Which Internet Browser

Have Microsoft Gone Mad?
If you are running Windows (Win7 Vista or XP) and are using Internet Explorer you will or will already have received an automatic update which will give you the choice of other browsers.   This isn't Microsoft being magnanimous but a way of placating the European Parliament due to their long running anti-trust battles.   If you are already using another browser then this update is unlikely to appear.

What's on Offer?
There are two pages of browsers and I shall only be going through the first of these as the second page is Microsoft trying to pull the wool over peoples eyes with strange name browsers that are in fact Internet Explorer clones.   So the choices are Internet Explorer (of course), Firefox, Safari, Chrome and Opera.

What's the Difference?
The main "mechanical" difference between them is the rendering engine or the way content is displayed on your screen.   If you wish to read the nitty gritty then here is a BBC link which will explain in a bit more depth.   Microsoft Browser Ballot     It was agreed quite a while that there should be set standards for presenting web pages however Microsoft always did things their own way, while most other browsers follow the rules 99% of the time - Internet Explorer does not.   This meant a real headache for those that construct and maintain websites as they had to conform to different rules.   Occasionally you can still find a website usually constructed with Internet Explorer 6 in mind that simply wont render correctly in any other browser, perhaps even IE8.

What you Must Not Do!
Install Internet Explorer 6, it is old, riddled with security holes and is basically bad.   IE7 is better but if you insist on using Internet Explorer then Install IE8 which is a great improvement but is way down the list of browser excellence when it comes to speed, page rendering, security breaches etc etc etc.

Apple's Safari 4   Safari Web Page
In an Apple Mac due to it's tight integration into the Operating System it is a must have, that said in a Windows PC it is pleasant enough and has a good bit of "eye candy" but they are certainly not bashful in saying "These are the sites you visit most so let us display them".  Security is goodish and certainly quick to start but it is Apple pushing Apple so of course it has a corporate agenda.   Judgement - unnecessary on Windows - no native Linux version (bad). 


Opera   The Opera Web Page
I really hope this gives Opera a chance to shine as it is the one browser that follows ALL the rules, is quick and nimble and has many very interesting features such as connecting to your home machine (if it's on) and looking at the Photos or listening to your music via this browser.  It may have a fraction of the browser market but it deserves better.   Judgement - give it a go.

Chrome   The Chrome Web Page 
This is Google's offering and after their debacle with the "Buzz" social network I treat most things from Google with suspicion.   Chrome is a minimalist browser therefore quite fast although at first glance it is a little alien.   In some respects this is going to be the basis of the Google Chrome Operating System which will be integrated into all your google features such as Gmail, Google Docs, Google Maps etc.   In my humble opinion it just seems a little unfinished however it does have an expanding fan base mainly because of it's simplicity.  Another one you could have a go at if your bored.

Mozilla Firefox    The Firefox Web Page 
To my mind Firefox is still the best Web Browser out there.  It is the most secure as fixes are you usually found to problems within days of being found.   You can customise it no end and for geeks like me you can even get into it's coding.   The number of add-ons you can get thrashes all the others but beware, the more add-ons the slower it becomes and the more likely it is to crash.   It doea not start the quickest but once up and running it is fast as the others at rendering a page.   I treat Firefox as my everyday work horse on any and all operating systems even though it has become a little big and bloated it is nothing when compared with Internet Explorer.   This is the one browser I would say you must have on any Computer even if you prefer to use another simply due to it's adaptability.

Internet Explorer 8
I know that you know that I am not a Microsoft fan but why, oh why, oh why did they for so many years churn out this insecure and bad designed and rule breaking browser?   Simple answer - no competition, if there was they squashed it (ie Netscape from which the Phoenix of Firefox arose).   Now they have some competitors they have made a real effort to improve but in my and many others opinions they have not done enough - yet.   If you have Windows you have IE, just make sure you have IE8 but make any of the others your default browser.

Mobile Browsers
With so-called smart phones sauch as the iPhone or the Androids of this world new small browsers are coming out and really there is only one to recommend and that is Opera Mini.  You can download it from here...  Opera Mini Download.

I know there are many, many others, one of my favourites is Sea-Monkey, but that is the point, try them and see which one you get on with the best.   There are those who will use nothing else other than IE and there are some that use Dillo.   So browse the browsers and tell me which you prefer.