Why I switch web browsers, and — perhaps — you should, too!
When it comes to web browsers, I’m a bit of a nomad; I tend to shift around a lot. Also, I use a particular web browser for a specific task. Obvious question, here: why? So here are few things I do, which you might find useful…
Work smart with web browsers
What, you’re using just the one web browser? Madness! It’s all about being efficient. I find it faster and easier to switch between applications than tabs, since there are more keyboard shortcuts for the former than there are for the latter.
Here’s a bunch of essential keyboard shortcuts for Mac and Windows.
So let’s say I’m cataloguing web pages in the not-so hush-hush project I’m working on, the Under Cloud. I have the web page open in Apple’s Safari — for example — and the Under Cloud open in Google Chrome, using the keyboard shortcuts to switch between the two, copying and pasting between the two (we’re working on an extension for Google Chrome, which would cut out the copy-paste thing).
Whether you’re on a Mac or Windows, switching between applications is simple (command+tab for Mac, and alt+tab on Windows).
I mostly use Safari for phpMyAdmin, to manage the databases for client and personal projects, whereas I tend to use Google Chrome for Pocket, doing research, and so on. I sometimes use Firefox Developer Edition for development and testing. But as I said, I’m a web browser nomad, so things can change (I was using Opera for a time).
Getting more from Google Chrome
If you are using Google Chrome (which a lot of people are, these days), and you use lots of tabs, as I do, I recommend you use the following extensions, both by Suspension Labs:
- Spaces, allows you to store windows containing tabs and load them when you need them. You can also assign a keyboard shortcut to bring up a dialogue listing your spaces (I use alt+space), which can navigate via the up and down arrow keys, and active via the return key.
- The Great Suspender, “pauses” tabs so they don’t take up tons of memory, which is a boon for active websites (web applications) such as Twitter or Facebook.
I hope you gleaned something new and / or useful from this minor excursion into my workflow…