What is a Browser?
Surfing the web is made possible by Web browsers. Browsers are basically software programs that allow you to search for and view various kinds of information on the Web, such as web sites, video, audio, etc.
 Firefox 2
The award-winning Web browser is now faster, more secure, and fully customizable to your online life. With Firefox 2, they ’ve added powerful new features that make your online experience even better.
Firefox is a browser designed from scratch to be secure, fast and customisable. It is the safest browser available, as it doesn’t contain many of the more obvious vulnerabilities that IE has, such as ActiveX components so often used to install spyware on IE-users’ machines. Most importantly, Firefox is still under very active development by a huge community of volunteer coders. If a vulnerability is found, it is corrected and an update made available in days, sometimes hours. This means Firefox cannot fall into the same trap that IE did - receiving no updates for years and having its various security holes get exploited by thousands of hackers and virus writers.
Firefox uses the same powerful rendering engine (code named Gecko) which is found in all Mozilla products. This means it has superb support for all those things we web developers love. Its rendering is accurate and fast, and it has advanced stylesheet support up the proverbial ‘wazoo’. DOM support is present and accounted for.
Firefox has an open architecture which allows the installation of themes and extensions. Themes, like ‘skins’ in many other applications, give the browser a whole new look. Extensions are even better - anyone can write one to make the browser do something special, like check your Gmail account when you open the browser, or block all ads. Head to » Mozilla update to load up on extensions. Of particular use to any webmaster is the » web developer toolbar, which is essential.
All that is obviously really great, but the things that you’ll notice first about Firefox are features like tabbed browsing which reduces your desktop clutter by keeping all of your open webpages within one Firefox window. Firefox was also the first browser to offer popup blocking by default. Once you’ve used either of these features, you will not ever want to go back.
 Netscape Navigator 7
Netscape Navigator 7 is almost entirely based on the Mozilla suite, with some Netscape branding thrown in on top. As such it’s also an excellent browser, mail program, IRC client and HTML editor, but the Mozilla suite will be more regularly updated so I’d advise you to go for that.
 Internet Explorer 7
Internet Explorer 7 is the most secure version of Internet Explorer to date and now it’s easier to install. You can download the latest version for free.
It helps to protect you from viruses, spyware, and other risks, plus more easily find the information you need. It's also installed with many keyboard shortcuts that make manuevering easier. You can download a complete list of these shortcuts off Microsoft's website.
Version 7 introduced Tab Browsing, which opens your desktop with more room to work other programs. It also features Quick Tabs, Tab Groups, Streamlined Interfacing, Advanced Printing, an Instant Search Box, RSS Feeds and Page Zoom. This newest version serves the user very well.
 Opera
Opera Software’s browser is a really good piece of work. Billing itself as “The fastest browser on Earth!”, it is a free browser (supported by a branding banner at the top, which you can pay to get rid of) with excellent standards support.
Why Opera? Safe, secure, powerful and fully customizable, the Opera Web browser is faster and more secure than other browsers available on the market. Opera delivers robust security and a far-richer feature set than any other Web browser and it's free.
Opera is the Web pioneer that delivered tabbed browsing in 2000, and Opera 9.2 features lots of other great tricks for quick navigation, including Speed Dial, a quick way to put all of your favorite daily sites at your fingertips. You can also take, save and trade Notes attached to any Web site while browsing, or Create Search shortcuts from any search field on the Web. Opera 9.24 is super fast and free, secure and stable, and offers lots of great tools for Web Developers.
Whether you're going to work, working from home, developing Web sites, or just looking for a quick, solid browser that can help you quickly access the Internet, the free Opera Web browser delivers a superior Internet experience for every aspect of your online life, with lots of extra tech tools for power users! Opera 9.2 is free to download.
Opera started out as a research project in Norway's largest telecom company, Telenor, in 1994, and branched out into an independent development company named Opera Software ASA in 1995. Opera Software develops the Opera Web browser, a high-quality, multi-platform product for a wide range of platforms, operating systems and embedded Internet products.
Opera's vision is to deliver the best Internet experience on any device. Opera's key business objective is to earn global leadership in the market for PC/desktops and embedded products. Opera's main business strategy is to provide a browser that operates across devices, platforms and operating systems, and can deliver a faster, more stable and flexible Internet experience than its competitors.
Back to Top of Page |
