How to choose your Web Browser?

There are millions of pages of information and entertainment available online. In order to maximize your Internet experience, you need to have a web browser that has the features and technologies that are appropriate for your operating system and your preferences.

There are several internet browsers available in the market that you can select from. However, while most browsers offer similar features, not all browsers are created equally. The best way to find the browser that will work best for you is to first narrow down the field to include only the browsers that will work with your operating system. Then try out a few of the top browsers from this list to see which one has the features and extensibility that you want and need.

Consider the following features when selecting an Internet browser:

• Security - protecting your computer from invasive attacks that can give an intruder access to your files, as well as protection from viruses and worms. To improve security on any browser, ActiveX controls should be turned off and browser warnings heeded before proceeding to a web page (if proceeding at all).
• Pop-up ad blocking is now built into all the major browsers. Most allow you to see pop-ups when you want to, but this feature varies in convenience.
• Tabbed browsing is available on most browsers. Tabbed browsing lets you open several browser windows at once, with the tab for each, so you can easily navigate among them.
• A download manager facilitates long downloads. If the download is interrupted, it can resume where it left off.
• RSS readers are now standard. An RSS reader helps you read and subscribe to weblogs and news services, whose content changes daily or even more often.
• A form filler makes it much more convenient to complete online forms. This feature will fill in common information on online forms, such as your name, phone number or e-mail address so that you don't have to type them out.
• A password manager can save your usernames and passwords. Most browsers, including Internet Explorer and Firefox, include a password manager.
• Group bookmark links can open an entire set of websites at one time.

Internet Explorer is the dominant player in the browser field with about 79% market share. A product of Microsoft, it offers a user interface that is similar to that offered by Windows Explorer. This internet browser has been designed for accessing a wide variety of web sites and content. Internet Explorer allows third parties to incorporate Browser Helper Objects and rich content into the design of their websites. Other valuable features offered by Internet Explorer include pop-up blockers and tabbed browsing capabilities. The main criticisms of this internet browser have focused on Internet Explorer's security problems. Microsoft is working hard to fix these problems, and they continue to provide security patches to Internet Explorer users.

Pros

• Largest market share;
• Only browser that works with Windows Updates (via web) Speedy browser for high majority of sites
• The "default" option when a site doesn't load properly (granted this is the site's fault, but still a plus for those who want/need to get there)

Cons

• Additional security attack surface area (ActiveX COM objects, spyware can easily pose as browser helper objects, "trusted sites" which don't exist on other browsers can be infiltrated by phishing)
• No tabbed browsing
• Not completely standards based (ex. uses own version of code parsers - different interpretation of Javascript and DHTML)
• No popup blocking for Win2k or XP SP1 users
• Large volume of cases on campus in which an IE user had so much spyware the machine/connection ground to a halt (often requiring a reformat) - downtime removing spyware or backing up data and formatting

Firefox is an internet browser that works with just about any operating platform including: Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows. This graphic browser offers a great selection of features. Firefox pioneered tabbed browsing, which was recently picked up by Internet Explorer. This browser also offers integrated download management, live bookmarking, incremental find using the Firefox toolbar, anti-phishing protection, and a dynamic search system. Because it's open source software, there is a vibrant community of developers actively improving the base software, and creating Firefox extensions to add new features to the browser. Firefox is rapidly gaining market share, mostly at the expense of Explorer.

Pros

• Speed - reported to be the fastest browser when it comes to download speed. Not only do programs and files download faster, but you get a record of all your downloads in the form of a table, so you can erase or move them at your convenience.
• Security - advanced security measures that protect your computer from spyware and even certain viruses. Popup blocker - stops almost 100 percent of popups.
• Tabbed browsing - Tabbed browsing allows you to open an unlimited number of pages in a single window, thus helping you organize your browsing.
• Embedded memory, which means that if your computer is turned off by mistake, Firefox® will remember which Internet pages you had open and offer to get them back for you.

Cons

• Compatibility issues - Some websites do not show properly in Firefox®, and require you to view them with IE. This includes pages with ActiveX and VBScript, both of which are not supported by Firefox®. Memory - takes a lot of memory to run. Even with an up-to-date computer, you may find that it becomes hard to run Firefox along with a couple of programs.
• Tends to freeze and close when too many tabs are open simultaneously, which is why Firefox® invested heavily in creating the recovery memory feature.
• Interrupted service - downloads cannot be resumed if interrupted. This may not be a big deal if you have DSL service, but those on a dial-up connection may have a lot of trouble with this. Firefox was actually designed for people using high-speed Internet, which means dial-up users can run into many problems along the way

Opera is another cross-platform browser like Firefox. However, this browser is more of an "internet suite" than a simple browser. It provides users with the tools and technology to perform a wide variety of internet related tasks like viewing web pages, searching the Internet, sending and receiving emails, conducting online chats, and even displaying the latest Widgets. Opera was developed to perform well on small systems and low-end computers. It also has integrated features that make it a great choice for people with visual and mobility impairments. Another great feature of Opera is its mobile version, Opera Mini. This free download allows Opera users to access this internet suite on their mobile devices.

Pros

• One product across platforms
• Very strict adherence to CSS/XHTML.
• A new "free" version for education recently released, no ads
• Tabbed browsing, sessions,
• "Wand" password manager,
• Pop-up blocking
• Mouse gestures.
• Voice activated browsing (Windows only).

Cons

• Downloading the education version involves filling out an application and waiting for a password from Opera.Tedious for testing purposes.
• GUI can easily become overwhelming and cluttered; provides lots of information and alternatives, but, So many choices as to prove frustrating and difficult to manage
• Has web developer tools extensions, but they are difficult to find, download, and access quickly. In general, Opera extensions are not nearly as easy to find, install and use as Firefox's.
• Small market share

Safari is a browser found on Apple Macintosh systems, but has recently been released for Windows too. It is a great browser that has been integrated into the Mac OS X operating platform. It has many of the same features as Internet Explorer and Firefox, including: QuickTime multimedia technology, a tabbed-browsing interface system, and internet searching tools. Safari uses Google as its main search engine, and it also offers users tools that automatically fill out web-based forms, manage passwords, check spelling, and block pop-ups. Safari is by far the most popular browser for Mac OS X systems, but people who use both Windows and Mac systems now have a choice between Safari and Firefox, since both offer a common interface and can share bookmarks.

Pros

• Highlighted text area/input
• Speed
• Softing and smoothing of fonts
• No borders on edges
• Import of bookmarks
• Bookmark organizer
• Dragging of tabs into new windows
• Dragging of links into new tabs
• Adding bookmarks is easy
• Resizable text areas

Cons

• Dragging bookmarks into new tabs deletes them
• Middle clicking bookmarks don't open them
• Middle clicking tabs doesn't close them
• Close button is on left side
• No status bar at bottom
• No setting for showing tabs when only one is open
• No hover label for buttons at top
• Right clicking sets off "onClick" javascript
• No integration of plugins
• Bookmark manager opens in the current tab
• No middle-click-drag scrolling