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Over
70 percent of the world uses Microsoft's Internet Explorer.
But you don't have to. Here are three better alternatives,
and then some.
What
if the only cars you could buy were Fords and the only
cellphones around were all Nokias? Scary scene? Well,
doff your hat to the guys at Mozilla, Flock and Opera
then. If it were not for them, we'd all be vassals of
the big e.
 Mozilla
Firefox
Backgrounder: While Netscape collapsed under Microsoft's
legal battering in the late 1990s, it left behind something
called the Mozilla Project which was where they put
out the Netscape source code for open developer use.
Half a decade later, we had the cross-platform Firebird.
In due course, the browser was called Firefox.
What's cool? Lots. For starters, at just 4.9 MB, it's
a lean software client (IE6, for example, is a flabby
80MB). And while it's loaded with features and supports
numerous extensions, the best among them is tabbed browsing,
which allows users to open multiple web pages in a single
browser window and flit between them. Other features
include an integrated pop-up blocker and Google search,
a relatively
expansive viewing area, an intuitive design and most
importantly, it's not as vulnerable as IE. Like with
a Mac's simulation of the Windows experience, Firefox
too feels a lot like IE. Plus it also has shortcuts
and keystrokes that very nearly make the mouse redundant.
What's not? Essentially a stripped-down program, you've
got to move that mouse's butt and install plug-ins like
Flash etc. And if you shop online, chances are that
certain sites might
not have been designed for Firefox users.
Where do I get it? Go to mozilla.com, getfirefox.com
to download Firefox 1.5
 Opera
Backgrounder: Headquartered in Oslo, Opera was originally
started as a research project in 1994 in Norwegian telecom
major Telenor. A year later, it metamorphosed into an
independent firm called Opera Software ASA .
What's cool? Just last month, Opera launched Widgetize!,
which helps users to create their own desktop widgets
without too much fuss (currently available for RSS and
ATOM feeds). Opera, which aims to develop the fastest,
smallest and feature-packed browser around, makes an
admirable attempt to live up to the claim. The Opera
9 has tabbed browsing (what's especially nifty is an
added function that lets the user hover over a tab to
preview a page) and BitTorrent support that lets you
simply click on a Torrent link and begin downloading.
It also comes with a built-in e-mail client that's a
combo of an e-mail program, news reader, mailing list
organiser and an RSS/Atom newsfeed reader. Plus the
Opera 9 also allows you to add other search engines
to its built-in search field. Users can also add, remove,
or rearrange buttons, search fields and toolbars.
What's not? Known to act cranky with WMV files, is often
not supported by most sites and still lacks mainstream
support.
Where do I get it? opera.com
 Flock
Backgrounder: Flock, a Mozilla-based browser, was launched
in October last year and is a venture-capital funded,
for-profit venture. It was founded by Bart Decrem, who
headed marketing and business affairs for Mozilla, and
Geoffrey Arone.
What's cool? If browsers were people, Flock, which calls
itself a 'social browser', would be the outgoing kind.
Apart from doing all the regular stuff, Flock is built
for a set that is heavily into blogging, photo-sharing
and the like. In short, it makes life easier for people
who populate myspace, del.icio.us, livejournal and youtube.
Need to upload a photo to Flickr? Just drag the image
to the photo topbar and the uploader is waiting to do
its job. Bloggers can post from within the browser and
it also has an RSS aggregator which allows the user
to preview a feed before adding it and also facilitates
viewing stories by feed, category or all categories.
What's not? Flock has often been trashed as a "Firefox
with extensions."
Where do I get it? flock.com
TWO
MORE TOOLSETS - ONE'S FOR PORN AND THE OTHER'S FOR FREEDOM
 Torpark
Big Brother tracking your web footprints? Government
banning sites? Go to Torpark that combines Firefox and
the Tor anonymous proxy service to make sure censorship
goes for a big toss. What Tor does is send your traffic
through a "series of proxies, encrypt your communication
in multiple layers and route it via multiple hops through
the Tor network to the final receiver." The wool's
pulled over your local ISP's eyes because all it can
make out is that you are establishing contact with Tor
nodes. In simpler terms, Tor's the answer whenever someone
blocks your view. Available at torpark.nfshost.com
 Heatseek
Heatseek's just out and it all began in 2005 when, states
the website, "a few guys wondered why viewing adult
content on a computer was so unfriendly to users. Everyone
must be so annoyed at pop-up windows, friends and spouses
finding stuff on their computer, and viewing pics/videos
with all these different programs that weren't designed
for this type of material." And so, Heatseek, built
for the express purpose of viewing porn, came into being.
The browser, which also had a paid version, makes your
adult content and activity invisible to other pests
who use your computer; encrypts all adult file by making
them unreadable outside of Heatseek, does the same for
browsing history and website cookies and even hides
them; and shoots down those doggone popups. The fact
that it even has a panic button for quick exit really
makes our cuckoo sing. Sadly, heatseek may not be able
to hoodwink monitoring software at offices or homes.
Get it at heatseek.com
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