Camino, the Mac Browser that Did (and Could Again)
Mac.Ars looks at the browser which ruled the roost on Mac OS X before Apple released their Safari browser.
Classically, Mac users have been extremely picky about the UI -- just look at some of the arguments over Safari's "brushed metal" look, for example. For the longest time, Camino had it all over Mozilla, OmniWeb, and Internet Explorer because it had Gecko rendering and native Apple widgets. Even now with its development having lagged, I prefer Camino to Firefox. Camino seems more responsive, and it's the little things in Firefox like non-Aqua drop-down menus that make me cringe. Moreso than Windows and Linux users, Mac users tend to expect the consistency that has been the Apple ideal. And while the code under the hood may be messier, Gecko rendering beats KHTML handily.
Safari may have the mindshare and lock-in, and Firefox may have the convenient shared foundation with the other Mozilla products, but if Camino regains its momentum -- as it seems well on its way toward -- it stands a chance of becoming the premier Mac browser. I think it can be more competitive than Firefox for the Mac faithful, so long as it is given its chance to thrive. Attaboys go to Mike Pinkerton and his fellow stalwarts.