Internet Explorer Browser
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Internet Explorer 8 is more standards-compliant as compared to previous versions of Microsoft’s web browsers. In addition, there are a number of cool new features designed to make the best browsing experience possible. Some of these features are as follows.
Suggested Sites
This feature is designed to suggest websites based on the site that is being currently browsed. Internet Explorer sends browser and session information, with a unique identifier to Microsoft. Microsoft has stated that this information is not stored and is only used to provide suggestions of related sites to the web browser.
InPrivate mode browsing
This is a new security mode of browsing and it consists of three sub-features – InPrivate Blocking, InPrivate Browsing and InPrivate Subscription. InPrivate is basically a privacy protection mode. When using InPrivate mode, you can get notified about third-party content on web pages that are designed to track browsing history. In this mode, Internet Explorer does not save any browsing history, cookies are not stored, form data or passwords are not stored, and the browser cache is automatically cleared.
Accelerators
Originally called Activities during Internet Explorer beta, accelerators allow browser actions based on selections. Users can invoke an online service from any web page using only the mouse. Example, when you use Internet Explorer 8, and right click on a place name in a web page, you will find an accelerator called “Map with Live Search” which produces a map of the place name selected. Similarly, if you select the Translate with Live Search accelerator, you can get a translated version of the text you have selected in the web page. Thus, accelerators are designed to efficiently streamline the process of invoking web services with content found on web pages. Internet Explorer specifies an XML-based standard which allows any web application or web service to be invoked through an accelerator.
Web Slices
Web Slices are snippets or parts of a web page that a browser user can subscribe to. This unique feature of Internet Explorer allows self-updating content which can be viewed directly from the Favorites bar. Web page developers can mark certain areas of their web sites as web slices, using micro-formats specified by Microsoft. The web slices specification is open source, under Creative Commons license.
Address Bar features
The Address bar of Internet Explorer 8 shows the top-level domain in black and the other parts of the URL/address in gray. It supports pasting in multi-line URLs also.
SmartScreen Filter
This is a phishing filter designed to warn users about fake or spoofing sites. With the filter enabled in Internet Explorer, if you visit a site that has been labeled as harmful, then you will get a prompt that the site has been marked as harmful, and you can choose what you would like to do. This is helpful in dealing with phishing emails that send users to shady sites designed to extract usernames and passwords of bank accounts, credit card information, PayPal information, etc.
Crash recovery
Internet Explorer 8 has a crash recovery mechanism enabled. If the browser crashes due to any reason when viewing web pages, then all the current tabs can be recovered when the browser is restarted again.
Zooming
Internet Explorer 8 allows zooming in and out of web page text better than previous versions. You can now remove horizontal scrollbars by making the text “re-flow”.
Performance and stability
Internet Explorer 8 has sound HTML parser, Javascript engine, CSS engine, as well as associated programming components. Memory leaks found in previous browser versions have been fixed, and users can achieve better stability and security when using Internet Explorer 8 for web browsing needs. The LCIE architecture (loosely coupled Internet Explorer) runs the browser frame and the browser tabs in separate Windows processes to improve security and performance.
Standards Mode
Internet Explorer 8 has a “Standards Mode” enabled by default, where the web page rendering engine renders content authored to web standards like HTML, Javascript and CSS. In this mode, Internet Explorer 8 passes the Acid2 Test (http://acid2.acidtests.org/). For backward compatibility with Internet Explorer 7, web pages that display best with Internet Explorer 7 rendering engine can specify the following header, which when present, makes Internet Explorer use the previous version’s rendering engine for that site.
Standards Compliance
Internet Explorer 8 supports for the W3C CSS 2.1 specification, including the Paged media model. Internet Explorer 8 supports cross domain communication using the XDomainRequest object. Internet Explorer 8 also supports the ARIA specification (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) for accessibility in internet based applications.
Inline Search
Internet Explorer 8 has inline search feature where if you start typing in keyword to search for, the keyword is highlighted in the web page being viewed.
Search Bar
Internet Explorer 8 has an improved search bar at the right side of the address bar, so you can now choose a search provider as you type, and you can switch between different search providers like Google, Windows Live Search, Yahoo, Wikipedia, and more.
Tab Grouping
Internet Explorer 8 colors the tab titles for those tabs opened from the same source (like right click and opening new tab from a web page). Thus it becomes easier to differentiate between multiple tabs that are open at the same time.
Preserve Favorite Website Data
This new feature of Internet Explorer 8, in the “Delete Browsing History” dialog window, allows you to save the cookies necessary for your favorite websites so your user preferences can be saved across browser sessions, while all the other cookies of other sites get deleted.
As of April of 2009, Internet Explorer 8 is used by 4.13% of the worldwide browser population. Overall, Internet Explorer is the most predominantly used web browser on the Internet, with all its different versions commanding a total share of more than 65% of worldwide browser usage.
Internet Explorer is the most popular web browser on the Internet, and with the enhanced features super set available in the latest release of Internet Explorer 8, the new web browser is even better than ever before, being used by millions worldwide.
Safari Web Browser
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The Apple Safari is a very accessible web browser. Many features add up to allow users incredible flexibility and ease of use. Specialized, enhanced keyboard navigation allows users to browse around the Internet without having to rely heavily on a mouse. Learning the various tricks to using this feature can be a bit tricky, but after a while they become second nature and are quite handy.
One feature that really stands out when using Apple Safari with Mac OS X is its VoiceOver screen reader. This function describes aloud the contents of websites you visit; it also reads the text. This can come quite in handy if you, for example, would like to hear the day’s top headlines but want to do other things at the same time. While many people won’t have a use for this feature, it could be quite valuable to many others.
Many times, as you navigate the web, certain websites may use incredibly tiny fonts which are difficult to read. Alternatively, they may utilize huge, screen hogging fonts. The Apple Safari has a solution to this in its full page zoom option. This can be enabled through buttons on the navigation bar, or through keyboard navigation. This feature should be especially useful for users who have difficulty with their eyesight.
Apple Safari is designed to support the most top of the line, cutting edge web technologies. It supports a huge variety of CSS codes; HTML media tags; and many other modern technologies. Unlike many browsers, Apple Safari can handle and accurately render websites designed using a huge array of different coding and platforms. This makes for a much richer web surfing experience; many users won’t even realize it is at work.
One of the most demanded features in today’s web browsers are add-ons. Add-ons allow users to personalize their web browsing experience. Safari is no different, supporting a huge variety of add-ons which can really make surfing the web more entertaining and more efficient. Of course, even the most common add-ons and plug ins are supported by Apple Safari; these include QuickTime, Flash and Shockwave.
A frustrating thing that sometimes happens when using a web browser is that it begins loading a page, only to get hung up on loading a particular element within the page, like a script. Apple Safari uses speculative loading, which means that it does all of that loading ahead of time. Before a page even loads, Safari has pulled up each of its elements, so you don’t have to wait in frustration. Average users might not notice this, but more advanced ones are sure to.
As you surf the Internet, you are sure to stumble upon sites that you’d like to refer to again in the future. All web browsers use bookmarks, and Apple Safari is no exception. The interface for bookmarking in Safari is very intuitive and user friendly. Much of it is drag-and-drop, meaning you can simply drag the URL of the site you are reading and drop it into the bookmarking function.
Users do not need to worry about losing all of their old bookmarks from previous browsers. No matter what browser you may have used in the past, you can easily import your bookmarks into Safari. This makes for quite a seamless Internet experience, and is quite useful. Additional customization allows users to rename bookmarks and to sort them according to their personal preference.
The main focus and purpose of an Internet web browser is navigation; Apple Safari provides excellent navigation tools and generally excels in this area. With the ever increasing popularity of RSS and RSS feeds, users will find that Safari works seamlessly with this technology and basically blends it in with the web surfing experience. Articles and blog posts are effortlessly organized by Safari and presented to users in easy to read, neatly compiled lists.
Users won’t have to miss out on other popular web browser components, either. Safari offers the popular auto fill function, used to automatically fill in users’ information into various web forms. Built in spell checking and grammar checking tools work in real time to help you avoid embarrassing errors. Some of these bonus features might be overkill for more novice users, but generally they are welcome additions.
Tabbed browsing is also quickly becoming a standard in web browsers, and Apple Safari amply offers this feature. Using Apple Safari doesn’t mean that you have to lose this convenient function. Tabbed browsing makes surfing the web far easier and more intuitive.
Apple Safari offers many of the most common and cutting edge technologies for protecting you and your computer as you surf the Internet. Downloads are double checked by programs in Safari which make sure that they come from safe, legitimate sources. This can reduce the risk of downloading harmful components onto your computer.
Rather than having to install a separate program, Apple Safari automatically blocks those irritating pop up ads from appearing. These can interrupt your web experience and get in the way of enjoying your time on the Internet. This feature can go largely unnoticed, though, because you are sure to not miss experiencing pop up ads.
Apple Safari is a solid web browser which offers many top features. Advanced users will find plenty to get excited about in this browser. Beginners or intermediate users will have no problem with its basic features and it is generally quite user friendly.
Opera Web Browser
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Opera is the best internet browser on the market and was developed by the Opera Software Company and first released in 1996, so it’s not a newcomer to the industry. It’s also free to download and install and runs on gaming systems, Smartphones, and PDAs. Opera is known by its twenty million users as the fastest and safest internet browser on the market.
Opera has always been a leader in innovations and safety. For example, tabbed browsing, which allows the user to have a single window with multiple tabbed sub-windows was introduced in Opera in 2000, whereas Internet Explorer didn’t release it until version 7 in 2006. Another great advance in Opera is called mouse gestures. This feature combines mouse movements with on screen prompts to quickly operate many functions. For instance, to page back the user would hold down the right mouse button and move the mouse to the left. The mouse prompt would then change to a back arrow, and when the user releases the button, they would page back.
Opera also includes standard browser features such as page zooming – the ability to zoom a page to different sized for easy viewing. Its download manager allows the user to quickly manage file downloads from the internet. It has a built in email client that let’s the user handle daily email requirements without needing a standalone program or relying on some of the public, free email sites that are known for spam and virus problems.
Also unlike the OS dependent Internet Explorer, Opera operates on a wide variety of operating systems, including Windows, Mac, Linux, and Solaris. In addition, versions of Opera are available for mobile phones and PDAs using the Symbian, Windows Mobile, or Java ME operating systems. About forty million mobile phones come shipped with Opera already installed and ready to go. It is also the only web browser compatible with the Nintendo DS and Wii gaming systems.
Independent speed tests have shown Opera to be faster than Firefox and Safari, and infinitely faster than Internet Explorer 7. One exciting feature that helps in the speed department is its Speed Dial function. This allows the user to add up to nine links that are displayed automatically on a page when a new tab is opened. This keeps your “favorites” even more accessible. As you know, there are truly a handful of pages you visit more than all others, so why not have them always at hand on your speed dial. Another handy feature is the Trash Can which allows you to instantly reopen closed tabs. Never go fumbling through a cumbersome “history” list again.
Opera also excels at computer accessibility features. As innovative as the mouse gestures are for people who prefer not to or are physically unable to easily use a keyboard, Opera also supports a full set of keyboard shortcuts. In fact, the user can control virtually every aspect of the program using only the keyboard if they desire. The page zooming feature allows easier viewing for the visually impaired, and IBM’s voice control technology is also built in.
Security is one of the main reasons for choosing a web browser and in this department, Opera also exceeds expectations. It has built in phishing and malware protection and superior encryption on secure web sites. Operations that are overly complicated on other browsers, such as deleting private information and cookies, are handled with the click of a button. Automatic site checking algorithms are built in to warn the user if they are visiting a black listed or dangerous site. Saving passwords, which is a convenient but dangerous practice is protected in Opera by using a master password. According to an independent computer security expert, average unpatched security flaws in Opera over the last year is .01 compared to 38 in Internet Explorer or 5.77 in Firefox.
If you move between different computers, say work and home, Opera has a feature called Opera Link that allows you to quickly synch up your bookmarks, Speed Dial, and other saved data between these devices, even with your mobile phone. And speaking of history, Opera doesn’t just remember what pages you have been to, it remembers the content. If you need to get back to a recent page that had some great piece of information, you no longer have to scroll through history trying to find it, just use Opera’s Quick Find feature.
RSS feeds are becoming more and more popular, but bookmarking or subscribing to a feed only to find it’s not what you are looking for is time consuming. Use Opera’s Feed Preview to see a feed before you subscribe. Searching is also improved in Opera. If you need to do a search for information, just start typing the address bar. No need to clutter up the menu with a separate search window and address window, Opera does both in one handy location.
Let’s face it, in today’s computing environment, the internet browser is the most important and often used piece of software we have. Rather than just accepting what came with the computer, shouldn’t you have the fastest, safest, most customizable browser with the most innovative features on the market? Download and install the best internet browser. Get Opera today and start surfing the net like it should be.
Chrome Web Browser
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Initially, Chrome is only released for Windows running version XP or later and is available in forty three languages. Mac and Linux versions are under development, and they have announced they will be ready by the middle of 2009. Like most internet browsers, Google Chrome is free to download and use.
As with all internet products, security is a main concern and Google Chrome is not taking these concerns lightly. The software periodically updates itself on known phishing and malware sites and writes those to its blacklist, preventing the browser, or at least warning the user, away from being taken to those sites that are known to be malicious. Like most modern browsers, Chrome uses a tabbed browsing environment, but it has taken this to a new level by preventing security problems in one tab to affect what is going on in another tab. It also has an innovative feature called Incognito, which, when turned on, prevents Chrome from storing any history or cookies from websites.
One of the main complaints of Internet Explorer users, especially in version 7, is a lack of speed. Improvements to the Java virtual machine and other internal operations seem to have paid off. In independent speed tests, Google Chrome outperformed all of the competition, including the new release of Internet Explorer, version 8.
While other browsers have combined the address bar with the search bar, Google Chrome takes it one step further with its “One box for everything”. Its address bar handles web addresses and searches, but also suggests websites and related queries as you type and drops down to show your recent history. It also features a one click bookmark feature in the same box.
Another great feature of Chrome’s tabbed interface is how it handles a new tab. Instead of just loading the default home page, a new tab comes pre-populated with links to your most visited websites, recently bookmarked pages, and recently closed tabs, so getting to places you go most often becomes even easier. It also keeps track of the search engines you use most often and displays search boxes for those sites. Google can be commended for not forcing its users to search only using Google search.
Google Chrome has really loaded those tabbed pages with new features. Each tab has an independent forward and back button so you can quickly revisit pages from within that tab. You can also easily rearrange and resize the tabs so the windows are displayed in an order that works for you. You can even drag a tab outside the window to create a whole new window if you need to keep things separate.
If you have a web program, such as an email application, that you use frequently and independently of normal internet browsing, you can create a shortcut for it and treat it like any other program. Clicking on this shortcut will open the site in a special Chrome window that doesn’t have all the normal browser bells and whistles like address bars, tabs, and buttons. This keeps these programs separate from your browser window and makes them easier to operate with more screen space.
Nothing is more frustrating in Internet Explorer than for a site to crash, bringing down every site you are on, and closing all tabs and windows. As with the security functions mentioned above, each tab operates independently of each other. This means that if you hit a site that causes a problem, only that tab will close, leaving the rest of your browser intact. There is also a task manager feature similar to that found in Windows. In this way, you can force a misbehaving tab to close without breaking out of the entire browser window.
As discussed in the “one box for everything” section, Google Chrome has improved the old standard bookmarking procedure. If you are on a site you want to bookmark, you no longer have to fumble through menus and take your focus away from what you are doing. Simply click the star in the address bar and it’s done. If you want, you can modify the name or location on the fly. Another cool feature is the ability to create a bookmark from a link on a page. Just drag it to the bookmark bar and it’s saved in your favourites. If you are upgrading from another browser, Chrome also allows you to import your existing bookmark list. While on that subject, you can also import your saved passwords, history, and other important settings from your current browser, making moving to Google Chrome that much easier.
Ever download a file from a website in Internet Explorer and get annoyed at all the pop-up windows that interrupt what you are doing? Well, you don’t need to be bothered by that nuisance any longer. Google Chrome has a simple status bar at the bottom of the tab that keeps track of the download and lets you know when it is finished. Then you can click the file button in the download bar, or ignore it for now and keep working. You control the browser, rather than the browser controlling you.
From speed to security to new and exciting features, Google once again shows its dominance on the internet browsing market with the release of the best internet browser – Google Chrome.
Firefox Web Browser
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First off, and this is a big one, Firefox is built using the Mozilla developed Gecko layout engine. This engine is becoming wildly popular for browsers, email applications, and web authoring tools because of its well known stability and licensing. Gecko is free and open source software, leading the way in developing world wide standards for the Web. As these standards are being developed, Firefox is on the front lines adding new features and add-ons.
One of the most popular features of Firefox is their tabbed browsing. Individual websites can be opened in new tabs instead of the old method of new windows. Of course, those who prefer new windows still have that option, but tabbed browsing lends to a more efficient and seamless browsing experience. The tabs can be configured to change the order in which they are displayed, automatically switch to a new tab just opened, and warn when multiple tabs are being closed. Tabs can even be saved at the end of a session so that they are automatically opened at the start of a new session.
Like most browsers, Firefox has a “find” feature which allows users a way to search for specific text on a web page. But unlike the others, the Firefox “find” interface isn’t an annoying pop-up window that gets in the way of the page. Instead, it is a small search bar that appears at the bottom of the window. Firefox begins to scan with the very first letter entered into the dialogue box without actually scrolling down the window. And something else that’s really helpful: as a word is typed into the search box, the box remains white until a letter that doesn’t appear in that string is entered. At that point the box turns red and the user knows the text string can’t be found in the page. No need to go any further. How cool is that?
For those who work with web based applications, or the general user just typing comments into a text box, Firefox 3.0 includes an integrated spell checker. It works as you go so you’ll immediately know when a word is misspelled. The drag and drop element also makes working a bit easier, allowing you to drag text or links directly into the integrated search bar. Add to that the ability to add notes to web pages for future reference, and you have a browser that takes productivity to a new level.
Bookmarking is easy and intuitive, and the new bookmark organization tool is a vast improvement over previous versions. It now works just like a file manager with drag and drop, in-line editing, and sorting. Menus can be customized and organized with ease, bookmark names can be changed, and extra descriptions and details can be included. Some of the management features, like adding a new folder or deleting an unwanted, can even be done without opening the organization tool.
Fans of customization will be thrilled with the thousands of add-ons available for Firefox. Yes, there are plenty of skins and themes to apply to GUI, but the available add-ons go well beyond just that. There are RSS feeds, blogging tools, and weather applets. There are tools that make digital imaging and multimedia tasks easier and more intuitive, including a YouTube link that appears in search engine results. Clicking the link will play the video without having to open a new tab or window. Social networking is brought to the next level with add-ons that organize your networking locations into a single sidebar and allow customization of your Facebook page.
And the list goes on and on.
Worried about security? Firefox has that covered too with tools to protect against viruses, phishing, spyware, and malware. The standard pop-up blocker works flawlessly and allows for user customization of individual pop-ups. In addition, there’s a small icon on the left side of the location bar which can be clicked to instantly display security information about the current site. With the click of a mouse you can know whether or not you’re in a risky place. If you’re navigating to a site that’s already a well known risk, Firefox will display a security warning forcing you to choose to continue, a nice feature that helps users avoid security accidents.
Vulnerability to security threats is always a concern, but Mozilla works aggressively on that front too. According to a regular review by Symantec, Firefox’s vulnerabilities are patched, on average, within one day of the exploit code being made available. Internet Explorer on the other hand, has an average patch time of nine days. This gives Firefox a major advantage in security.
With all these features, and the dozens more not mentioned here, how is Firefox’s performance? Excellent. Its always been a fast and stable browser, but version 3.0 is the fastest of them all and it’s noticeable. Moving from page to page or between tabs goes quickly while at the same time being very intuitive and natural. The interface is clean and easy to navigate but can be customized to suit individual preferences. Private data can be cleared at the end of a session with a simple mouse click, so future users can’t follow where you’ve been.
Overall Firefox is a great browser worthy of consideration. It’s a free download available for Windows, Mac, Linux, and many Unix-like systems, so there’s no reason not to try it. Go get a copy…. you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
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