Web browsers are our windows to the Internet. They enable us to navigate about the Internet with ease and they help secure us and protect our privacy when we conduct online transactions.
The most popular browser by far is Internet Explorer by Microsoft Corp. Included with every version of the Windows operating system, this ubiquitous browser has unfortunately become the subject of criticism and attack in the past several years. It was even a focal point in the highly publicized antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft.
Problems arose when Microsoft decided that it was in everyone's best interest to integrate the Web browser with Windows and not charge extra for it. Initially, this seemed to make sense, since more and more applications were becoming Web-based. Having the operating system and a free Web browser integrated meant that you could seamlessly move from Windows-based applications to Web-based applications on the fly and without a hitch.
Unfortunately, because of the tight integration, Internet Explorer couldn't be removed without dramatically affecting early versions of Windows. While it was still possible to use an alternative browser under Windows, some users felt that it was unfair not to have had a choice of an alternate Web browser during the installation of the operating system.
Alternative browsers
These days, alternative Web browsers abound. With Internet Explorer subject to negative publicity due to security flaws and patches that seemingly appear on a regular basis, Web surfers are beginning to look toward substitute browsers that offer the same speed and ease of use of Internet Explorer, while still providing the high degree of security, privacy controls and functions necessary for conducting online transactions and protecting user privacy.
One such browser is Netscape Navigator. Currently in Version 7.2, Navigator offers enhanced security and is available as a no-cost download. With numerous security and privacy features, Navigator includes a pop-up blocker, junk-mail controls and a built-in e-mail client for sending and retrieving e-mail messages from your Internet service provider or Web-based e-mail accounts. This means you can quickly summon your e-mail while surfing the Web, even when it comes from several different e-mail accounts.
Another free open-source alternative browser is Mozilla. Currently in Version 1.7.2, Mozilla is available for Windows, Linux and Mac OS X and, like Netscape, offers fast HTML rendering, pop-up blockers, junk-mail controls and integrated e-mail and chat clients. A cautionary note however: Setting up your e-mail client to send and retrieve e-mail will require you to have some intimate knowledge of your e-mail account settings from your Internet service provider. This would include the address of the server for sending outgoing mail (SMTP server) as well as for the server for downloading your incoming e-mail messages (POP or IMAP server).
While not exactly 100% free, another popular browser alternative for Windows, Linux and Macintosh users is Opera by Opera Software ASA. Available for around $39 (for the version without the advertising banner), Opera is a very fast browser that includes a pop-up blocker, an integrated Google search engine, an e-mail client with spam killer, an RSS reader and an Internet Relay Chat-compatible chat program, to name just a few features.
Whatever browser you choose, it's important that you read its accompanying documentation and help files carefully to ensure that your security and privacy settings are correct for your needs.
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