Just Browsing

Web browsing has become the main reason plenty of people use a computer these days. In recent years, there has been a brand spanking new trend known as "Cloud Computing" that integrates the World Wide Web in to increasingly of our everyday tasks. As a result, which browser you use to navigate on the net can make all the difference. So let's look at a few common browsers, & why you need over.

Net Explorer (IE)

The Blue "e" is synonymous with web browsing. For years, it is been built in to Windows, which makes it the most popular web browser because it is the most available. That is a fact designer & developers keep in mind when building sites & so most sites are compatible with IE (if nothing else).

Pros: Not only is it widely distributed, but it is also tightly integrated in to Windows. Browsing positive files is effortless, & it is parts that try to integrate online page in to the desktop seamlessly.

Cons: With all the bells & whistles comes fallibility. Net Explorer's tight integration in to Windows means that if IE crashes or develops issues, they may not be limited to your web browsing. Files might not open, the whole computer might lock up, & any number of issues might crop up. It also makes use of ActiveX know-how, which means you need to put in small programs called applets to make positive sites work. These pave the way for virus & malware designers to make applets that can infiltrate your method & cause harm.

Mozilla Firefox

Thought about for years to be the power user's browser, Firefox has always been thought about the choice to Microsoft's IE. It was the first mainstream browser to introduce tabbed browsing.

Pros: It is powerful, stable, quick, & has the most customization options of any browser thanks to an immense community of developers who make downloadable extensions that do everything you can think of. Unlike Net Explorer, it is separate from Windows, so it is less liable to operating method related failures.

Cons: Over the years, Firefox has been getting bigger & better with more features & extensions. It is become increasingly resource intensive, & its speed has dwindled.

Google Chrome

Chrome is new to the net browser field, but it is had giant success. Google is capitalizing on the popularity of Gmail & other web-based services it offers (Docs, Calendar, etc.), & that has quick tracked Chrome's rise in popularity.

Pros: Minimal interface, tight integration in to Google services, quick browsing. Like Firefox, Chrome has a large array of extensions available for download. It also has frequent updates, so bugs & issues usually don't go unresolved for long. Finally, Chrome has built in "Incognito" mode, which lets you open a special window for surfing without saving the history, passwords, or any other traces of that particular browsing session.

Cons: Chrome is not entirely separate form Net Explorer, so some settings are entirely IE dependent. It is also innovated beginning a separate method for each tab (in layman's terms, each tab is like its own program being launched). While this is lovely in the event you can pinpoint which tab is causing issues (& can close that specific tab), it can slow down your computer.

Opera

Opera has been around for a long time. It is never been at the top of the mountain, but it is a solid user base & some distinctive features that make it a contender that is not going away any time soon.

Pros: Opera innovated Opera Link, allowing you to sync bookmarks & other settings online. IT also has built in mail & torrent clients, so it can pull triple duty. It is also the only 100% standards compliant browser, making it ideal for testing out web pages that are giving you trouble.

Cons: While a lovely browser, Opera doesn't have as giant a user base as numerous the other contenders. It is a less standardized interface than the others, giving it a slightly steeper learning curve.

So which browser do I pick?

Which browser you use is a matter of comfort level, features needed, & personal preferences? But whichever you pick, keep (or even) installed on your computer. In the event you encounter an online site that looks odd, or doesn't appear to be acting the way it ought to, having an alternate browser is a useful troubleshooting device.