6 alternative browsers

Internet Explorer, Firefox* and Safari lead the market, but there are other browsers out there for PC and Mac users. Which are better from these 'lesser-known' browsers?

ComputerWorld has come out with an excellent article which puts these 'lesser-known' browsers out for a spin and see how they do. The browsers compared were :

• Camino (for the Mac)
• Maxthon (for the PC)
• OmniWeb (for the Mac)
• Opera (both the Mac and PC versions) **
• Shiira (for the Mac)
  

Short introduction to those browser.

• Camino - An open-source browser based on Mozilla's Gecko rendering engine, is clearly designed to be a simple, easy-to-use, yet fully functional browser. With a look and feel very similar to Safari and Firefox, almost anyone will find it easy to work with in seconds.

• Maxthon - If you're looking for a browser that bristles with power features, and don't mind a somewhat unattractive interface and some confusing configuration, then Maxthon is the browser for you. It's got just about every feature built into competing browsers. Power users will love it. Those who like sleek design will turn away.

• OmniWeb - OmniWeb has been around longer than Mac OS X, dating back to the NeXT platform of the 1990s. OmniWeb has always been an excellent citizen of technologies specific to the NeXT -- and later, OS X -- platform, and the polish shows through in even minor details.

• Opera - Opera is a Windows-based browser that has been ported to many different platforms, including most Unix variants such as Mac OS X and Linux/FreeBSD/Solaris; cell phone operating systems, including Windows Mobile, PalmOS, BlackBerry OS. But despite its ubiquitous nature, Opera has so far only captured 2% of the browser market.

• Shiira - Shiira is a relatively new entrant to the Mac Web browser market. Like Apple's Safari and Google's Chrome, Shiira is based on WebKit.

Further Reading : Neowin, ComputerWorld

Short Notes
* = My previous default browser

** = Current default browser! It's the best! Try it!