Of all the programs that sit on our computers, we surely take web browsers for granted more than any other. They may be given away to us free of charge, but they are exceptional feats of programming skill which give us access to untold information, and have become as integral to the computing experience as the mouse and the keyboard. Over the past ten years, battles have raged between the companies behind these browsers in order to increase their market share, but this hasn’t always been to the benefit of the end user. It’s only recently that we’ve really started to reap the rewards of competition, with a genuine choice of which tool we can use to click our way through cyberspace.

Back in the mid-1990s, when the notion of watching an internet animation of a singing dog was still the stuff of a madman’s dreams, the Netscape browser was by far the most popular on both PC and Macintosh. Web pages were simple affairs with basic graphic and text layouts, and, delighted by the fact that it worked at all, our expectations of a rich multimedia experience weren’t high. Netscape did the job perfectly adequately, and even in 1997, two years after Microsoft had launched their first version of Internet Explorer, Netscape users still outnumbered Explorer users by four to one. But the tide turned when Microsoft integrated Explorer more deeply within the Windows operating system, meaning that if you owned a PC, you’d inevitably be browsing the Internet using Microsoft’s browser by default. During this period, Netscape battled furiously against its faster, more feature-rich competitor as they both regularly released updated versions; this rush to stay competitive led to the phenomenon known as “feature creep” where the need to stay distinctive and ahead of the pack began to compromise the software itself. Both programs ended up being laden with bugs, and browsing anything other than the simplest pages could be an erratic experience; web designers would often use buttons saying “Best viewed in Netscape” or “Optimized for Internet Explorer” to ensure we could view the sites as they were intended to be seen. But eventually, the almighty power and resources of Microsoft almost wiped Netscape off the map, and by 2002 Explorer was being used by 96% of internet surfers. This was despite Microsoft’s loss of the much publicized court case against the United States Department of Justice, which centred on this very monopoly that Microsoft had over the world wide web experience.

With Internet Explorer predominant, all webpages tended to be written with that browser in mind, and this lessened the pressure on Microsoft to update the program. Indeed, until a preview release of Explorer 7.0 was made available for download a few weeks ago, there hadn’t been a truly substantial upgrade since version 5.5 way back in July 2000. But in the interim, plans were afoot over at Netscape. The code of the original program had been released publicly as open source, meaning that anyone was free to study and suggest improvements to it. It ended up being substantially rewritten, and in 2004 a lightweight version of the program was released under the name Firefox. The success of Google’s web presence had proved that the bloated, feature-heavy internet experience wasn’t necessarily what people were after, and that simplicity may be the key. Jettisoning bells and whistles in favour of sleek design and fast operation became the new goal – and not only for Firefox, but also for a new Norwegian offering, Opera, and Apple’s own Safari browser. All these young pretenders now offered tabbed browsing – where multiple web pages can be quickly switched between in the same window – and the ability to read RSS feeds, so users are notified when certain sites are updated, while that updated content is pulled in automatically for easy perusal. People gradually started to switch from Explorer in huge numbers.

The biggest issue that has drawn people away however, is the number of reported security risks of using Explorer. With such large numbers of people using one piece of software to connect their computers to the outside world, exposing flaws in that software and gaining control of people’s computers for malicious ends has become something of a hobby for bored geeks who are eager to wreak havoc. Microsoft have been criticised for their slow, almost reluctant responses to these attacks, while similar weaknesses in Firefox have been patched almost immediately – mainly because of the open source nature of the program, and the large number of people willing to work on solving the problem. Indeed, Mozilla, the organisation now behind Firefox, currently offer a $500 bounty for anyone pointing out security flaws in the software, and have already paid out on a number of occasions. As alternative browsers become more popular, there will be more incentive for criminals to search for flaws in their code, but Mozilla’s open style of policing has inspired many to place their trust in Firefox, and in some countries its market share is now as high as 40%.

Globally, however, Internet Explorer is still the daddy – even if it’s largely because the average PC user hasn’t been alerted to the fact that alternatives are available. On the Macintosh platform, Safari is now bundled with the operating system, performing extremely well and inspiring fierce loyalty in its users; Microsoft will be hoping to replicate this success when version 7.0 of Explorer is properly launched later this year. But for now, alternatives for the PC user are definitely worth exploring.

Microsoft Internet Explorer
Latest official version: 6.0, released August 2004
Requirements: PC running Windows 98 or later
History: By far the most used browser in the world, although its share has declined since its 2002 peak of 96%. The Macintosh version was recently discontinued
Security: Danish computer security firm Secunia currently reports 19 vulnerabilities in the program which can compromise security
Pros: The majority of websites are still designed with Explorer users in mind and thus there are few compatibility problems
Cons: With over 18 months since the last upgrade, it’s lagging behind its competitors in terms of features. An unsupported pre-release of version 7.0 has recently been made available to address this

Mozilla Firefox
Latest official version: 1.5.0.2, released April 2006
Requirements: PC running Windows 98 or later; Macintosh running OS X 10.2 or later
History: Originally launched in November 2004, the number of users has boomed over the past six months and it is now estimated to have a 10% market share
Security: Three vulnerabilities are currently reported by Secunia. Patches from Mozilla tend to be made available very quickly
Pros: Hugely customizable; extensions can be downloaded ranging from advertisement blockers to weather forecasters
Cons: It can feel more sluggish to use than the other new wave of browsers

Opera
Latest official version: 8.54, released April 2006
Requirements: PC running Windows 95 or later; Macintosh running OS X; versions available for many other platforms
History: Started life as a low-key Norwegian research project, but the popularity of the “Mini” version of Opera on mobile phones has seen an increase in its profile
Security: No vulnerabilities currently reported
Pros: Compact piece of software which claims to be “the fastest browser on Earth”; you can customize the interface with downloadable “skins”
Cons: Suffers more than other browsers from incompatibility with certain websites

Safari
Latest official version: 2.0.3, released March 2006
Requirements: Macintosh running OS X 10.4
History: First released in June 2003 as Apple’s answer to the predominance of Internet Explorer; is now bundled with Mac OS X
Security: One non-critical vulnerability reported by Secunia
Pros: Feels efficient and speedy, and has seamless integration with other parts of the Mac OS
Cons: Doesn’t offer the array of extensions that Firefox users have at their fingertips

Netscape
Latest official version: 8.1, released January 2006
Requirements: PC running Windows 98 or later; latest version not yet available for Mac
History: Has suffered a slow decline in popularity since its dominance in the mid 1990s, but has now been completely rewritten
Security: One non-critical vulnerability reported by Secunia
Pros: It has both the Firefox and Internet Explorer rendering engines built in, so it theoretically should be compatible with all websites
Cons: Some claim that Netscape’s use of these two engines means that it inherits the security risks of them both