TechDish: What web browser should I use?

Posted on: Fri, 01/28/2011 - 10:00 — us104_techdish

For computer users, web browsers are king when it comes to using the internet. But did you know that you have a choice of what browser to use? Did you also know that you can get any of the browsers we're talking about today for FREE?

Internet Explorer

We all know this browser is king, at least for now. IE has been for many Windows users, the only browser of choice for more than the past decade, and is the default browser installed on any Windows-based PC.

The Pro's

• Many company intranets, payroll systems and work-related websites will only work in IE, so it's good that we have IE!
• Simple, straightforward, high amount of integration with Windows operating system
• Comes installed on your computer

The Con's

• Gets a bad rap because web developers hate coding for a non-standards-compliant browser
• As it has the widest user base, it is also heavily targeted by virus, spyware and malware makers
• A weak add-on engine and lack of a strong developer community means not very many options for customization are available
• Gets its updates from Windows Update. If you have this turned off, you won't get IE updates either

Internet Explorer 9 Beta: a ray of hope?

For almost a year, Internet Explorer 9 Beta has been available. And while a beta still has bugs and is meant for testing and trying things out, this thing's been pretty solid. You'll like a more streamlined interface, and the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+l finally functions as it should(!); and by the way, this thing starts up just as fast as Chrome does.

Where can I get Internet Explorer?

You can get the latest version of Internet Explorer here: www.microsoft.com/windows/internet-explorer. Or, if you want to give IE9 a test run, you can download the beta here: www.microsoft.com/ie9.

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Mozilla Firefox

The geek community has touted Firefox as their browser of choice for almost as long as Internet Explorer has been maintstream. True geeks will defend their browser as viciously as those other nerds who get into heated debates on Mac vs. PC. And, Firefox is a great browser. It's got the largest and most active developer community of all the browsers, meaning there are endless options of customization you can plug into Firefox to make it your own. Want to control your music player from Firefox? Want to customize the browser colors? Want to get new mail notifications for multiple Gmail accounts? Firefox will do that, and your dishes too!

The Pro's

• Fast and highly secure
• Endless levels of customization
• Strong and active developer community that keeps addons very up to date, even with new Firefox updates
• Built-in session restore brings back the tabs you were looking for on browser or system crash

The Con's

• Won't run many company intranets, internal applications or other built-for-IE websites
• Large amounts of addons can negatively impact Firefox's performance
• Has memory load issues for browser sessions containing more than 20 tabs open at a time (but, who really does this in a normal usage scenario?)

Where can I get Firefox?

You can get the latest version of Firefox here: www.mozilla.com; and don't forget to browse through the add-ons!

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Google Chrome

The "baby" of the bunch, Google Chrome has only been out as a public release for about 2 years. However, we all know Google, and this isn't a browser that's going to take years to learn how to pull up its own pants. With Chrome, Google has built a very sleek, fast and highly customizable browser that has quickly become a serious player in the browser market. In fact, you'll notice that IE9 has a lot of visual and functional similarities of Chrome, in IE's attempts to retain users. But Google's developers aren't spending time calling "copycat"; they're using their time to boost their addon offerings and developer community, which has come a long way, but has siginificant ground to make up versus Firefox.

The Pro's

• Touted as "the world's fastest browser"; this thing is Ferrari-fast, and you'll notice the difference
• Large addon collection allows for many of the same customizations you can do with Firefox, and even some that you can't
• The IE Tab Extension allows built-for-IE pages to load in Chrome

The Con's

• Large amounts of addons can negatively impact Chrome's performance

Where can I get Chrome?

You can get the latest version of Chrome here: www.google.com/chrome.

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While all of these browsers aren't for everyone, we definitely encourage you to give each one a try. Who knows, you may find a new favorite that completely transforms how you use the internet! And hey, all of these are FREE, so you really don't have anything to lose.