[robrecord]

Check out the Inspector in the new Safari. It can now do most of what Firebug can do. It has a console and the abilty to edit css and html attributes in 'real time'.

[accident]

@InvalidScreen

bq. Session management is key for me. The ability to automatically open all the tabs from a previous browsing session. I don't see this in Safari

In the menu bar, History>Reopen All Windows From Last Session (it's been there since Safari 3)

Adblock:
Try Safari Adblock or SafariBlock (both free)

Firebug:
Try the built-in Web Inspector, it's really quite powerful (you need to enable the Developer Menu for that)

@other people complaining about missing features or UI flaws:
Send your feedback to Apple, that's what a beta is for.

FlashBlock
ClickToFlash (still in development, but stable and generally good) ? free

Foxmarks
has been available for Safari for a while now ? free

Most of the features that people are complaining about (tabs on top etc.) can be reversed with a quick copy and paste in Terminal. The missing progress bar seem like a mistake because it's still listed as one of Safari's 150 features on Apple's site.

[machwh]

Should you need to go back to Safari 3, it's one using the uninstaller supplied with the Safari 4beta installer:

http://www.markwhead...f-safari-4beta/

Mark Wheadon

[robogobo]

@accident
Thanks for all those suggestions, especially sending feedback. I didn't know there was Adblock for Safari, and I have no idea what Firebug is for, but I'll try it. As for the Session management, does Safari allow saving multiple sessions? Session Manager for Firefox is really amazing in that respect.

I did find a new preference (maybe it was there before?) that enables a status bar at the bottom of a window, much like Firefox's. It at least lets you know what's going on when a page hangs. But there really should be some kind of progress indicator. We've been ridiculing Apple about that ever since OS7's meaningless wristwatch.

[jgarden]

Button and tab placement are evolutionary changes at most.

Top Sites is just eye candy. If it qualifies as a top site, you've already got it bookmarked and you know what it looks like.

What I really like is Cover Flow in the History window. What an advantage to actually be able to see the pages you've visited, as opposed to searching through a list of cryptic urls and generic page titles.

I've never bothered much with cover flow in the Finder or iTunes, but here it makes a real difference.

[barstep]

I like it when Apple gives us free toys to play with - especially when they are as good as Safari 4.
The tabs at the top of the screen give me more viewing space, the speed is fabulous and cover flow for history makes browsing visited sites exciting instead of a chore.
Thanks Apple - did I hear someone complaining - surely not?

[Rugby]

us complaining noooooo, never. Seconds after the announcement some had already rated it - amazing really. Have used Safari since it came out, have Firefox (I DO like the plugin, update of plugins and Themes in Firefox) as a backup and occasional "help" but as a rule have no problems using just Safari.
Better then the super bloated Microsoft we "had" to use in the past (OK we did have Netscape also ; ) )

So far I enjoy the speed, and some of the new features (we'll see how useful they turn out to be in the long run). And yes the new tab system is different but it does give you some more screen space as pointed out here...

I'll see how the Win version behaves

[barstep]

Safari 4 has fixed a bug when using iGoogle Reader widget on OS X. In Safari 3, scrolling down the list used to also scroll the whole browser window slowly up - on my MacBook Pro but not my iMac G5. It doesn't do it in 4. Good fix

[MorrisTheCat]

jgarden said:

Button and tab placement are evolutionary changes at most.

Top Sites is just eye candy. If it qualifies as a top site, you've already got it bookmarked and you know what it looks like.

What I really like is Cover Flow in the History window. What an advantage to actually be able to see the pages you've visited, as opposed to searching through a list of cryptic urls and generic page titles.

I've never bothered much with cover flow in the Finder or iTunes, but here it makes a real difference.

Totally agreed on that point. I also don't really ever use Coverflow in iTunes or the Finder. But here, I think I've found a real use for this effect. Its so much more intuitive to visually inspect your history. We are visual creatures after all, and an image is much more memorable than the URL of that one page you're searching for from a week ago.

[ghayenga]

I disagree.

To me Top Sites is more than just eye candy. Yes, I have all these sites bookmarked. But most of them get updated at irregular intervals and I love being able to pick Top Sites and see which of my favorite sites has the little curled edge in the top right. That way I don't have to open every single site and look around and remember if I've already read the last entry, I can only open the sites that have been updated since I last read them.

[randall]

what a twitt, it is still Beta product - Like when Gmail went out for two hours! its Beta still, you have to accept it.

i know its annoying that you have to restart your system to install and Un-install, i was a little bit upset i had 45 days on my uptime clock :( .

Like the speed of it - its Epic - so so so quick - i use Safari on my Windows Box now at work as it more stable than Memory Hungry Firefox.exe.

Not sure about the Upside-down tabs, Dont like they are Variable sizes so no Click Click Click to close multi tabs. But apple must have come up with a shourtcut to do it, i just haven't found yet.

Where has the In Address Bar Blue Progress bar gone? sulk the spinner has no indication of loading time/wait time.

The 'Wall' of HOT ADDRESS' or whatever it is - what is it doing? it saves a screenshot of the last time you were on the page - i view secure email it saves Half the email in the screenshot, so another user could see what i have written (for instance). And its Very laggy (maybe its a Beta) - it Loads the screenshot - Fades in > to white > then Wait wait wait > BING up comes the website (bored of waiting) - shant be using it, as it brings nothing to safari for me - But - Someone might like it!!

Full page zoom! Magic - love it - Perfect for matching up pixel lines when im designing!!

Still Playing with it!

[doglesby]

The windows version also hides the menu bar by default. That one threw me for a loop because there is no other way to access the Restore All Windows from Previous Session feature or the Exit option (so you can quit Safari and still restore your session upon relaunch--something I don't think Chrome can do at all).

[NONfinis]

Trying out Safari 4 Beta now, and overall I'm liking it. One thing that I found surprising: I'm actually liking the tabs on the top. I really thought I wouldn't, and worried about being able to move around the window, but it's really not as difficult as I thought, and it does free up space in the browser window. It looks odd, and that will definitely take some time to get used to, but not too bad.
I do wish they'd bring back the blue progress bar though. I'm alright with the reload button in the progress bar (though probably prefer the old way), but the loading indicator was just so much more useful in Safari 3. It would give me an idea of just how much was left to load. Now I feel like I'm trapped in an infinite loop of the unknown. Small potatoes though, really.

[ghayenga]

Just run the following terminal commands to bring back the blue progress bar.

$ defaults write com.apple.Safari DebugSafari4IncludeToolbarRedesign -bool NO
$ defaults write com.apple.Safari DebugSafari4LoadProgressStyle -bool NO