Web Browsers & Plug-ins

Web Browser Downloads

Internet Explorer is so tightly tied into the Windows operating system that its vulnerabilities makes not only the browser, but your whole Windows system, susceptible to attack.

"Internet Explorer has been long known to be vulnerable to the covert downloading of software from malicious Web sites…Merely visiting the corrupted site is all it takes." - BusinessWeek

I strongly recommended using Firefox as your primary browser. Compare Firefox 3.5 to Internet Explorer 8.

The Main Contenders

FireFox version 3.5 is a slim browser that is fast (twice as fast as version 3) and standards-compliant with new features including private browsing, tear-off tabs and includes the world's first implementation of HTML 5 audio and video support (no plug-ins required). Strongly recommended. Windows, Linux and Macintosh OS X are currently supported. 5000 free add-ons greatly increase Firefox's flexibility. Having difficulties? Try the Firefox standard diagnostic.
Opera is a slim yet full-featured browser that will run quickly on Windows, Linux, Macintosh, and other operating systems. Free download. Purchase Opera.
Safari Browser is the Mac OS X default web browser and is now available for Windows. Safari supports the latest standards and features.
Google Chrome is a browser that combines a minimal design with sophisticated technology to make the web faster, safer, and easier. Available only for Windows Vista/XP SP2 or better. Known Issues.
Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 is available for Windows Vista/XP SP2 or better. IE 8 is the first version of Internet Explorer to strongly support the web standards that Microsoft has helped to develop over the years.

Beta Versions

Beta (pre-release) editions are sometimes available for various web browsers. This gives developers (and adventurous folks) a chance to preview new features and to determine how they'll work with existing sites and whether additional features are coming that can better present content.
What is beta software?

Alternative Browsers

The SeaMonkey project is a community effort to deliver production-quality releases of code derived from the application formerly known as Mozilla Application Suite (based upon the old Netscape suite). Whereas the main focus of the Mozilla Foundation is on Mozilla Firefox and Mozilla Thunderbird, this group of dedicated volunteers works to ensure that you can have "everything but the kitchen sink"—and have it stable enough for corporate use. Many operating systems are supported.
Camino is Firefox outfitted with the Mac OS X interface—Mozilla power, Mac style.
iCab Browser alternative browser for the Mac is highly customizable and includes image filtering, which eliminates banner ads. Recommended for older Macs that cannot support Firefox.
Flock is a browser designed for social networking (Twitter, Facebook, etc.). Versions are available for Windows, Mac and Linux.
Lynx is a text browser that runs on Un*x, VMS, Windows 95/98/NT, on DOS (386 or higher) and OS/2 EMX.

Internet Explorer Based

These browsers are either based upon Internet Explorer or they used components of IE that make them subject to the same vulnerabilities.

Maxthon (formerly MyIE2) is based on the Internet Explorer engine. Much of what works in IE works the same in Maxthon but there is tabbed browsing and other features (most are included in IE7).
Avant grabs its settings from Internet Explorer but offers many additional features and indicates that it runs faster.

Browser Archives

evolt.org Browser Archive has many of the dozens of browsers that have come and gone over the years.
Netscape Browser Archive.
Browser Timelines shows the relative timeline of various key browsers.

These archives are useful primarily to researchers, Web designers and others wishing to see how older browsers display current content. Installation of these browsers can corrupt Windows settings (such as earlier versions of Internet Explorer) or not work properly at all.

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Web Browser Plug-ins

About Plug-ins

Plug-ins are add-in software (helper applications) that enables your Web browser to view and hear multimedia content. Not all plug-ins are supported by all browsers.

Sun Java Plug-in is included in Sun Java. Test your Java installation. More about Java.
Adobe Flash player and Shockwave player. Test your Flash and Shockwave installation.
PluginDoc is geared towards plug-ins for the Mozilla (Firefox) series of browsers.

Apple Quicktime allows you to play most video and audio formats on the Windows 2000/XP and MacOS X platforms only.
RealPlayer gives you real-time playback of every major media type, including QuickTime MPEG-4, Windows Media, DVDs and CDs. Premium content is available with a subscription.

Adobe Reader is an add-on that allows you to read PDF files with the proper fonts regardless of the operating system that it was created on. If you are having difficulty with the default page try the alternate download page.

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Extensions: Small Add-ons

Extensions are small add-ons that can do anything from customizing the look of a button to adding new features in a similar way to the more traditional plug-ins, but they add features rather than add access to "helper" applications.

Basic Firefox Add-ons

Add Bookmark Here ² allows you to exactly place a bookmark. Particularly useful when you have lots of organized bookmarks on the bookmarks toolbar
IE View allows you to launch the current Firefox page displayed in Internet Explorer (Windows only).
More Firefox add-ons.

Add-ons for Web Developers

Web developers will want to check out the various Firefox add-ons for Web developers.

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Web Browser Tips and Tools

MozBackup is a freeware program which allows you to create backups of Mozilla, Mozilla Firefox and Mozilla Thunderbird profiles, including your mail, favorites, contacts, etc.
PwdHash is a Firefox extension which can generate a password based upon the site and your master password, making it unique to that site thereby helping to prevent successful phishing.
Internet Explorer Tips and Tricks—50 Ways to Tweak Your Browser.
Bookmarklets are simple tools that extend the surf and search capabilities of web browsers.

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Troubleshooting Web Browser Problems

These resources will help you if something goes wrong during the install or operation of your Web browser.

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About Web Browsers

Web browsers are multipurpose Internet applications that include the ability to view Web sites and often include other functions as well.

Bringing Together Software for the Web

The Web browser brings together all the elements that we've come to consider the Web: stylized text with integrated images, sound and video. Often other features are included such as electronic mail (e-mail), chat & instant messaging (IM) and even components that allow you to build a Web page (Web design software).

Many Browsers to Choose From

Many people mistakenly assume that Internet Explorer and MSN are the Internet, probably because Internet Explorer and Outlook Express are included with Windows. However, there are many Web browsers to choose from—and most offer greater security and functionality than the Microsoft defaults.

Trimming Down

There is a trend to slimming down the browser and allowing people to add functions they need as separate installs so that the browser itself will open more quickly.

Plug-ins, Extensions and Add-ons

There are several ways to add features to your Web browser of choice. There are dozens of add-on programs that do everything from organizing favorites and bookmarks to those that add tabbed browsing and research tools.

The traditional way to add functionality to Web browsers is plug-ins. These typically add access to external "helper" applications like the Adobe Acrobat Reader. A newer approach is to use extensions which can add features or simply customize what it there.

Be Aware of Potential Problems

Whenever you add these features into your browser, there is the potential for problems. Most "newer" features are indicated with a version number less than 1.0 (e.g. version 0.6). This is usually termed a beta (or test) version where the creator is seeking feedback from those using the product in different computer configurations than their own.

While it is unusual for something to be released that is dangerous, you might be better waiting until a few more experienced individuals have had some time to use the extension or plug-in, particularly if your computer is used for work or has applications that you can't do without if something goes wrong.

E-mail Clients

Integrated or Separated?

One of the most common applications included with browsers is the e-mail client (program). While this can be convenient,it also means that you are limited to the choices made by the designer of your Web browser. You are also unable to independently upgrade the e-mail component.

The Choice is Yours

Using a separate e-mail client gives you a much wider range of options and features. If you are a heavy user of e-mail, stand-alone e-mail clients will offer a greater range of filtering and other customization options. Some of the stand-alone e-mail programs are worth their price due to the more flexible tools included with them.

Security Concerns

Web browsers and their associated e-mail programs have known security issues that vary from browser to browser (and sometimes depend upon the operating system).

While the configuration of some devices, including wireless networking, may suggest that you use Internet Explorer, it is strongly recommended that Windows users do not use Internet Explorer for their primary browser because of significant security issues.

I'd suggest trying your main browser to configure these devices before resorting to Internet Explorer by default. I'd not recommend using any browser other than Internet Explorer for Windows Update (there is a plug-in for Firefox, but you don't want to introduce any vulnerabilities into Firefox that exist in Internet Explorer).

While there are some pages that don't display properly using Gecko-based browsers (Firefox, Mozilla), these tend to be the exception and are the result of poorly designed sites, not poorly designed software.

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Internet Security Vulnerabilities

Getting More Information

Please go to the Internet Security Vulnerabilities page for information on Windows security weaknesses and Web browsers weaknesses.

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www.RussHarvey.bc.ca/resources/browser.html
Updated: August 22, 2009