For those who are just starting out surfing the Internet, the amount of different web browsers can be overwhelming.  Which one is best? Which one will give you the information that you need the fastest? Which web browser is the most user friendly? What about security? How do you keep yourself and your identity safe?  In the following article we will give you general information about each browser, and then compare them side by side at the end.

Internet Explorer

This is the browser that just about everyone knows about.  If you have ever worked on a computer with Windows on it, you are familiar with it.  The most recent edition of Microsoft Internet Explorer makes the long wait for an update worth it.  Internet Explorer 7.0 offers users many more choices than 6.0, and one of the most popular features is the tabbed browsing.  Instead of having to open another window to view another webpage, users can simply click on file and choose open tab. In addition to the option for tabbed browsing, Internet Explorer 7.0 also offers support for RSS , improved security, and your history and bookmarks now come in with a search engine built in, making it easier to find what you are looking for.


Mozilla Firefox

One of the most popular Internet browsers available today is the Mozilla Firefox.  Like Microsoft's Internet Explorer, it also supports tabbed browsing and RSS feeds.  But Mozilla Firefox also offers many features that Internet Explorer doesn't. For those web surfers who have a habit of accidentally closing their browser, they will enjoy the feature that allows them to go right back to where they were and not have to worry about finding the website all over again.  Other popular features are the automatic checking for updates and the options to clear your private data before you even open your browser.   If spelling isn't your strong point, the spellchecker that comes with Mozilla Firefox is also a nice addition.

Opera

Opera has come up with some really innovative and creative ways for people to surf the web faster and easier.  One of Opera's most interesting features is the speed dial feature.  How does it work, you ask? Well, speed dial on Opera is very similar to speed dial on a telephone.  Once you add speed dial to a website, you can simply type in the number of that website in order to access it. If you ever forget what numbers are assigned to which websites, all you you  have to do is open a tab and it will give you the speed dial screen.   Another feature that comes in handy is the thumbnail feature with regards to tabs.  All the user needs to do is to place your cursor over the tabs and a small screen will pop up and give you a miniature version of what is in that tab.

Safari

Safari is a web browser that was originally made for Apple computers and was just recently made available to Windows users.  One of the interesting features of the Safari browser is the ability to put your bookmarks right on the tool bar for easy access. It also offers you tabbed browsing, autofill with regards t
o forms, and a very handy called Snapback.  Snapback allows you to quickly and easily  return to your original search after you have clicked on a link on the search page.  Snapback ends the need to hit the back button numerous times to find your original search, and is a feature that many people have really come to like about Safari.

Flock

Flock is the perfect web browser for people who like to interact with others on the Internet, watch videos and look at pictures, and especially enjoy blogging. For those of us who really love to blog, the blogging feature is something that is sorely needed.  With Flock you can add all of your blogs and post to them with very little trouble.  

Now that I have given you some of the general information about five of browsers available to use, I am going to compare the features side by side to see which features each of the browsers offer and how the browser stack up against one another.


Download Manager - Firefox, Flock, Opera, Safari
Password Manager  - Firefox, Flock, Internet Explorer, Opera, Safari
Form Management  - Firefox, Flock, Internet Explorer, Opera, Safari
Spell Checking         - Firefox, Flock, Opera, Safari
Search Engine          - Firefox, Flock, Internet Explorer, Opera, Safari
toolbar

These features, of course, are only some of the features that these different web browsers offer.  With so many web browsers offering some of the same options and features, how do you choose which one is right for you?

Well, the truth is that you don't have to choose just one.  There are plenty of people who use more than one web browser when they are online, and there is no right or wrong decision to make when it comes to web browsing.  It would be nice if they all offered the same features, and that way we could all stick to one web browser.  

Unfortunately, like all other companies the creators of the web browsers  are competing to be the biggest and the best there is.  Something that  you can do is think about the things that you do the most on the web.  Are you always watching video, blogging and wanting to meet new people? Then Flock would be a good choice for you.  If you often have a lot of tabs open, and forget which tab goes to what website, then Opera would be a good choice. Opera is also good if you have trouble finding your bookmarks, because it makes it easier with the speed dialing feature.

The point is not to get stressed over your decision about choosing a web browser.  All of the web browsers that I have highlighted today are completely free, so you don't have to worry about wasting your money and finding out that you don't like it.

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