I like IE 5+ the best so far. Based upon my personal testing I have found it to be the fastest browser to render graphics ao fully load pages.
I also have NS 4.08 stand alone browser for use in testing html compatabilies. I had the full Communicator package but trashed it cause it took over my default settings even though I told it not to upon install! Took an hour of registry editing to get rid of it all & restore my settings.
I will try the newest NS versions IF they release a stand alone browser again.
The other reason I like IE best is that 85% of all web surfers use some version of IE, which makes for easier html coding. I am not concerned that the 10% of web surfers (NS users) can't see my pages as they were meant to be seen.
I like IE for the main reason that it handles keyboard commands better than Netscape. In that past, I have used the "AutoMate" macro program to record surfing macros using keyboard commands. They don't work worth a damn in Netscape but are flawless in IE.
Even something as simple as filling out a box in a webpage and pressing enter in Netscape often won't automatically select and press the "GO" button like it will in IE.
To be honest with everyone, I've used Netscape maybe 2-3 times in my life. Thats cuz all my friends got IE...as do I...I mean, it came with Win98, so why not use it? As long as it opens webpages, I don't care what browser I use...and IE is doing just fine for me (IE 4..and now Im using IE 5)
I dont use IE at all, it follows the same basic "computers for dummies" concept that Microsoft has been pushing for years. Not too mention that it uses its TCP wrappers as a back door entrace into the Windows platform.
Sadly enough, Netscape has been falling behind lately, but that's what happens when you face a software monopoly.
In the end my vote goes for the Galeon, Galeon is the open-source version of Netscape PR6. Loads pages a lot faster then IE or netscape with speed tweaks, easy to surf with and renders images and tables well. Only its for Linux users leaving the majority (Windows users) behind
Although, I do recomend one browser for the Windows platform, surf over to www.sun.com and pick up a beta copy of HotJava. HotJava is similar to Opera but its completly free and written by the Java experts, Sun Microsystems
I've been pretty loyale to IE but for the last 3 weeks I've been using the Netscape 6.0 PR2 and when the final version does come out I'll be a Netscape man, cause it really kicks *ss
[This message has been edited by rbrescia (edited 09-25-2000).]
I know there have been some similar threads like this lately, but most of them turn into a lot of people thinking they are cool and saying "Microsoft Sucks!" or "Opera Rules!" and not really saying why...
I think the majority of people (including me) think that IE has been better than Netscape for the last 2+ years, but I think things are getting interesting again with Netscape 6, Opera, and even quasi-new browser "environments" like Neoplanet and the MSN Explorer...
I would like to know:
- Which browser is your favorite?
- What *features* are most important to you that make it your favorite?
- What *features* do you not like about some of the other browsers that make you not use them?
------------------ Put your left leg down - your right leg up.
Thanks for the good responses so far everyone... Keep 'em coming...
I deal with browser issues all the time in my job developing web sites, so I was interested to hear what you all thought about the functionality without all the bashing...
I've used pretty much every version of Netscape and IE since the beginning and have found IE to be the superior product since 4.0. The rendering engine beats the hell out of the Netscape (pre-6 anyhow)... For those developers out there, the Document Object Model also kicks azz but unfortunately it's difficult to use any advanced features like that due to the need to accomodate Netscape and older versions... I also like some of the bells and whistles in IE like the new Print Preview, some of the offline capabilities (though I think the active desktop blows... does anyone use that?), and the ability to customize the UI.
I also think the Netscape 6 UI is horrendous... although MSN Explorer looks very similar, what with the "sidebar" and all that junk built in, so maybe it's something that "newbie" users really like, though I can't imagine why.
I've found Opera to be an interesting new choice, but like Prey said difficult to configure and I can't really figure out what it really offers that IE doesn't...
I'm also interested to check out the Sun Browser - thanks for the good recs Stef!
Remeber, HotJava is still a work in progress. I found that the Windows version had a few bugs with it, the Linux version runs pretty stable. I think thats cause both platform use different Java runtime environments.
Galeon is the best and most stable web browser for Linux so far, only, its made for the Gnome desktop If it ever gets ported over to Windows IE will die. You can quote me on that one!!
Mozilla and Galeon are both based off of the Netscape PRR 6 engine. Also, Netscape has teamed up with Sun Microsystem in writting new java code for their browser. I think, with the help of the open sourced community and Sun Microsystem, Netscape will once again ride the top of the binary wave
I use both Internet Explorer (v. 5.01) and Opera (v. 3.62). Among the things I like about Internet Explorer are: 1) Will open every single Web page out there. 2) Fast browser. 3) I like it's Full Screen feature. 4) Rarely ever crashes (I know, it's probably not what the majority of its users say). 5) I really like its Send a Link and Send Page features. Now, one thing I wish it could be, is a little smaller - it takes up quite a bit of space. What I like about Opera is: 1) Very fast browser (1 1/2 times faster than Internet Explorer - just my opinion). 2) I really, really like how one can open multiple Web pages in the browser. 3) I think the way one can toggle images on and off just by clicking the Toggle icon at the bottom is pretty cool. 4) Very small size (less than 2MB without Java). 5) Uses less Memory than Internet Explorer (checked this with Norton Utilities System Information). Also, Opera (v. 3.62) does have Java support through a plugin and the newest version (4.0) can be obtained with full Java support. As far as being difficult to configure, the only configuration difficulty I found was with the installation of the different types of plugins (eg. Quicktime, Real Player, Shockwave, etc.) I've used Netscape and have found it to be too slow in comparison to Internet Explorer and Opera. Other than that, I think it's a good browser. Recently, I've been looking into other browsers and have run into a couple that look pretty good, but require that you already have Internet Explorer installed, install/update system files or, they want you to have these different kinds "Runtimes" installed. I don't put programs or files into my computer unless they are necessary. Anyway, that's about it.
IE 5.5. After I first upgraded it had a few problems. But since I have formatted and used it without problems with 98SE and Now ME and 2000.
I used to be a Big Netscape fan but lately seems they have been falling way behind. The last vesion I used was 4.6. But I will checkout version 6 after it`s final release just to say I did.
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(IE 4..and now Im using IE 5)
If it ever gets ported over to Windows IE will die. You can quote me on that one!!
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