Chicago (IL) - The latest beta of the WebKit engine that runs beneath Apple’s Safari and other browsers has achieved 100/100 score in the Acid3 test, which means that the Safari 4 beta has reached a significant milestone in terms of web standards compliance. Opera closely follows Safari while Microsoft's Internet Explorer versions score the lowest marks.

The Acid3 test is generally considered as a benchmark to determine how well a web browser follows web standards and at least as of now, Safari 4 beta is the most compliant browser. To pass the test, a browser has to use default settings, the animation has to be smooth, the score has to end on 100/100, and the final page has to look exactly, pixel by pixel, like the reference rendering. Beta versions of Safari's WebKit and Opera's Presto engines hit the two of the three conditions, a 100/100 score and matching the reference rendering, back in March.

"Now, thanks to recent speedups in JavaScript, DOM and rendering, we have passed the third condition, smooth animation on reference hardware," WebKit’s Maciej Stachowiak wrote in a blog post today. The test was run on 2.4 GHz MacBook Pro machine.

The WebKit team said that the perfect score is a result of the fast layout engine and optimizations relating to the Document Object Model (DOM) and JavaScript engine, which we described in detail yesterday.


Safari and Opera lead the pack, IE falls behind

WebKit's achievement leapfrogs all other current browsers that have yet to pass the Acid3 test. For example, Opera 9.52 ends up at 84 points, Safari 3.1.2 at 75 points and Firefox 3.0.2 at 71 points. IE7 shows 14 points and the second beta of IE8 21 points.

Opera's Presto engine hits 99 points, Firefox Gecko 87 and the latest Chrome beta 79.

Mobile browsers generally achieve lower marks due to constrained resources that limit the software’s JavaScript performance and layout engines. Opera Mini leads in this segment with 79 points, followed by Safari (part of iPhone 2.1) with 74 points and the Netfron browser (11). Microsoft's Pocket Internet Explorer that ships with Windows Mobile lacks JavaScript support and cannot run the Acid3 test.

IE8's low score is somewhat of a surprise, since Microsoft repeatedly said that IE8 will strictly adhere to standards so that web developers will not have to tweak their code in order to address differences in how IE renders a web page. IE8's low Acid3 score creates some doubt, but Microsoft has still some time to improve its software until it will be shipping the IE8 final.


How important is the Acid3 score?

Being the first to pass the Acid3 test completely, WebKit has raised the stakes of the game, which may prompt rivals to optimize their JavaScript and layout engines and comply with web standards. The more browsers render pages the same way, the less code tweaking is required to tailor a page for a particular browser. In an ideal world, this trend should result in faster browsers and nicer web pages with fewer errors. DOM and JavaScript optimization are key to pass the Acid3 test completely. JavaScript performance gains translate into smoother and more responsive user interfaces in web applications we use every day. If JavaScript performance increases, we should see many more desktop-like web applications in the future.

You can test your own browser by clicking on this Acid3 test link. To test the latest WebKit-based Safari 4 beta, grab the nightly build and then run the test.

I do not know any website which would not work with IE

Sep 26, 2008 11:36     

This is such a BS. I am still not sure what is this test all about.
ie report abuse vote down vote up Votes: -35

100% compliant and insecure

Sep 26, 2008 11:56     

Most of the reason that Acid fails on IE is due to IE's restriction of unsigned and embedded code. However since Safari lets any code run regardless of what it is doing.. it gets 100% on being the biggest security hole out there Bravo Apple for again making an insecure POS to push on your users!!! I also agree with the poster above, I have yet to find a website or page that does not render properly on IE,... but how strange that I cannot get some simple pages to render right in Safari..

Apple in general report abuse vote down vote up Votes: -30

re

Sep 26, 2008 12:30     

Guys, when coding web sites you have no idea how annoying it is to have to keep on including special code just in case someone uses IE, a browser which is horrible with following *standards* -- and this has absolutely NOTHING with allowing 'any code to run regardless'. I indeed have seen properly coded sites that, for example, looked perfect in Firefox or Safari but would look like garbage in IE. Safari is compatible. If you code anything like Javascript just going by the standards you can be guaranteed that Safari will be the most likely browser to render it properly. And by the way, IE is the one with all the security holes and exploits. Have you ever seen a Mac with Safari get a virus?

jj report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +16

i've seen sites

Sep 26, 2008 12:31     

that will only open if you use firefox(which i don't) and i see that as some attempt at hijacking. but competition is good. let's wait and see when all explorers are out of betas and finished and see which is the safest
Jonas report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Internet explorer

Sep 26, 2008 12:42     

Internet Explorer shows all webpages properly because webmasters around the world know it's the most used browser out there and they tweak pages so that IE can display them properly. Also, webmasters don't use features found in Acid 3 precisely because they know most users won't be able to use them (due to IE's lack of commitment to standards). So basically, it's a test for the future web.
Baka_toroi report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +5

Now if they could just stopped wrongfully installing it...

Sep 26, 2008 12:49     

Nice to know they're compliant with web standards, now if they could just be compliant with some form of ethical standards. I have seen more update prompts for QuickTime in recent months than I have in all my years (which is fairly significant). Everytime they try and sneak in a little check box area (checked by default of course) about installing Safari at the same time. Everyone I brought this up to at work was surprised to find that sure enough, Safari was installed on their systems and they had no idea when or how it got there, but do remember accepting "updates" to Quicktime and/or iTunes over the past couple of months.

Nick B. report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

RE: I do not know any website which would not work with IE Sep 26, 2008 11:36

Sep 26, 2008 13:18     

I have had to break code that should work, just to get IE to render it even remotely correct. You should not have to write code simply to get it to work on any browser. That is the whole point of standards. For example, imagine if math was based on some type of country incompatibility... and Microsoft's way World at large: 2 2=4 US: if (northern_state) 2 2=4 else if (southern_state) 2 2=7 // and don't you forget it you heathens else 2 2=(GOP) ? 6 : 4 Microsoft: 2 2=5 //web developers need to catch when 2 2=5 and redo the code to make it appear to be 4. I get to see all sorts of wonderful things checking for many different versions of ie and other browsers and how all of our styles are redefined just to make one page look the same on all broswers. THAT IS WRONG! It should be, this is the way the page is defined and should look; broswers that don't do it correctly should be fixed!

Malkav report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +8

@jj

Sep 26, 2008 13:42     

I guess you forget about the Pwn2Own contest that hackers owned a Mac Book Air running OS X in 2 minutes on the first day before Vista or Linux. Guess how they owned it? It was Safari.
afstech report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +1

I have to agree with the first comment

Sep 26, 2008 14:14     

I use, and really like opera but quite often I run into a page that just does not work correctly with Opera. I then use FF to open it (not IE) but this always work. Opera works almost all the time but it still works slightly less than FF despite this high Acid3 test score.
Ryan report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +1

Quick question

Sep 26, 2008 14:21     

I am not really to familiar with the Acid tests, but I was wondering if someone could cite specific examples (actual websites) that either work or don't work in various browsers when the other browsers work just fine. I use IE 6&7 and Chrome at work and use Safari and Firefox at home and I have yet to find a site that doesn't work in one, but does in another.
Ted report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +1

test score mean nothing.

Sep 26, 2008 14:28     

It's not like everyone is going to re-write all the web pages when there is a new standard out there or that safari can do "standard" Most web site out there are still full of patched codes to work with IE....And I don't see anyone planing on updating all of them soon... Who care standard or not or whatever language it's written or what. As long as my browser can see the page correctly....that's all users care. And I definatelly don't care how much work you put in to twist code to work with IE...it's all transparent to the users.

andy report abuse vote down vote up Votes: -15

It's about...

Sep 27, 2008 08:46     

"This is such a BS. I am still not sure what is this test all about." What this test is about is to create a web where EVERY browser works. As it is, many sites are written to ONLY work with IE - which is bad for consumers. Microsoft has managed to convince a big portion of the market that IE is the only thing that matters - which is why my bank site, for example, doesn't work with any browser but IE. If Microsoft ever follows through on its promises to use web standards, the era of sites that only work on Windows will end. That would be incredibly good for the industry.

Joe report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +6

apple is a big scam

Sep 27, 2008 09:17     

the safari browser is so insecure that its not even worth mentioning anymore. i wouldn't do bank stuff on apple browser. trust me. workers will say otherwise
boycott apple report abuse vote down vote up Votes: -33

Work on security FIRST!

Sep 27, 2008 09:51     

Webkit is insecure as-is. Apple should be working on security before conforming to web "standards", but their arrogance won't allow them to. IE is "the standard" because the vast majority of people use and support it, despite what the W3C would say. Apple software won't be allowed to grace my Windows PC. I'll be waiting for IE8.
Waethorn report abuse vote down vote up Votes: -14

Microsoft will ALWAYS be Microsoft

Sep 27, 2008 09:56     

"i wouldn't do bank stuff on apple browser. trust me." Is this meant to be a paradox?! Trust you but not Apple?! Unless Microsoft is not the leader of a category or industry, they never look to join a party; they others to pay to join theirs. Even when they're not the leader, as in WMV, Zune, 360/HD-DVD, Silverlight, etc., they still try to force their agenda. I wouldn't trust Microsoft with a bucket of dirt! /

D9 report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +5

Really

Sep 27, 2008 16:38     

"Webkit is insecure as-is. " Then maybe you can explain why there are tens of millions of zombie WIndows computers out there - mostly due to Internet Explorer - and not a single known zombie Mac caused by Safari security flaws? Sure, all the Apple bashers will complain that it's due to lack of market share - but with 7% share of web browser hits (by the latest check) or around 4-5% market share, there ought to be hundreds of thousands of Mac zombies out there if Safari is as insecure as IE. So where are they?

Joe report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +5

What is just heeeeelarious is to actcually take any...

Sep 27, 2008 16:59     

What is just heeeeelarious is to actcually take any MS waterboy's comments about security & MS seriously.
JS report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +7

"I do not know any website which would not work wit...

Sep 27, 2008 17:20     

"I do not know any website which would not work with IE Sep 26, 2008 11:36 This is such a BS. I am still not sure what is this test all about." Pretty much sums up windows users.
Splif report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +3

IE and Dreamweaver

Sep 27, 2008 23:56     

Dreamweaver CS3 includes some nice code (Spry) for setting up horizontal and vertical menus with optional sub menus. Every browser I have tested Spry with (both Mac and PC) renders these menus perfectly. However, I can't find any version of IE that will render them correctly. Also Dreamweaver code is full of conditional code to work around IE bugs.
Just Some Guy report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +6

Wow! This sucker is fast! I've done all of my surfi...

Sep 28, 2008 10:34     

Wow! This sucker is fast! I've done all of my surfing, banking, etc. with Safari for years now, and I've never encountered a single security issue-I don't know who these 'workers' are, but for people that want to do these activities online, Safari is a good choice. I'm really curious to see what the new history tree will be like. Good work guys. :)
Jamie report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +5

Firefox ?

Sep 28, 2008 15:33     

I'm very happy that the to see so many browsers info in this article, but hey, why Firefox is not mentioned in this article and anything related to it. I'd like to know what browser is faster: New opera, Safari 4 or Mozilla Firefox 3. And the Acid test the same way.
Thetruthrevealer report abuse vote down vote up Votes: -2

web programming

Sep 29, 2008 15:50     

If all sites render right on IE it's just because web designer mess up with lots of bugs to handle it. And it really means lots of HOURS lost which could be used to add functionality.
lepre report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Safari 4

Nov 16, 2008 18:17     

It shows webpages more correctly and is not making my machine slow when there is too many animated commercials on the site at the same time. Keep up the good work!
Lars report abuse vote down vote up Votes: -1

I'm a Web Designer.....and I hate IE

Jan 21, 2009 23:47     

This test proves exactly everything I've ever encountered when it comes to problems when designing websites. I have had many a site work fine in Firefox 3 (and 2 for that matter), Opera, Safari, Chrome, and, get this, Firefox 0.8!!!!!!!!!! But IE 7, that is the 7th version, won't create it correctly (all I wanted was a border on top of a link on hover :( Looking at the test results, it follows along with exactly that. IE is crap as proven by many tests (done by professional companies as well as general users) in standards compliance, security, and speed (how long can it take to open a bloody tab anyways?!?!?!?). Firefox is the best browser currently b/c of speed and add-ons with Opera as a close second. IE SUCKS!!! (and the world should be ridden of the discgrace to modern technology)

Bob report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +2

Gorbovsky

Feb 24, 2009 11:47     

Safari isn't first browser that hit 100 in acid3 test Opera 10.0.alpha - public alpha with Presto 2.2 - hit 100 / 100 at december 08 - http://my.opera.com/desktoptea...ha-is-here
Gorbovsky report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +1

Safari in Top gear.

Feb 24, 2009 13:29     

Safari 4 is breaking all the records due to Nitro engine instead of JavaScriptCore (based on KDE’s JavaScript engine named KJS)One more interesting fact is that Safari 4 is supported upto Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard Safari 4 Supported up to Snow Leopard 150 New Features.
KingofSwing report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Correction!!!

Feb 24, 2009 22:08     

Opera 10 alpha was the first browser to hit 100% score in Acid3 test. [Opera 9.63, still unable to achieve anything above 85. It even says "FAIL" in upper-case in the upper-left corner. :) -Editor]
none report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0