Like almost every one of you, I get a regular “Apple Software Update” due to my ITunes installation. I got a little surprise today when the Apple update said it had Safari ready to install.  Safari?  On my PC?  What’s next, dogs and cats living together in peace and harmony?

Normally, I’d start off railing about this.  I hate it when software update functions, which I generally consider intrusive and unnecessary, try to install software other than that which they are professing to maintain.  I think back to the days of RealPlayer attempting to install all manner of crap on my drive.

But I’m now basking in the glow of Iphone-goodness.  I have embraced the light as it were.  In fact, I am considering limiting the number of buttons on my next computer’s mouse to one.  So I go light on them, this time.

I’ve been surprised they haven’t taken this step before.  Until now, the Apple Updater has pretty much stuck to the task at hand, handling the myriad of updates to Itunes in the background, in the hopes that I won’t notice that they send upgrades more often than I change my socks.   Honestly, if Microsoft did this, we’d be out with the pitchforks and torches, storming Castle Gatesenstein.  But we aren’t. In fact, very few seem to have commented on the issue (David Churbuck caught it though…), although Cnet did take them to task over an item in their license which would require you to only use Safari on a Apple machine.

Yet another Browser to Check?  Thanks…

So what do I think of Safari?  I’ve been using it for the past two weeks on my IPhone, so I guess I’m predisposed to liking it, but the truth is, I settled on Firefox with IE7 as a backup a long time ago.  As a web guy, I truly hate the idea of *YET ANOTHER BROWSER TO TEST* and I doubt that the IE version is that close to the characteristics of the Apple version of the browser that I can confidently use it to say “Yup, your site works in Safari.”

Yes, I’ll use Safari, but only rarely, or only if there is a compelling reason, such as some killer feature or software that I can’t get in Firefox.  And frankly, I use some of my Firefox extensions so much that if you don’t have extensions, and not only that, equal or better extensions, you won’t make it as my browser.

I think back to IE7, which promised extensions.  I downloaded their web developer-type extension, and it seemed like I’d opened visual studio.  The tool was nothing like my FF web developer tool which I use more than my telephone.

Browsers are tools, not consumer goods.  I’m not going to swap browsers just because a new one appeared on my desktop, any more than I would ditch a working wrench in my tool box.

This might be decent marketing, as it’s gotten me to try and write about their browser, but they’ve used up some capital here, to almost no gain.  As a techie, I get easily annoyed by this.  As a marketer, I wish I had that option for dispersing products…