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New browsers provide other entries into cyberspace

By PAUL ANDREWS
Special to The Seattle Times

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Nearly a decade ago, more than a dozen primitive Web browsers fought for user loyalty. When Netscape Communicator emerged as a clear leader in 1995, Microsoft mobilized its Internet Explorer (IE) forces and eventually prevailed, although it later was found to have violated antitrust laws in the process.

Today IE dominates computer desktops, running on 80 to 95 percent of PCs. IE's mind share has made it the Web "standard" for programmers, enterprises and network supervisors.

But lack of innovation and a succession of horrific security failures have left IE a battered champion. The crowning blow came last month, with the disclosure that IE users' passwords and credit-card numbers could be recorded by thieves.

US-CERT, an Internet alliance working with the Department of Homeland Security, went so far as to suggest that users switch to a different browser.

I regularly use three alternatives to Internet Explorer. On Windows machines I use Opera, a Norwegian browser. On my Linux computer I use Mozilla, the descendant of Netscape's browser. And on my Macintosh Powerbook I use Safari, the browser Apple Computer devised for its OS X operating system.

All are free, although Opera also offers a paid version for $39. Opera and Mozilla run on Windows, Mac and Linux platforms. Internet Explorer runs on Windows and Mac. Safari is Mac only.

Internet Explorer Hits: As the de facto standard, it runs just about any Web page without glitches. Misses: Security flaws, lack of innovation, sluggish performance. Opera Hits: Pop-up blocking, cookie management, tabbed browsing, mouse gestures, runs on all platforms. Misses: A bit slow, occasional problems with IE-specific sites. Mozilla [Netscape Communicator] Hits: Seniority, stability, runs on all platforms. Misses: Stale feature set, hasn't kept up on innovations. Safari Hits: May be fastest browser available, tabbed browsing, pop-up blocking, some cookie management. Misses: Macintosh only, not as full-featured. Mozilla Firefox Hits: Sleek, fast, multiplatform, customizable with extensions. Misses: Still in beta, although appears to be stable. Deepnet Explorer Hits: Built-in Gnutella file sharing, mouse gestures, tabbed browsing, news feeds using RSS. Misses: Relatively new, still working out some kinks. NetCaptor Hits: Powerful tabbing and ad-blocking, cookie management, privacy. Misses: Based on IE, may be vulnerable to unidentified security flaws [although it says it has fixed latest batch].

More newcomers are gaining notice as well.

The nonprofit Mozilla Foundation also offers Firefox.

Deepnet Explorer (www.deepnetexplorer.com) is a "better IE," fixing many of IE's security and adware shortcomings while offering an array of innovative features, including built-in file sharing over the Gnutella network.

NetCaptor (www.netcaptor.com), from Stilesoft, also beefs up IE security and offers unique tabbing capabilities.

How do they compare? And how easy is it to switch?

While there are variations in display and functionality, the truth is that a browser is a browser. It's a simple piece of software, and the basic icon sets and features pretty much work the same from one to another. Speed varies, but not enough to make one a clear preference. Some offer extras, such as mail, but no add-on I found made one browser a slam dunk over another.

Still, all the alternatives I tried were faster and more powerful than IE. Microsoft has let IE languish and it shows. The software behemoth is adding security and features in an upcoming service upgrade, and there even are rumors that Microsoft is at work on a whole new browser for Longhorn, its forthcoming upgrade of Windows.

For now, though, IE is a bit worn around the edges.

One factor that may persuade some users to change is search. Most browsers offer the convenience of Google built into their tool bars. IE does not; Google is a separate add-on.

Most browsers besides IE also block pop-ups automatically.

Opera gives the user pinpoint control over pop-ups and the necessary nuisance of cookies. Opera and Firefox will even prompt the user when unwanted ads and Web pages try to intrude.

As for switching, it's not as daunting as it may sound. Basically it involves going to the browser's Web site, clicking on "Download Now" or an equivalent button, and then clicking on an "install" icon on your desktop [or wherever you downloaded the browser]. Most browsers will import bookmarks and even some settings from a competing program.

Having said that, here are some guidelines for choosing among browsers and dumping IE.

• Opera (www.opera.com) has emerged as the most powerful browser available from its humble beginnings eight years ago. Its cookie and pop-up controls are a relief, and Opera boasts a strong mail client that imitates Microsoft's Outlook in many respects.

Opera has tabbed browsing, which enables users to keep several different Web sites open at once in the same window, selectable by a tabbed bar.

A cool Opera innovation is mouse gesturing. By moving or clicking the mouse, users can flip back and forward, open a home page and execute other oft-performed tasks. Once you try them you'll be hooked [Deepnet Explorer also offers mouse gestures].

Opera bills itself as the world's fastest browser — a bit of a stretch. When it debuted, Opera indeed was faster than the competition, and it still feels faster than IE. But by bulking up on features, it's lost a lot of quickness.

I'd rate Safari as the fastest browser today, although Macs in general also run faster than Windows and Linux PCs. Firefox is a close second.

Opera also offers a feature that supposedly represents it as another browser [the default is IE] to Web sites. It doesn't always work, however. When I chose the "IE" feature in Opera and called up the AAA's site, the pop-up TripTik feature would not work. [Massaging Opera's pop-up settings had no effect.]

I messaged the Opera folks about this, and they said they would work on a fix. But that was several weeks ago, and the situation has not improved.

Opera does not always display a site as deftly as IE. This is especially true of blogs, which tend to have sporadic compatibility with browsers other than IE. But Opera gets the job done and excels at multiple tasks that others either omit or fumble.

• Mozilla , (www.mozilla.org) whose Netscape ancestry makes it the oldest browser in popular use, is a polished, versatile alternative to IE. It comes in a host of flavors for Mac, Linux and Windows and offers a number of add-ons, including e-mail, contacts and so on.

Mozilla was the only browser besides IE to handle AAA's idiosyncratic site without a hitch. And Mozilla is noticeably faster than Opera and IE. But Mozilla can do odd things to some blogs; I've experienced line overlaps and photos blocking text.

Firefox, the latest iteration of Mozilla, has the Web world abuzz. It's slick and fast and infinitely customizable with add-ons called extensions. I tend to think of it as Safari for non-Mac users because it shares Apple's "get it done" philosophy of browser streamlining.

• Safari (www.apple.com/safari/download/) is my favorite browser. It's lickety-split fast, as evinced by calling up mtbr.com, a messy and problematic mountain-biking site. Safari is twice as fast with mtbr as most other browsers [its speed again being boosted by the Mac's overall agility].

Safari offers tabbed browsing and does a nice job blocking pop-ups and managing cookies. It handled the AAA site but for one glitch: The scroll bar on the TripTik window did not work. Next to IE, Safari handles blogs the best of any browser.

The downside of Safari is that it's only a browser. It doesn't offer mail or many Web add-ons. And its feature set sticks to the basics, albeit the important ones. Safari is built for speed and efficiency, and the "Web experience" it offers shows it.

Bottom line: Try 'em all. There's little penalty for test runs, and enough variety exists that you should find a browser that fills your bill.

It should be noted that switching does not mean replacing. You can have any and all (system compatible) browsers on your computer as well as IE.

In fact, it's a good idea to keep IE handy in case you encounter a Web site that doesn't behave with your alternate browser.

That's IE's one big advantage: As the de facto standard, it's pretty much guaranteed to display, without glitches, any Web page in existence.

Paul Andrews, who writes the weekly E-conomy column in the Business/Technology section, is author of "How the Web Was Won: From Microsoft to the Web."

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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