Leave IE FOREVER

With all the security holes in Internet Explorer, you must be getting worried about people taking your personal information. And all these viruses, they seem to collect the e-mail addresses to send themselves to from your Outlook Express address book. Well, THERE ARE ALTERNATIVES! Below are the major non-IE browsers avaliable (all are free)

• Netscape
• Mozilla
• Firefox (made by Mozilla)
• Opera

Now, let's talk about each one individually.

 

Netscape - www.netscape.com

Netscape used to be a huge company, but then they bottomed out and went bankrupt. However, AOL purchased them and you can still get the Netscape browser. It has: popup blocking, tabbed browsing, images fit to screen (like IE), automatic highlighting, and download manager. It also has an integrated mail client with the following features: free email account, junk mail controls, handheld sync, custom views of email, search of email, mail alerts, labels, and import from other programs. It also includes AOL Instant Messenger integrated in the program.

Current Version at post time: 7.1

Mozilla- www.mozilla.org

This one has an interesting history. When Netscape went under, they created Mozilla to keep the legacy going, and it has gone! Their flagship browser suite "Mozilla" is similar to Netscape in features, only it is Open Source, meaning there anyone in the world can look at the inner workings of the browser and make it better. I would rather use Mozilla than Netscape, simply because it is Open Source, not backed by a company out to make money. (The Mozilla Foundation is non-profit).

Current Version at post time: 1.7.1

 

Firefox - www.getfirefox.com

It's Mozilla's new browser, and it is almost ready for the primetime! This browser has it all, but it is just a browser. Nothing more. If you want email with it use their companion program Thunderbird. Firefox is amazing. Just read about it!

Current Version: Firefox 0.9.2 (BETA VERSION) and Thunderbird 0.7.2 (BETA VERSION)

These are still beta programs, and may be unstable, USE WITH CAUTION!

 

Opera - www.opera.com

Another one similar to Netscape, only better. However, it costs money. There is a free version, but you have to see their banner ads.

Current Version: 7.52

 

My reccomendation: Use Mozilla, but only until Firefox and Thunderbird come out with 1.0 versions, then switch to them.

 

All these browsers are avaliable for Windows and many other operating systems.