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Internet Explorer - Alternatives

Odds are that you use Microsoft’s Internet Explorer to browse the internet and never give it a second thought. Recent market share data shows it at about 85%, but dropping. Perhaps you remember Netscape or have heard of Apple’s Safari. Do you know there are other browsers that are head and shoulders better than Internet Explorer and are free? It is easy to switch. All you need to do is go to the website, download the browser, install and start using it.

Firefox
My favorite browser is Mozilla’s Firefox. It works on Windows, Mac OSX, and Linux operating systems. It is the second most popular browser among all users and the most popular with knowledgeable users. Many technology websites report that over 90% of their viewers are using Firefox. It has been stealing market share from Internet Explorer over the last two years. Microsoft is so concerned about this that the company recently began redeveloping Internet Explorer after ignoring it for years. They seem to be copying Firefox’s feature set. Firefox’s two most significant features are a tabbed window and extensions.

A tabbed window interface allows you to contain all your browser windows in one place and navigate from one to another by selecting a different tab. This contrasts quite nicely from Internet Explorer’s multiple windows interface. It means that your monitor is not littered with lots of browser windows. This makes the internet a better experience. Firefox also allows the user to control those annoying pop-up windows that advertisers love to use. But Firefox is much more than just a prettier interface in the crowd. Firefox has a worldwide community developing for the browser. These kind folk have created a large selection of enhancements called extensions. You can easily install them. Mozilla currently lists 1382 available extensions. These are also free.

Firefox Extensions
Adblock Plus and Tab Mix Plus are two extensions that I recommend as essential to anyone using Firefox. Adblock Plus lets you remove annoying ads and banners from any website. Tab Mix Plus enhances Firefox in other ways. It lets you save a session so that all the tabs are restored the next time you run Firefox. Have you ever closed an Internet Explorer window and wished you had not? Tab Mix Plus lets you undo closed tabs. It does so much more than this that I would need several columns to describe its full feature set. If you get Firefox, make certain to get these two extensions also.

Maxthon
Another alternative is Maxthon. It is technically a shell program that adds a tabbed browser interface to Internet Explorer. It only works on Windows. Maxthon lets you save groups of tabs so that you can quickly reopen a set of websites. It has several free plugins that can enhance its features. My favorite is Ad Hunter which lets you block popup windows and annoying website ads. It has many other good features. I highly recommend Maxthon as an alternative for Internet Explorer.

Opera
Finally, another good alternative browser is Opera. I have used it for years. It was one of the first browsers to utilize a tab interface. It is available for Windows, Mac OSX, and Linux operating systems. It has many of the same useful features of Maxthon or Firefox. It is easy to use and is probably the fastest of the browsers mentioned here in displaying a website.

Go ahead and try a new browser. You’ll be glad you did.