Internet Browsers

There are tons of other browsers out there other than IE, and thankfully they're almost as good if not better in many ways. Here are three that are pretty popular and useful.

1.) Firefox

Firefox was designed to be a simple browser with great security and also able to use many extensions. Many add-ons make it great for web-development and makes Html and CSS much easier to deal with as you can change things on the fly to see what you like best. It's skinnable, has it's own phishing filter, and is great for RSS. It really isn't very different from IE in many ways. Like most other browsers it's free as well. I personally use this browser the most because it's just so reliable. It never crashes, unlike IE, and is faster than any other browser I've used. I also added a tool bar on for my Computer Science class and it helped me tremendously in making beginner websites for class. By far my favorite.

2) Safari

Safari came out in 2003 and was basically Apple trying to punch Microsoft in the face. It's known for it's stylishness and speed, and Mac users loved it so much that they eventually quit making IE for Macs. Like Firefox it's free and can be downloaded for Windows or Mac. It has integrated RSS which really sets it apart from the first 2. Unfortunately there's no real web service and productivity applications, which means web development would probably be a little tougher on it. It just really stands apart from IE in it's elegance and RSS support.

3) Opera

This browser has been around since 1996 and yet many people haven't heard of it. It has tons of great features, integrated RSS, it's fast, has a great community, and is just a powerhouse. Unfortunately it's ugly and the UI is a little off, but not too much. Really this browser should be the best out there, but it isn't marketed as much as it should be so people don't really know about it. Nintendo has been one company to acknowledge it, as it is the web browser used for the Wii. Like the last two browsers it's free, and available on both Windows and Mac. This browser could be the one with the potential to take over, but they just need to put more money into marketing.

After studying up on browsers a little bit more I'm seriously considering trying out Opera for a while. I hardly saw any negatives on any of the websites and it seems to be the obvious best one.