Camino Editor's Review

'Camino' is a Web browser that combines two flavors: Mac OS X and Mozilla.

This browser uses the same engine that is implemented in the FireFox browser. This browser is a true Mozilla product. The result of the Acid2 test confirms that too.

This browser is a fast implementation of the Mozilla engine, Gecko. I am referring to the possibility to start this browser very quickly and to the Webpage's fast rendering speed. This is one of the fastest browsers for Mac OS X.

Most of the fast browsers that I tested on this Mac had issues. Some of them were poor implementations of the Apple engine and some weren't ergonomic at all. This browser has an efficient and highly customizable interface.

I was disappointed, when I found out that Camino doesn't have a session saving functionality. However, since Google is my friend, I found that there is a CaminoSession program, which enables that kind of functionality in Camino.

This browser doesn't have some features that Firefox does. Camino doesn't have the extension support, it doesn't support search plug-in, and it doesn't have an auto-completion feature for the text boxes on the Web pages that you visit.

However, you can find features like pop-up blocking. The notification is not very intuitive, so you have to be careful when you need to enable a requested pop-up.

The 'Preferences' panel is quite simple. It just gives you the minimal set of options that you need to customize the behavior of this browser. If you used Firefox before, configuring this panel won't be an issue at all.

Pluses: It's fast. It uses low resources. It's ergonomic and it's highly customizable.

Drawbacks / flaws: It doesn't have a session saving functionality, by default. It doesn't have a good auto-completion feature. Opening links that target into a new window open a new window of the browser, instead of just opening a new tab inside the browsing window that you currently use.

In conclusion: If you want a really fast browser and you can live without some features that you can find in Firefox, Opera, or OmniWeb, then Camino is a good option. It also provides a good user interface unlike other Mozilla products. Well, SeaMonkey, a Mozilla product, is a browser that isn't that customizable.

version reviewed: 1.0.3