While many people don't think of Safari as an open source browser, it is based on the same open source WebKit rendering engine found in Google Chrome, and depends on improvements to WebKit to stay competitive. In fact, it's a good example of how polished a hybrid application--straddling the open source and proprietary software arenas--can become. Safari is the browser of choice for many Mac users, and if you're one of them, TheAppleBlog has some truly great tips for customizing and supercharging it. You can find out about full screen browsing, how to enhance Safari with the free Glims extension, easy ways to block annoying ads, and more. Check out the tips found here, and here.

Apple's open source browser Safari doesn't always get the love it deserves. That's probably because in its original state, Safari isn't as inviting as Mozilla's Firefox browser with all its native bells and whistles. Nevertheless, Safari has a cadre of loyal fans.

Productivity is the buzzword these days so if your browser of choice can't help you power through your to-do list each day, then it's not very useful. If you've been lukewarm over Safari because you think using it will impede your workflow, then try these handy productivity add-ons before giving up on the Apple browser altogether.

Foxmarks has long been beloved by Firefox users who use it to synchronize Firefox bookmarks and passwords for various devices. Recently, the Foxmarks team also added support for the Internet Explorer and Safari browsers. Now, the Foxmark folks are changing the name to Xmarks, and adding many new capabilities. Among the chief new additions is the ability to suggest sites to you based on your own usage data. You visit a web site, click the Xmarks icon and get a list of five suggested sites similar to the one you are browsing. You can also get additional site information on your Google search results. Check out JKOnTheRun's thoughts here.