All the browsers are also producing better and better security features such as phishing and malware alerts, virus checking downloads and more, so your choice is probably going to come down to just two main things: speed and compatibility. So let's look at each of these.

Speed

After compiling data from several websites, and from our own experience, it seems that Webkit-based engines perform best overall for Javascript handling, in other words the Safari and Chrome browsers lead the field with Opera and Firefox and Internet Explorer just behind.

This means that, for most purposes you will probably be able to use any of the five main browsers and be pleased with their speed. But for the time being when fast execution is imperative, Chrome, Safari and Firefox have the edge, although that could change over the next six months. You should remember, of course, that even the fastest browser can be brought to a halt by poorly coded websites or congested servers and connections.

Compatibility

To compare the five main browsers we used the Acid 2 test sites, a web page written to help browser developers ensure proper support for web standards. All the browsers passed the test.

So what does this tell us? Well, if you're a regular web user and want the very best browsing experience then any of the browsers will probably suit you and produce well-rendered pages, although Firefox 3.5 is likely to display the best results. On the other hand, if you build the occasional web page then you'll definitely need to keep copies of Internet Explorer and at least one other browser to ensure your pages look good on both, while web developers are always going to need copies of all five browsers (and prior versions too).