Safari the best overall browser for the Mac.
However, you can make it even better by taking advantage of a few simple plug-ins (add-ons).
The best source for Safari plug-ins is
PimpMySafari.com.
Because Safari lacks an open plug-in architcture, most Safari plug-ins require
SIMBL (Smart InputManager Bundle Loader) - pronounced like "symbol" or "cymbal".
This a "Mac Hack" that allows an easy and efficient way to implement a Safari plug-in.
A few of my favorite plug-ins:
- SafariTidy does HTML validation on any web page you visit.
- SafariSource color codes HTML tags when you do a view source.
- AdBlock is a Safari version of the famed plug-in by that name. This one does not require SIMBL.
Sometimes you want your browser window to be a specific size.
You can drag to resize the window, or you can create a bookmark using the following code as the address.
javascript:resizeTo(1366,1024);
I have several such bookmarks to test what sites look like in different browser window sizes.
The Safari browser has an optional Develop menu which includes a web inspector, the ability to control scripting, and other things.
You may want to activate the Develop menu in Preferences on the Advanced tab.
It can be useful for looking at more details behind a website.
Although Safari is a fine browser, it does have a few irritating omissions. Safari is missing:
- The ability to have a new link or search open in a tab without having to press the CMD key
- Multiple search engine selection options for the search bar
- A master password to control/use saved passwords
- A separator for links in a bookmarks bar folder
- An open plug-in architecture and manager
Maybe Apple will address these issues in a future release.