Web Browser Choices
| Category: Home Based Business | Date: 2002-06-13 |
Many people, after they've connected to the World Wide Web, eventually find out that more than one way to look at it exists. They begin to wonder which one is best. As a Web professional, I deal with these differences daily and can give you my own perspective on this issue.
Currently, there are really only three major web browsers used to view the WWW. They are, in order of popularity, Microsoft's Internet Explorer, Netscape's Navigator, and Opera Software's Opera.
MS Internet Explorer
The latest version of this browser is 6.0, which was released shortly before Windows XP hit the market. By far the most popular of choices, this software comes standard with all Windows-based PCs and a somewhat scaled-down version comes with America Online as their built-in browser - though this version is somewhat lacking in performance when compared to the full version of IE.
Not only does this browser comply to almost every standard set by the W3C (the WWW Consortium which sets standards for web languages such as HTML, Cascading Style Sheets, and others), but also comes with built-in support for most of the major media types available on the Internet (Flash, Media Player, and so on). It also includes Outlook Express as an email client.
Netscape Navigator
The latest version of this browser is 6.2. For a few years, Netscape dominated the market and was the most popular browser available. However, their own non-compliance with W3C standards and the increasing unwieldiness of their software began to take its toll and lost that share of the market for them. The release of version 6.0 did nothing to assuage these problems, but the browser (since fixing many of their problems with updates) is slowly making a comeback among users. The current rumor is that America Online is considering switching their proprietary browser from Internet Explorer to Netscape. This would be a major boon to Netscape's share of the market. Navigator also includes an email client, which is fairly robust, but doesn't compare to Outlook.
As any web designer will tell you, Netscape is the biggest thorn in the side of development. Because of the amount of market share it still holds and the number of those who continue to use the older versions, most sites have to be "down-played" in order to accommodate those users. Many designers opt to create separate versions of their websites as a way around this - one that loads in Netscape and one that loads in all others.
Opera Software's Opera
The newest version of this browser was released as an upgrade to function on Windows XP and is labeled 6.01. Opera is the fastest loading and probably the most compliant of the three browsers I've listed here. The interface is clean, the software is reliable, and is the only one of the two that runs reliably on a Linux operating system.
Most technically oriented people use this software to browse the Internet. Opera also has the ability to "mimic" other browsers (report itself as them to a web page) allowing you to test a lot of things without switching browsers. Opera has a lot of power in a small package.
Of these three browsers, I use Internet Explorer and Opera most often. I use Netscape only for testing purposes and really don't recommend it to anyone, especially as an alternative to Internet Explorer. Each of these three browsers is available for download free of charge from their respective websites:
MS Internet Explorer:
http://www.microsoft.com
Netscape Navigator:
http://www.netscape.com
Opera Software's Opera Browser:
http://www.opera.com
Switching form one browser to the next is fairly painless given that all three now include "import" or automatic-update capabilities to allow for the transfer or import of the others' bookmarks, favorites, and sometimes even settings. If you're unhappy with your current browser or would just like to see what other people see when they surf the Internet, download a different browser and try it out!
By Aaron Turpen of Aaronz WebWorkz
About the Author
Aaron Turpen is the proprieter of Aaronz WebWorkz, a full-service provider of Web needs to small businesses.
aaron@aaronzwebworkz.com
http://www.aaronzwebworkz.com
Currently, there are really only three major web browsers used to view the WWW. They are, in order of popularity, Microsoft's Internet Explorer, Netscape's Navigator, and Opera Software's Opera.
MS Internet Explorer
The latest version of this browser is 6.0, which was released shortly before Windows XP hit the market. By far the most popular of choices, this software comes standard with all Windows-based PCs and a somewhat scaled-down version comes with America Online as their built-in browser - though this version is somewhat lacking in performance when compared to the full version of IE.
Not only does this browser comply to almost every standard set by the W3C (the WWW Consortium which sets standards for web languages such as HTML, Cascading Style Sheets, and others), but also comes with built-in support for most of the major media types available on the Internet (Flash, Media Player, and so on). It also includes Outlook Express as an email client.
Netscape Navigator
The latest version of this browser is 6.2. For a few years, Netscape dominated the market and was the most popular browser available. However, their own non-compliance with W3C standards and the increasing unwieldiness of their software began to take its toll and lost that share of the market for them. The release of version 6.0 did nothing to assuage these problems, but the browser (since fixing many of their problems with updates) is slowly making a comeback among users. The current rumor is that America Online is considering switching their proprietary browser from Internet Explorer to Netscape. This would be a major boon to Netscape's share of the market. Navigator also includes an email client, which is fairly robust, but doesn't compare to Outlook.
As any web designer will tell you, Netscape is the biggest thorn in the side of development. Because of the amount of market share it still holds and the number of those who continue to use the older versions, most sites have to be "down-played" in order to accommodate those users. Many designers opt to create separate versions of their websites as a way around this - one that loads in Netscape and one that loads in all others.
Opera Software's Opera
The newest version of this browser was released as an upgrade to function on Windows XP and is labeled 6.01. Opera is the fastest loading and probably the most compliant of the three browsers I've listed here. The interface is clean, the software is reliable, and is the only one of the two that runs reliably on a Linux operating system.
Most technically oriented people use this software to browse the Internet. Opera also has the ability to "mimic" other browsers (report itself as them to a web page) allowing you to test a lot of things without switching browsers. Opera has a lot of power in a small package.
Of these three browsers, I use Internet Explorer and Opera most often. I use Netscape only for testing purposes and really don't recommend it to anyone, especially as an alternative to Internet Explorer. Each of these three browsers is available for download free of charge from their respective websites:
MS Internet Explorer:
http://www.microsoft.com
Netscape Navigator:
http://www.netscape.com
Opera Software's Opera Browser:
http://www.opera.com
Switching form one browser to the next is fairly painless given that all three now include "import" or automatic-update capabilities to allow for the transfer or import of the others' bookmarks, favorites, and sometimes even settings. If you're unhappy with your current browser or would just like to see what other people see when they surf the Internet, download a different browser and try it out!
By Aaron Turpen of Aaronz WebWorkz
About the Author
Aaron Turpen is the proprieter of Aaronz WebWorkz, a full-service provider of Web needs to small businesses.
aaron@aaronzwebworkz.com
http://www.aaronzwebworkz.com
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