There are other browsers, however: Opera has been around for years and has a faithful following, and although Netscape bit the dust earlier this year, Safari is now available for Windows, too.
A less-known browser that might interest translators is Maxthon. It is offered in two Windows version (1.6, which is more stable, and 2.1, which is niftier), and has a functionality I have not found in any other browser: the possibility to display two different pages side by side.
I am often asked to test localized web pages. Using other browsers I have to switch from one tab to another (or in older browsers such as IE 6, from one instance of the browser to another).
With Maxthon, however, I can display two pages side by side in the same application Window (see for example, this screenshot of Beppe Grillo's blog in English and Italian).
Other uses could be displaying side by side two different online dictionaries or reference sites.
Maxthon is free to download and use (although paying customers get preferential technical assistance), and so far I've found it fast and reliable.
Update
Several commenters have pointed out that there are ways to split the screen in Firefox and other browsers as well. So far I've not been able to find a way to do it in Opera, but in Firefox it is as simple as adding the SplitBrowser add-on (thanks to Torsten).Another browser that offers split screen capability is Avant, which also claims to be "the fastest browser on Earth". I have not, however, tested it, as yet.
There is a similar function in Opera - as far as I remember you are allowed to resize tabs. There should also be an extension in FF to show windows side by side, but I actually do not know the name nor whether it is suppoerted by FF 3.0 ...
ReplyDeleteOkay, I found it. Look for the extensions SplitScreen oder SplitBrowser, at least the 2nd works wirh FF 3.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the interesting bit about arranging windows side by side in Maxathon. I use a freeware called FreeSnap to arranged Firefox windows side by side, and blogged about it here: http://honyakusha.blogspot.com/2008/05/freesnap-freeware-utility-for-sizing.html
ReplyDeleteMaxthon is based on Internet Explorer engine and is used extensively in China.
ReplyDeleteback to the core of the subject, I'm pretty sure it should be possible to have the same feature in Firefox. Maybe an add-on already exists.
• It won’t be wrong to say that the creation and the eventual booming of the IT world is because of the USA. This can be very well understood by the downward slope in the IT sector right after the slowdown in the US economy. A software company is one of the most important elements of the IT world and they are currently suffering major setbacks after these attacks in the US and have not been able to completely recover since. The IT sector received a blow not only in the US but also elsewhere in the globe.
ReplyDeleteMaxthon = Firefox + many many exts. So I better it than ff.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing, especially for extension for Firefox. Now will be easier to do a translation.
ReplyDelete