Some think the browser may soon become the most important piece of software on your computer...if it isn’t already. With the continual increase in cloud services you can understand why. (I’m writing this on Google docs.) Now that Microsoft offers a choice by ballot on Windows 7 operating system there may be more exploration and experimentation with the more popular browsers available today.
If you have Internet access then you likely use a browser everyday. In fact, the popularity of the Internet was in part because of the first graphical web browsers like Netscape. Soon Microsoft used it’s marketing dominance by including it’s browser, Internet Explorer, with the Windows operating system resulting in the prolific use of IE. Soon Opera, Safari, Mozilla Firefox, Chrome and a host of others appeared to vie for Internet users attention.
If you consider yourself a web enthusiast then you may have chosen different browsers for specific purposes. You may notice that certain websites perform better on one browser than on another. Like anything, there are pros and cons in your choice.
Most browsers provide support like pop-up blockers, search fields and custom toolbars. Security features can be enabled or disabled by going to “Options” or “Internet Options” in the “Tools” menu dropdown. “Favorites” or “Bookmarks” are a common feature for saving your most commonly visited website addresses.
Besides these shared features there are some notable differences. Internet Explorer supports ActiveX which is sometimes used to enhance an application’s feature set. (Note: ActiveX can also be used to exploit your computer by untrusted sites.) Firefox does not support ActiveX and thus is noted as a safer browser with numerous plugins available for functionality, customization and usability. However, some plugins can actually hinder your browsers rendering speed. Google’s Chrome has gained popularity recently for eliminating extras in favor of simplicity and speed. Opera also concentrates on speedy delivery and Safari is used on Apple’s popular mobile devices like the iPhone and iPad.
Some useful features or plugins for your browser include Awesome Screenshot for Chrome which is great for capturing screenshots and modifying them to share on or offline. FireBug for Firefox is an excellent resource for developers for analyzing the code behind the page. Google toolbar has many features. One of the best of these is the Autofill for forms. Fill out your personal information and let the browser remember it to conveniently fill out similar web forms in the future. Safari has this built-in the “Edit” menu dropdown.
Today their are literally dozens of web browsers available. The most popular and their latest estimated use are Internet Explorer - 44%, Firefox - 29%, Google Chrome 14%, Safari 6%, Opera 3% and mobile browsers at 4%. For a long list of browsers and some of their features, visit http://www.multibrowsers.com . You may find one that fits your particular style or requirement. Happy surfing!
