Alternatives to Internet Explorer

Has Internet Explorer not been meeting your needs? Are you the type of person who enjoys trying new things? Why not try a different web browser? I thought it might be helpful and fun to write about some of the other browsers out there and hopefully peek your interests enough to try a new one.

Mozilla Firefox

Mozilla Firefox (or just Firefox) is probably the most popular alternative to Internet Explorer. It has a very large user base, most likely because it is one of a few open-source web browsers (This means that the software is created and updated by the community, not a corporation. Anyone can alter the source code, or functionality of the browser). Firefox has many features that make it a worthwhile alternative, some of them being tabbed browsing, themes and add-on extensions. This last one, add-on extensions is probably the most appreciated feature. Firefox add-ons are user created utilities that extend the way that Firefox works. They add functionality that was not there before, and basically make the browsing experience either more personal, more productive or more enjoyable. To try out Mozilla Firefox, download it from the Mozilla website here: http://mozilla.com

Google Chrome

Google Chrome is a relatively new browser on the scene, but is gaining a lot of popularity and showing real potential. Created by the web company, Google, known for it's famous search engine, the browser boasts a few features not available in the other contenders that really make it stand out. Chrome introduces dynamic tabbed browsing, which means if a page locks up, it will just close the tab, not the entire browser. Another feature is the searchable address bar. This allows the user to type not only a webpage address into the address bar, but perform a keyword search as well, just like you would do on a search engine. Finally, the web browser has a special "Incognito Mode." This is a function that, when invoked, will not save any history, web cache, passwords or an personal data at all when browsing. This is especially appealing to those users who guard their privacy very dearly. Google Chrome is availible only for Windows XP or Vista at the present and can be downloaded here: http://google.com/chrome