1. Safari
1.1. Pros
1.1.1. built-in to the OS
1.1.2. doesn't have the kinds of security problems that plague IE on Windows
1.2. Cons
1.2.1. RSS feature not yet available (only in Tiger when it releases)
1.2.2. can apply skins and customize GUI using JavaScript "bookmarklets;" however, this is somewhat tedious to effect and limited in range
2. Opera
2.1. Pros
2.1.1. a new "free" version for education recently released, no ads
2.1.2. tabbed browsing, sessions, "wand" password manager, pop-up blocking
2.2. Cons
2.2.1. Downloading the education version involves filling out an application and waiting for a password from Opera. Tedious for testing purposes.
2.2.2. seems more secure than IE and Firefox; however, is this "security due to obscurity?
3. Firefox
3.1. Pros
3.1.1. intuitive and streamlined GUI; easy to apply skins and rearrange icons
3.1.2. smartNavigation in the address bar
3.2. Cons
3.2.1. trails IE greatly in overall market share
3.2.2. security issues on the increase due to accelerating popularity
4. Chrome
4.1. Pros
4.1.1. Whether it be lower memory consumption, fast page loading, useful extensions or a sleek and stylish look.
4.1.2. Like Firefox and Opera, Chrome also has the advantage of reaching out to a wide array of users across multiple kinds of operating systems like Windows, Linux and Mac.
4.2. Cons
4.2.1. The page loading problem which requires frequently refreshing pages (as is the case with Firefox 4) seems to have followed Chrome as well.
4.2.2. It appears that Chrome too often leads to the need of reloading pages on Windows.
5. Explorer
5.1. Pros
5.1.1. largest market share; March 2005 browser statistics list 63.8% for IE 6
5.1.2. only browser that works with Windows Updates (via web)
5.2. Cons
5.2.1. Mac development has CEASED - no cross-platform solution since IE 5
5.2.2. not completely standards based (ex. uses own version of code parsers -> different interpretation of Javascript and DHTML)