Netscape
Communicator
The browser that brought the
Web to the world (and which is still used by about 50% of the world) is now
owned by AOL but is still distributed as freeware. The software can
be obtained in browser-only slim-line versions or much bulkier complete versions
with full email, newsreader, calendaring functions etc. Available for most
computing platforms including Macintosh and Unix. We've found that installation
is always a snap - and you can operate it quite comfortably alongside Internet
Explorer too.
Microsoft Internet Explorer
The web browser that has made
web developers lives a nightmare ever since it was first released also happens
to be the one best integrated with Windows. With the new IE 5.0, Microsoft
promised - at last - to adhere to common web standards, and they appear to
have finally got it right after several woeful earlier attempts. Available
for all Windows platforms and Macintosh, and currently bundled with nearly
every new PC in the world. Freeware.
Opera
This commercial browser
from Norway has drawn a lot of press and well-earned plaudits since it was
released. Opera is much smaller than either IE or Communicator, uses far
fewer system resources and supports many more Web standards than either of
the "big two" browsers. This may be a very handy browser to have if you compute
in a restricted environment (eg: low hard disk space, low RAM etc).
WebTV Viewer
How does your site look to
a WebTV viewer? Use this browser to see what your site looks like to the
growing number of people now using television to surf the Net. This site
also has tips on designing sites for WebTV that may be useful if you want
to catch the attention of this audience segment. Freeware (no WebTV
subscription required either).
Lynx
Lynx is a text-only browser
that's very small and very fast (and yes, this does show up
a few times every month in our server logs, so it's being used by a small
but loyal following of people out there). See how your site appears to those
who'd rather not see graphics at all - the results will often give you a
shock. |
