ability to change User-Agent.

Verdict: The solution is primarily for conspiracy theorists. The browser has few additional functions, and all of them are implemented using appropriate extensions. As a result, it turns out that all the advantages come down to providing an additional level of privacy.

CoolNovo

Project audience: web developers, enthusiasts

Another project that grew out of a Chromium fork, CoolNovo compares favorably with similar alternatives. Firstly, developers from the Middle Kingdom are setting ambitious goals for themselves, and not just creating another clone with a couple of additional extensions. Secondly, they position their solution as a full replacement for Google Chrome. The idea of such a solution managed to win the hearts of users, and the browser itself received a number of awards.

One of the most interesting and useful features is IE Tab. My main activity is partly related to the development of web applications, which means testing whether the layout is displayed correctly in browsers that use different rendering engines. IE Tab simplifies the testing process in Internet Explorer. It eliminates the need to launch a separate copy of IE, and allows you to change the rendering engine used for rendering with one click.

Gesture controls also deserve special attention. At one time I got used to using similar functionality in Opera, and I must say that the implementation in CoolNovo is no worse.

The developers share the same views on the inviolability of personal space as the guys from the SRWare Iron project. All secret transfers of information to the company’s servers are cut to the ground.

Other most interesting features worth noting:

instant translation of pages into other languages (using Google Translate);
taking screenshots of a page or selected area;
quick history clearing;
separate sidebar for placing frequently used widgets and extensions;
ad blocker.

Verdict: CoolNovo has long been a leader among alternative Chromium-based builds. Today he continues to hold his position and still remains good decision for users who want to get an upgraded browser out of the box. The only sad thing is that CoolNovo has been updated less frequently lately. If this continues, sooner or later a competitor in the form of Chrome will throw it out of the race.

Extensions:

Fast and flexible cleaning of history, cookies and other network activity files. Plugin for Google Chrome Click&Clean Click&Clean ;
Link shortener. Plugin for Google Chrome URL Shortener;
Gesture control. Plugin for Google Chrome: CrxMouse or Gestures for Chrome;
Reading mode (without displaying pictures and unnecessary layout elements). Plugin for Google Chrome: iReader or Clearly;
Button for quick RSS subscription. Plugin for Google Chrome: RSS Subscription Extension;
Super drag. Plugin for Google Chrome: Super Drag;
Translator. Plugin for Google Chrome: Google Translate.

Maxthon

Project audience: All inclusive lovers

Maxthon is one of those projects that has experienced a rebirth. He first saw the light in the early 2000s under the pseudonym MyIE. Back then it was a convenient wrapper for Donkey IE and a number of useful functions. It had a built-in download manager, tabs instead of separate windows, and other useful features.

When Firefox and subsequently Google Chrome boomed, MyIE was forced into obscurity for a major overhaul. The total straightening brought it back with a new name, an updated set of functions and a completely different face.

Today Maxthon is more like a powerful Internet center than just a browser. Under the hood of the adventure game there are already two engines - WebKit and Trident (used in Internet Explorer). Moreover, unlike most similar solutions, Maxthon is able to independently determine pages for which the use of Trident is more preferable (as a rule, these are old sites). I specifically took one old project out of the closet, adapted for viewing in IE, and tried to view it in Maxthon. Without thinking twice, the browser immediately switched the display to retro mode and rendered the page using Trident. In addition to working with two engines simultaneously, Maxthon’s greatest strengths are its own cloud and the availability of versions for mobile platforms (Android, iOS). Your own cloud not only allows you to store various small information such as browsing history, list open pages and similar things, but it is also quite suitable for storing files.

For example, I was very pleased with the ability to save files from a web page to the cloud with one click. This function looks most beneficial when working on a mobile phone/tablet. The usefulness of Maxthon does not end there, but rather just begins. Among them:

Gesture support;
SuperDrop function, which simplifies interaction with the browser interface in the absence of a mouse;
ad blocker;
a completely redesigned application interface (not another Chrome clone);
simultaneous processing of search results from several search servers;
viewing pages in reading mode (without unnecessary information);
saving videos from YouTube;
mute sound on any page;
simultaneous viewing of several tabs in one window;
download manager;
own extension store;
setting an arbitrary refresh time for open pages;
night surfing mode. When this mode is activated, Maxthon darkens the bright background of pages, thereby reducing eye strain;
increased productivity and much more.

Verdict: Maxthon will appeal to both casual users and hardcore geeks looking for new adventures. The presence of versions for mobile platforms and a full-fledged personal cloud are two key features that allow Maxthon to surpass many competitors. Add to this good performance, numerous victories in tests for compliance with web standards, and we get an almost ideal, but little-known browser.

Extensions:

Retro mode (page rendering using the IE engine). Plugin for Google Chrome: IE Tab ;
Taking screenshots. Plugin for Google Chrome: Webpage ScreenShot;
Night mode. Plugin for Google Chrome: Hacker Vision or Turn Off the Lights for comfortable viewing of videos;
Password storage. Plugin for Google Chrome: LastPass;
Ad blocker. Plugin for Google Chrome: AdBlock;
Built-in notepad with the ability to store notes in the cloud. Plugin for Google Chrome: Memo Notepad;
Resource sniffer. Plugin for Google Chrome: Web Developer.

Project audience: lovers of everything fresh

Chromium became the father of many webkit-based browsers. It forms the foundation of almost every new browser, and it is hardly possible to shake its dominant position.

So, you probably already know that it is on this project that all new products are tested before they get to Google Chrome. Support for new HTML5 features, corrections of terrible bugs, new interface features - all this is primarily received by Chromium users. Unfortunately, the frequency of updates comes at the price of stability. Major problems that prevent you from working normally with the browser are rare, but accurate.

It is quite difficult to single out some original interface features or capabilities, since they are largely the implementation of new HTML5 features and are relevant for web developers, not mere mortals.

Nevertheless, Chromium still has a number of differences that can interest the average user. For example:

no error reporting;
the RLZ identifier is not transferred to the company servers;
there is no Updater hanging in the background;
Only open and free media formats are supported;
productivity is very high.

Verdict: Special Google version Chrome for enthusiasts and geeks. Everything new appears here, and these user groups will definitely like it. Chromium is unlikely to be suitable for mere mortals, since this is a product primarily for testing. And there are few users eager to be the first to test, say, the Battery API.

Avant Browser

Project audience: web developers

The primary goal of the Avant Browser developers is to provide users with an easy way to combine the work of engines within one application. It would seem that the task is not easy, but looking at Avant Browser, you are convinced of the opposite. The developers were not only able to bring together all the popular engines under one wrapper, but also came up with an easy way to switch between them. Changing the rendering engine is done in a couple of mouse clicks.

This is where the super useful functions end, and what remains are typical for such solutions:

a simple cloud storage capable of storing RSS subscriptions, favorites, passwords and other information;
ad/popup blocker;
creating screenshots of pages;
simple implementation of gesture control;
creating aliases for pages, with which you can quickly navigate to frequently visited sites;
built-in RSS reader;
mail client.

Verdict: Avant Browser cannot be considered as a full-fledged application for everyday use. This is more of a specialized solution that can serve good service web developers, but not the average user. There are simply no other interesting features in Avant Browser.

Nowadays, no one can be surprised by the statement about the importance of the Internet both for entertainment and for serious work. It should be noted that the productivity of the work process largely depends not so much on the connection speed, but on the convenience and thoughtfulness of the browser used.

If you don’t know what browsers are and how they differ from each other, this article is especially for you. So let's get started! What kind of browsers are there? The list can be very long, but let’s list the main “players” in this market:

Internet Explorer.
Opera.
Firefox.
Google Chrome and all its derivatives.

We will now talk about all these “characters” in more detail.

Internet Explorer

This is a real legend. Whether it’s deserved or not, everyone decides for themselves, but no one will dispute the fact that the overwhelming majority of experienced users started with it. In 2001, when the Internet in our country was almost in its infancy, and even in large cities Dial Up ruled, the sixth “donkey” was the only association with the word “browser”.

Of course, someone knew about the Opera project, very few geeks in the vastness of our country used Netscape, but the palm definitely belonged to IE, since there were simply no worthy alternatives at that time. For information, the history of Firefox began only in 2004, and the word “chrome” was perceived only as the name of a chemical element until 2008! Yes, yes, the Google Chrome browser appeared relatively recently!

It must be admitted that Internet Explorer was good for those years, and many of its features were completely unique. Thus, IE 6 became the world's first browser that had on board the P3P platform tools, which provided an advanced (in those years) level of user security when working on the network.

It is not surprising that due to its widespread use and presence by default in the Windows family of operating systems, it is “donkey” that has become the de facto standard for almost all government agencies in our country. And to this day normal operation with the websites of government agencies, Sberbank, as well as all similar structures is possible only from this browser. This is largely due to its use of ActiveX structures, which greatly simplify the creation of software components for this type of resource.

Disadvantages of a “living legend”

It is no coincidence that we constantly used the phrase “at that time.” In 2001, IE was rightfully the leader, but... Its creators completely forgot that the browser should be updated from time to time. Until 2006, when Vista and IE7 appeared on the scene, there were basically no updates.

Competitors were not asleep; by that time they had already appeared: the legendary Opera 9, which is still revered by many as the best browser, Firefox 2, as well as several add-on browsers that used the IE engine (Maxthon, Avant Browser). All of them were more convenient, more functional and much safer than the hopelessly outdated Internet Explorer. The appearance of the seventh version did not save the situation, since IE7 was in many ways the same sixth “donkey”. Of the visible changes, one could notice only a slightly “refreshed” interface, and support for tabs, which Opera has had since the seventh version (2005).

Add to this terrible compatibility with HTML standards, disgusting page rendering and terribly slow loading speed. It is not surprising that only IE 9 finally “became like a browser,” as many publications wrote about it. Currently the latest is the eleventh version, which is really quite good.

The problem is that there are a huge number of old releases (IE6 somehow got rid of), errors (!) from which had to be ported to the new Explorer. This was done so that old versions of sites created specifically for the “donkey” would be adequately displayed in Internet Explorer 11. This approach does not add either popularity or trust to the Microsoft product.

Alas, when working with state and municipal websites, you will not have any special alternatives. However, there are exceptions: several years ago, the German government officially encouraged municipal workers to use Firefox, since IE “does not meet modern security requirements.” So what other browsers are there?

Opera

Since we have mentioned this product several times, we will continue the story about it. It all started in Norway in 1994. Until 2005, versions were produced that were not particularly popular. Everything changed in 2006, when Opera 9 was released. At that time, it was ideal. Judge for yourself:

excellent work with tabs;
built-in email client;
bit-torrent client, also built into the browser;
work with most HTML standards;
mouse gesture support;
the widest possibilities for customization;
the ability to block ads without using third-party utilities.

And all this in a 2006 browser! In addition, we forgot to mention one more “killer” feature of Opera. We are talking about the “Turbo” mode. What is the essence of this option? It's simple. When activated, all traffic to the user’s computer passed through Opera Software’s servers and was compressed several times along the way. In some cases, it was possible to save up to 80% of all traffic!

Taking into account the fact that in those years there was no normal high-speed and unlimited Internet even in large cities, this technology was a royal gift for users of our country and the entire former CIS. It is not surprising that in some regions the real market share of this browser was confidently approaching 50%, while in the world this figure rarely exceeded 3-4%.

In addition, Opera Mini appeared in 2009, which made normal Internet surfing possible even for owners of old phones. By the way, the phrase “free browsers” modern users can only make you smile, while Opera for smartphones was paid for a long time, and for desktops (up to Opera 5) this browser was distributed on a fee basis.

Sunset

After the release of version 10.6, strange things began to happen to the company: constant reorganizations forced most of the old developers to leave, and users began to complain about the poor performance of their favorite browser. In 2013, a rather ridiculous event happened. The new management of the company announced a complete transition to the Blink engine, which is a product developed by Google, as well as the linking of Opera to the Chromium project.

It’s not hard to guess what emotions all this evoked among users. They said that almost all new browsers are already clones of Chrome, so the appearance of another player from the same series did not inspire anyone. In addition, the enormous dissatisfaction of both ordinary users and professionals was caused by the simple fact that from the old “Opera”, in fact, only the name remained.

No mouse gestures, no usual customization options... and there weren’t even bookmarks in the new version! The developers swear that everything will be fixed “in the near future,” but this has been going on for two years now, and there has been no particular progress. The company lost a huge number of users, some of whom switched to Chrome, while others started using Firefox.

Almost everyone agrees that the Opera project no longer exists: even if the developers return some of the old functionality to the browser (it won’t be possible to “screw in” everything due to the features of the new engine), the entire cycle of creating the program will be tied to Chromium and Google itself. By the way, what browsers are there based on the Google product? We'll talk about this below.

Google Chrome and its derivatives

The history of this browser, as we have already mentioned, began in 2008. The very news that Google is going to create its own browser has caused a lot of controversy on the Internet. Some rejoiced, some experts were more cautious in their forecasts, but the fact remains that the event was clearly extraordinary. Today, the Chrome browser claims to be the “browser No. 1”, displacing not only IE, but even Firefox in this position. How did this happen?

When the new Internet browser first came out, everyone loved its incredible speed. Many people liked the ascetic and simple interface, which did not distract from work. However, the “first approximation” was not very successful, since almost all experienced users noted the complete absence of useful plugins, due to which the browser could not resist advertising, and poor integration with third party applications(antiviruses, download managers, etc.).

The beginning of success

For someone else, this might be a failure, but not for Google! The company’s incredible capabilities and aggressive marketing policy did their job: at first, when using the company’s search engine, a suggestion was given to “try a new browser,” and today Chrome checkboxes are available in almost every second shareware application (included in the installation kit).

Soon this particular browser was on the computer of almost every second user, and professionals increasingly began to use it. The proactive policy of Google again played a role, which very soon achieved full integration of its product. In addition, using a Google account, users gained access to Google projects such as Drive, Mail, Documents and many others.

To be fair, it is worth noting that Google (the browser) is a very safe product: the process separation policy bears fruit. It is difficult for malicious code to penetrate from the virtual sandbox into the production system. Among other things, Chrome now has plugins for blocking ads and Flash content, integration systems with the most popular downloaders, and so on. In 2014, the official x64 version appeared, which became even safer and faster.

Flaws

Alas, there are enough of them. Firstly, those same fans of the old Opera really miss the ability to change the browser “to suit themselves”. The maximum that the WebKit engine gives is to apply a color scheme. All. A simple user is not entitled to anything more. Of course, you can use the Flag argument and “surf” the browser from the inside, but you can’t do anything special even from there.

Secondly, there are serious concerns about the confidentiality of user information. In general, Google has never hidden the fact that all your data can be viewed for the presence of child pornography and information that could be classified as a “terrorist threat,” but this does not make it any easier for suspicious individuals. The browser extensively collects information about your search preferences and frequently visited pages, generating targeted advertising based on this data. However, all modern free browsers often suffer from this.

It is shown not only on the pages themselves, but even in GMail mail. The latter, by the way, is extremely disliked in large companies; sometimes employees are directly prohibited from using it. Of course, there is not a single proven fact of leakage of any corporate data, but this measure is not superfluous...

As for the “sky-high” speed, today it’s no longer possible to call the Google Chrome browser fast. WITH installed plugins and a connected user account, the application (especially on older machines) does not launch quickly.

Chromium

After the scandal with the Chrome license agreement, in which the developers allowed themselves to have rather frivolous clauses about user privacy (they were subsequently removed or changed), the Chromium project appeared. Unlike its “big brother,” this browser is based on open source software that anyone can change at their own discretion. In terms of functionality, it is not much different from the parent application, with the exception of the ease of creating your own plug-ins.

It was on its basis that a huge mass of “chrome-like” programs appeared, which we will now talk about. In general, almost all new browsers that appear recently are just that in 90% of cases. This is due to the ease of adapting the code to your needs, and you don’t have to worry about updating “your” product, since all the work will fall on the shoulders of Google programmers.

"Yandex browser)

Today it is the most successful fork (branch). The creator is the “domestic-Dutch” search engine Yandex. The first versions of Yandex (browser) differed from Chrome only in another way search engine yes, slightly modified design, but today the situation has changed radically. Thus, there appeared: support for mouse gestures, intelligent search menus and other “goodies”, which gave many users reason to call this browser “the successor of the old Opera”. This fact in itself is surprising, especially considering the biased attitude of professionals towards any Chrome fork. Thus, free browser Yandex has very good prospects.

"Amigo"

This is the exact opposite of the project discussed above. Also a product of a domestic company, but this time the authorship belongs to the Mail.ru corporation. Alas, there are no “breakthrough” opportunities. Among the features is only close integration with all existing social networks, but it is quite difficult to consider this circumstance as a special advantage. In addition, Amigo (browser) also collects a bunch of advertising information, which is then shown in abundance to the user.

There's nothing special about it anymore. In addition, there are also such varieties of “Chrome”:

“Internet” (from the same Mail.ru, somewhat similar to “Yandex”).
"Uranus" (from Ucoz).
Dragon (from Comodo).
"Nichrome" (from "Rambler").
Iron (German development, originally created to profit from the developers' blog).

And many, many similar products. What browsers are there besides this “variegated” family?

Firefox

Appeared in 2004 (as mentioned above). It was developed on the basis of the mortal “ashes” of Netscape. The first versions were simply terrible, they constantly hung and were terribly slow. Of course, the collapse of the program was the most common occurrence. Time passed. In 2006, there was already Firefox 2, which had good qualities, and the third version was among the Guinness record holders (several million people downloaded it in the first 24 hours).

Why is this browser so attractive to users from all over the world? First of all, its “omnivorousness”. While some developers relied on functionality (Opera), others on beauty (Safari), and Microsoft did nothing at all, the Mozilla Foundation team collected all HTML standards, at least theoretically found on the Internet. As a result, their browser is a kind of “standard”. If a site does not open normally in Fox, then it is unlikely to open anywhere else.

In addition, numerous plugins were the reason for its success. With their help, you can turn your browser into a multifunctional “harvester”, with capabilities almost superior to the operating system! In particular, the Tor browser, created on its basis, largely uses the capabilities of various extensions designed to improve the level of user anonymity on the Internet.

Moreover, even with a dozen or two Mozilla extensions It starts very quickly even on old cars, which is something you can’t expect from Chrome.

Finally, this browser, unlike almost all existing solutions on the market, can be flexibly customized to suit your needs, and the available themes will help you bring the interface closer to the old versions of Opera, Chrome or even the old IE6. It is precisely because of the latter circumstance that Firefox browser Experienced users often strive.

Flaws

These include the not very high security of native (without installed extensions) applications. However, without installed Firefox extensions In general, it is a very average browser without any special features. Beginners do not always know which plugin to install and for what purpose. In addition, such additions are not always good in programmatically, and therefore often cause memory leaks and even crashes of the browser itself.

These are the main browsers. This list is far from complete, but in the article we present the most common types of programs of this kind. Of course, we haven't talked about Safari (which is used in Apple's OS), as well as many other browsers, many of which occupy leading positions in Asian markets, but these products are quite specific. In any case, they are used quite rarely; in our country you are unlikely to find a user on whose computer they would be installed.

When choosing a program to work on the World Wide Web, many are mainly interested in what is the fastest browser for Windows 7 today.

Although there are simply a huge number of other criteria for choosing a browser.

Today you can find and download many “homemade” browsers, that is, those that were developed by novice programmers, and not by teams of professionals.

So, their main drawback is the speed of work.

There is no talk about data security and safety.

In any case, today we will look at all the main characteristics that will help you choose a program for accessing the Internet, and the main one will be the speed of operation.

As for how this very speed will be tested, a very simple method will be chosen, which consists of launching a browser or performing other operations with a stopwatch on it.

In particular, the speed will be tested on such operations as launching the browser itself, opening a website, logging into a Google email account, launching a video and installation speed.

The tests will not be conducted on a new computer.

This choice is due to the fact that we want to achieve maximum objectivity of the research.

Yes, usually “clean” machines are used in such tests, but we all don’t have the opportunity to reinstall the operating system every month.

This would make it possible to turn a used computer into a completely “clean” machine.

In general, the conditions will not be as close to reality as possible; they will be quite real. Go!

Opera

This browser was released in 1994. Until 2013, I worked on my own engine, then I switched to Webkit+V8, which is familiar to many developers, which, by the way, is also used a little in Google Chrome.

According to research by some sites, it is the fifth most popular browser in the world. Users like the mobile version, which is called Opera Mini.

The main advantage of this program is its excellent ability to save traffic. This allows many users to pay less for the Internet.

You can download this browser absolutely free of charge on the official website www.opera.com/ru.

This site has one large “Download Now” button, which allows you to start downloading.

For our tests, we will use the latest version downloaded from the official website.

Speed tests yielded the following results:

Browser launch time – 3 s;
Website opening time – 2 s;
Video start time – 2 s;
Installation time – 1.3 minutes (from launching the installer program to closing it).

By the way, the design of the installation window for this program is very beautiful, but at the same time minimalistic.

The installation process itself takes very little time.

The user only needs to press one button and nothing else - he does not select a path, does not read a bunch of license conditions, does not watch presentations, and so on.

On the one hand, this is, of course, good, because a simple user does not need all this.

But some will say that this is bad, because “who knows what they write in the license.”

But since we evaluate the speed of work, Opera performs excellently in this regard.

Other advantages and disadvantages of Opera

In addition to speed when choosing a program for Internet access, it will also be useful to know about the following advantages of Opera:

Traffic savings. A signature feature of this browser.
The presence of a Turbo mode, which allows you to work even faster on slow computers and still save traffic.
Its own express panel with bookmarks. In other browsers, this function must be installed additionally. Yes, there are bookmark bars, but they are not as functional.
Hot control keys. In fact, this browser can be operated without a mouse.
Ease of use. Opera is not loaded with plugins for privacy and other similar functions, so it can work many times faster.

The disadvantages of Opera include the following:

On old machines it may not work at all. On the other hand, nothing from the modern standard user set already works for them. And who uses such old computers now?
Incorrect operation of some scripts. In defense of Opera, we can also say that not all scripts that exist today work on other browsers.
Complaints about instability - it restarts, throws out, and so on. It also doesn’t happen very often - if you’re unlucky, you’ll have to restart.

Google Chrome

This browser was released in 2008 - relatively recently.

Its direct ancestor is the Safari browser, which was then also tried to be adapted for Windows, but these attempts were unsuccessful - it turned out to be too slow, and was often restarted.

Safari was originally intended for Mac computers. Google Chrome runs on its own engine called Chrominium.

Last year, this browser was first in many polls in RuNet.

You can download Google Chrome on the official website - www.google.ru/chrome/browser/desktop/index.html (a very non-standard link that could be shortened).

There is also a single button that you need to press.

By the way, here on the download site you can read the license agreement, as well as set Google Chrome as the default browser and check the box to send work reports to Google.

By the way, many people refuse the latter.

To do this, you just need to uncheck the box highlighted in green in Figure 4.

Testing the speed of this browser gave the following results:

Browser launch time – 4 s;
Website opening time: 5 s;
Authorization time for a Google email account is 1 s;
Video start time – 1 s;
Installation time – 1.5 minutes.

When installing here, by the way, some additional content is downloaded, which makes the whole process a little longer.

Otherwise, Google Chrome performs really well, but still a little worse than Opera.

And this despite the fact that many authors of similar articles call this browser the fastest.

As you can see, tests in real conditions gave a different result.

Advantages and disadvantages of Google Chrome

It will also be very useful for users who choose a program to access the Internet to know about the following advantages of Google Chrome:

Safety. Great attention is paid to this here. Google Chrome has a huge number additional programs and scripts that protect against various types of attacks and viruses. In addition, this browser has its own database with these same viruses and malicious sites.
“Incognito” mode, which allows you to be unnoticed on various sites. This means that the site will not leave cookies or any other information about the stay of the user working in Incognito mode.
Stability at work. It is very rare to hear about Google Chrome that it reloads or cannot handle a large number of sites.
Your own “Task Manager”, which makes it possible to see how many resources a particular site consumes, as well as a plugin.
Normal work with extensions. It is also very rare to hear complaints about this.
Voice control search.

The disadvantages include the following:

Lack of support for NPAPI plugins starting from version 42.0. A lot of modern plugins work on this platform. And users are faced with difficulties in installing them or even with the inability to complete this task.

Otherwise, Google Chrome performs just fine.

As you can see, its operating speed is not too much inferior to Opera, therefore, taking into account all the other advantages, it is not surprising that this particular browser is called the best today.

Mozilla Firefox

In 2014, this browser took a strong first place in all foreign surveys. But then the two programs described above took the leading positions from Mozilla Firefox.

Still, the contribution that the “sly fox,” as many users call him, made to the development of browsers as a whole deserves respect.

The fact is that Mozilla Firefox became the first browser in the world that had its own extension base. It was for him that the first extensions and plugins began to be written.

It is not surprising that as of 2017, Mozilla Firefox has the largest extension base.

In addition, it was in this browser that the privacy mode first appeared.

Today this idea is actively used by Google specialists, including in the development of the aforementioned Google Chrome.

The first version of this program was released in 2004 on the Gecko engine. To this day, nothing has changed in terms of the engine.

But this does not prevent the program from constantly improving and gaining new positions in the market.

Although, of course, since 2014, Mozilla Firefox has lost a lot in popularity.

It is also most convenient to download this browser on the official page - www.mozilla.org/ru/firefox/new/.

According to good tradition, the site has one large “Download for free” button.

There are no longer any license agreements on the site. And in general, loading occurs in automatic mode and this process is not delayed by anything.

In the installer window you can use additional settings. The settings window is shown in Figure 6.

As you can see, you can specify where program shortcuts should be installed, the installation path, and whether this browser should be made the main one.

Advice: Be sure to use the window when installing additional settings, because otherwise, program shortcuts will appear on the taskbar, on the desktop and in the Start menu, which is often not needed by users! In addition, installation information will be sent to Mozilla specialists, and the browser itself will become the default browser.

To open this very window of additional settings at startup, click the “Settings” button highlighted in Figure No. 7.

The installation itself also begins with downloading additional files. This, of course, makes the process longer.

Mozilla Firefox runtime tests yielded the following results:

Browser launch time – 5 s;
Website opening time – 3 s;
Authorization time for a Google email account is 1 s;
Video start time – 2 s;
Installation time – 1.35 minutes.

Advantages and disadvantages of Mozilla Firefox

The benefits of Mozilla Firefox are as follows:

Reliability in operation. There are plugins that can “kill” absolutely all browsers except Mozilla Firefox.
Security and privacy at the highest level. This is the only browser of its kind that can block the collection of information about a particular user by sites, including Google. This makes it possible not to see annoying advertising that is generated based on the requests of this user.
Version updates occur in the background.
In addition, this also includes the widest base of plugins and extensions mentioned above.

The disadvantages of Mozilla Firefox are:

Immunity of some modern scripts.
Frequent complaints about slow operation, especially under high loads.

From all this we can conclude that Mozilla Firefox clearly cannot be considered the most fast browser for Windows 7.

Yandex browser

This is the youngest modern browser of those used by several million people. Users first heard about this browser in 2012.

Now, in 2017, Yandex is actively promoting its product using contextual advertising. Here, of course, everything is aimed at working directly with Yandex services.

So, by default, this browser already has mail, a translator, disk, money and everything else that the most popular Russian search engine offers.

By the way, the engine in Yandex Browser is the same Chromium. Many users say that this program has its own quick launch panel, which is called “Tableboard”.

This is considered a feature of Yandex.Browser, but for the average person it is practically the same bookmarks bar that is in Opera.

True, there it is much more functional.

You can host 20 different sites on Tablo.

An interesting feature of this browser is its work with mouse gestures.

This means that there is a certain set of gestures that are formed by certain cursor movements and perform certain functions.

There are also a huge number of extensions and plugins, most of which are taken from the already beloved Google Chrome.

This is due to the fact that these two browsers run on the same Chromium engine.

You can download Yandex Browser on the official website - browser.yandex.ru.

Although, if you visit the website yandex.ru several times, you will definitely see an advertisement for this browser and can follow the link to download it.

This site also has a nice big “Download” button.

The results of testing the speed of this browser gave the following results:

Browser launch time – 11 s;
The website opening time is 4 seconds (the first launch, by the way, gave the result in 24 seconds);
Authorization time for a Google email account is 4 s;
Video start time – 2 s;
Installation time – 2.10 min.

During installation, it is also possible to make Yandex.Browser the default browser and make it possible to send data to Yandex specialists.

To do this, you need to check the boxes highlighted in green in Figure 9.

Most users prefer to uncheck these boxes, which is not at all surprising.

As you can see, in terms of speed, Yandex Browser is clearly inferior to Mozilla Firefox.

Advantages and disadvantages of Yandex.Browser

The advantages of Yandex.Browser are as follows:

Developers pay great attention to security. So the program automatically checks a particular site for suspicion. It has its own criteria for suspicion (Web of Trust), as well as programs installed by default to block phishing attacks and advertising.
Its own system for viewing documents in formats such as .pdf, .doc and others.
Your own translator.
Turbo mode, like in Opera.

The disadvantages include the following:

Imposing Yandex services, which many users do not like. Although, on the other hand, this is exactly what this browser was created for.
Many people don't like the interface.
Difficulty setting up. Many functions that are available in Opera or Mozilla are simply not available here in Yandex Browser.

In general, from all this we can draw a conclusion, which is that Yandex Browser is far from the fastest and most optimized browser.

Free app for Windows and mobile devices, intended for users to communicate on the Internet via text messaging, graphic files, as well as audio and video. The program provides convenient access to groups, channels, and allows you to use bots.

Hamachi is one of the most famous tools for creating virtual private VPN networks. Using this program, you can easily establish an encrypted connection over the Internet between remote computers, simulating a connection by local network. By running the Hamachi service, users will be able to share equipment - printers, webcams, etc. You can download the program for free on our website and install it on your computer with Windows 7, 8 or XP.

Skype is the original version of a free program for communicating by phone over the Internet on Windows. It serves as a full-fledged Internet phone with which you can not only hear each other, but also make video calls. In addition, it is possible to call landlines and mobile phones.

Dropbox is a popular Windows client application for accessing cloud file storage and synchronizing data between different devices. You no longer have to think about copying files to a flash drive in order to transfer data from office computer on a home laptop. Now you can open your documents from anywhere in the world, at any time!

Yandex.Disk – free application For Windows computer, which allows you to organize and automate the synchronization of user data between a local device and a remote server. Through Yandex.Disk, you can manage any files in the Yandex cloud storage, download them to your computer, view them in your default programs, and share them with other people.

Google Chrome is a browser that is extremely popular on the Internet, as it was created by the transnational corporation Google. Today, computer users simply need to have access to the Internet and, accordingly, a practical, convenient and fast browser.

Mozilla Firefox is a popular, free browser for browsing the Internet. A new version contains a number of improvements and fixes so that you can work on the Internet even more efficiently and securely. The creators of the browser have provided many effective changes, and now you can browse the Internet even faster and more efficiently.

TeamViewer is a free Windows program that allows you to remote control computer via the Internet. This is one of the most popular utilities for such purposes. In literally a matter of seconds, the program will provide you with a visual connection to your computer from anywhere in the world. You can download the program for free in Russian using a direct link from our website.

Zona is a popular free program for downloading movies, music, and other files via torrent. The program has many useful functions and has a number of advantages over its analogues. The main difference between this client is its own, constantly updated database of films and music, where you can always find and download the file you need.

Free Download Manager is a free functional assistant that simplifies and speeds up downloading files to your computer from the Internet. After installation, the program automatically integrates into almost any browser and now, when the user clicks on a link to download a file, the download begins not using the browser, but directly in this program. See the full review and download the program from our website for free.

Download Master is a powerful free program for downloading files to your computer in Russian, also called a download manager. A convenient, fast and most importantly efficient downloader, which has become the most popular on the Internet, and has remained so for many years.

WebcamMax is a free program in Russian that allows you to add many effects to the image from your webcam when communicating. The program can be used with any messenger that has a video call function: Skype, ICQ, MSN and others. Both built-in laptop cameras and USB cameras are supported. In addition, WebcamMax can work without a camera at all, processing any media file or image from the computer screen as a signal source.

uTorrent is the most popular computer program that is used as the main client for downloading media files around the world. This is the first free application for Windows that was created for this purpose. It works with files with the *.torrent extension, which you provide to it to download the necessary information.