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Internet Browsers

The browser is the program you are using to view this site. While most people use Microsoft's Internet Explorer, there are several others out there. The most common browsers are:

  Global
E-Janco, 		Web Developers
w3schools.com
This Site
Internet Explorer
64%
53%
61%
Firefox (incl Mozilla)
19%
38%
19%
Netscape (old versions)
10.2%
13%
Apple Safari
1.0%
2%
2%

Of the browsers listed above, Internet Explorer has been criticized the most since it has proven vulnerable to hackers. But apart from Security, browser performance affects other aspects of your surfing experience. So to improve security and to make your Internet experience more pleasant, the browser that I recommend is Mozilla's Firefox. The latest Firefox is version 2.0 and with this, features are still better than Microsoft's IE7 and Firefox is still more secure since it does not permit Active X. See the table below for a detailed comparison of IE and Firefox.

Browser Comparison * indicates key advantage

  Microsoft's IE - 7.0 Firefox 2.0
Security (Scripts) Uses Active X and Java Script. Both enabled and managed separately. Active-X allows download of program (.exe) files from web-sites. * Javascript only - much easier to control scripts. However, lack of Active-X compatibility is Firefox's biggest security advantage and also its biggest compatibility disadvantage.
Privacy (Cookies) Controls Cookies - all or nothing. More on Cookies. Cookies can easily be controlled on a site by site basis. Also, if you delete a cookie it won't be accepted next time you encounter it.
Anti-Phishing Yes Yes
Pop-up Blocker Included Included
Downloads Download folder is always the last one used. Download folder is always the same one as specified by user.
Favourites 7.0 improved from 6.0 and now OK Easy drag and drop management of Bookmarks (= favourites) and easy to understand toolbar usage.
Updates Updates occur automatically Updates occur automatically
Add-ons IE7 is better than IE6 but few are available except for standards like Adobe Reader, Flash etc Add-on (Extension) management is built in and add-ons are expected. One excellent one is AdBlock Plus which can stop most of the common ads (banners etc).
Tabs Yes Yes - easier to use
Multi-Media Accepts most mp3's, mpgs and wavs with standard Windows Media Player plug-in. Quick-time plug-in required for .mov files. Accepts same files and plug-ins as Windows. Make sure you configure correctly. More.
Search Web Default search engine is a user selection Default search engine is a user selection
Printing Much better than IE6 - now can choose shrink to fit Automatically shrinks to fit (when selected)
Cache Management Easily done from options (Temporary Internet Files - Settings) Requires manually modifying Config file which while easy, is not self-evident. More below.
RSS Support Yes Yes
Compatibility Compatible with most sites on web - more than Firefox. Some sites (approx 1%) are not compatible. An add-on is available to allow easy switching to IE (see below).
Firefox terminology and other features are more like Netscape than Internet Explorer. There are a very few sites (less than 1%) that do not work properly with Firefox - so keep Internet Explorer for these odd occasions (and perhaps use the Firefox plug-in that allows a quick switch - ieview). The most likely reason to require Internet Exploror is when a site uses Active X - typically for some interactive action. As an example, I use Firefox as my default browser and I have the following extensions installed:
  • ieview (above) - allows a quick change to Internet Explorer for those odd sites that need it.
  • Google Toolbar (see below)
  • AdBlock Plus - stops banner ads - subscribe to EasyList and all the work is done for you!

Note when installing IE7: If the Google toolbar is already installed when you install IE7, you may need to uninstall the toolbar then re-install it to see the IE7 main menu bar (Microsoft's way of discouraging Google?)

Netscape was the first really popular browser but dropped the ball allowing Microsoft to overtake it. If you'd like to try their latest version (9), download it here. It is based on Firefox and is a big improvement on their previous version. However, support is being stopped Feb 1, 2008 so it is not recommended.

Whatever browser you use, it is important to make sure the settings are right. This is easiest in Firefox but the default settings for Internet Explorer suit most people. However, it is always worth looking at them to see if things can be improved. Access settings at Tools>Internet Options. General recommendations are not possible because needs vary for everyone. Also be sure to configure Plug-ins where required (e.g. Quick-time). Plug-ins usually happen automatically and no action is required when you install Firefox.

The most popular Search Engine is Google. To make your experience with Google even better, install Google's toolbar right into Internet Explorer (although Firefox and IE7 come complete with Google already included). Download it here. (For Firefox use this version - produced by Firefox and more compatible).

Double windows opening on Firefox
Some people have noticed that when they click a link in Outlook that opens a browser window, that instead of a single window opening, two windows open. This happens if you have the Google designed toolbar installed instead of the one recommended above. Uninstall Google's toolbar from Firefox and install the Googlebar designed by the Firefox team. Very similar. If there are any features missing that you want, you can get them from other Firefox extensions available.

Note on managing scripts in Internet Explorer
As noted above, managing Scripts in Internet Explorer is relatively complex. First, each "Zone" is separately controlled (Internet, Trusted, Restricted) - The Trusted Zone allows all scripting, the Restricted disallows all. But you can customize the Internet Zone which is what most sites will be since it's the default zone.

To customize (or see what your settings are,) in Internet Explorer, go to Tools>Internet Options and select the Security tab. Click the Internet Zone (Globe Icon) then Custom Level. You'll see a Settings window with lots of choices. Near the top is the heading ActiveX controls and Plug-ins. The default choices allow ActiveX if they appear safe. Unless you are very concerned about security and/or you are comfortable managing how the browser works, it's best to leave them that way.

If you scroll to near the bottom, you'll see the heading Scripting. Again, the default choices allow Scripts (or JavaScripts, the name used by everyone else) if they appear safe. Again, unless you are very concerned about security and/or you are comfortable managing how the browser works, it's best to leave them that way.

But if you don't like things moving on your screen (e.g move or click a mouse and the image changes), then disable them (both ActiveX and Scripts). Or if you are particularly concerned that clever people might do less benign things, then that's another reason to check the prompt or disable box. As a web designer, I hope people will not disable JavaScripts but I realise that some (about 5%) do (or have really ancient browsers that don't support javascript).

This site uses a small amount of JavaScript and no ActiveX. Specifically, Javascript makes the menu buttons "active", disguises the e-mail addresses and makes the "click for a larger photo" feature work better.

In addition to the above, IE7 can be configured to prevent Flash files from running. If you have a good anti-virus program, that is not necessary and you lose a lot of neat stuff on the web. To ensure Flash is visiblein IE7, go to Tools>Internet Options>Advanced. Then under settings, scroll to Security section and check the box that says "Allow active content to run in files on My Computer" then click OK and restart IE7.

Notes on Firefox Configuration
Firefox is easier to configure than Internet Explorer but some items are "buried". For Internet Explorer, buried items cannot be changed but Firefox provides a tool to access all configuration items. In the URL address box, enter about:config and you will call up your personal configuration stored on your computer (more here). For more and a list of parameters and their options.

Speed up Firefox on Broadband
In the address bar, type about:config then <Enter>. Go down to network.http.pipelining and double click to set the value to true. Then double click network.http.pipelining.maxrequests to bring up the Enter Integer value dialog box. Enter 15 instead of 4. Double click network.http.proxy.pipelining to set it to true. Put the cursor on blank screen on the page and right click. Select New>Integer from the menu. In the New Integer value dialog box enter nglayout.initialpaint.delay and click OK. Now Enter Integer value as 0 and click OK again. Exit Firefox and restart Firefox to a faster browsing experience.

To play Flash, Open Adobe Documents, Play Real Player music and to open many other external files, FireFox (like other browsers) needs a plug-in. When Firefox installs, it will generally configure itself to use whatever your computer has available. Also, when you install a new item, it will be added to Firefox. However, to see what is currently installed, in the URL address box, enter about:plugins
E-mail Programs
The basic choices are:
  • Outlook Express - comes with Windows and is a good basic choice. This is called Windows Email in Vista.
  • Outlook - part of Microsoft's Office and looks similar to Outlook Express but is actually quite different. Includes an integrated Contact manager, Task manager, Calendar, Note keeper. One advantage is that you can use WORD to edit your e-mails and therefore make them much nicer. Its junk-mail filter is more powerful than the one with Outlook Express. Overall, if you have Outlook, it is much better than using Outlook Express. More.
  • Thunderbird - excellent companion to the Firefox browser. Has better security. Can be integrated into Firefox. But it is not integrated with a contact manager etc. For more from the developer (Mozilla).
  • Netscape mail - integrated with older Netscape browsers. Not recommended.
  • Web-mail - e.g. Google mail, Hotmail, Yahoo Mail. These all require a separate log-on to the internet and all your mail is stored on line. Suitable for people who want to access their mail from different places (school, work, home, friend's place, internet cafe, etc). Most ISPs also have a web mail service (e.g. Sympatico) which works the same way but looks at the same mail box that you would normally access from home.

E-mail Configuration

Properties
To add or modify accounts you will usually go into Outlook and select Tools>Email Accounts. But you can also go into Control Panel and select Mail to access accounts and more. This is useful if you've deleted the Outlook icon by mistake! From Mail, you can also quickly find out where your Outlook pst file is stored. This is the file you should back-up if you want to back up your saved e-mails and contacts.

Security
For hints on how to configure Outlook Express and Outlook for best security, see the Security page.

Separate Accounts
To configure Outlook for 2 or more accounts, see the answer to a FAQ here.

SMTP Authentication
When you send an e-mail, many e-mail programs are configured such that they don't check that you are authorized to send e-mails on that account. This allows certain "viruses" to take over your computer as an e-mail relay of others' e-mail.

This problem is fixed using SMTP Authentication since the ISP now checks that you are a legimate e-mail user and not relaying e-mails. If you are configured for SMTP Authentication, part of the "send mail" process is that the ISP says "who are you?" and your computer responds with your stored user name and password to prove that you are indeed authorized to send e-mail on that ISP.
E-mail Security Settings

As well as the settings required to activate your e-mail, you should make sure your e-mail is configured to ensure maximum security. On both Outlook Express and Outlook, the security configuration is set up to bar attachments with "dangerous" extensions. If you have an effective Anti-Virus program (e.g. up-to-date Avast, Panda, McAfee or AVG), you can make your e-mail program accept all attachments (with no danger) as follows:

Outlook Express
If you have an updated Anti-Virus program, the default settings in XP with SP2 are actually too restrictive.

To see pictures (graphics, images)

  1. Go to Tools then select Options. Then choose the Security Tab. First, check "Internet Zone" and not "Restricted Sites Zone". One of the things that this permits is the graphics in many e-mails where they download them from their web site rather than include them right in the e-mail.
  2. Now uncheck box beside "Do not allow attachments to be saved or opened that could potentially be a virus".
  3. Also, immediately below, uncheck box beside "Block images and other external content in HTML e-mail". Many people have these set opposite to these recommendations and wonder why they can't receive attachments from friends!

Outlook
Go to Tools and select Options. Then choose the Security tab. Under Security Zones, make sure "Internet" is selected and not "Restricted Sites". You will now be able to receive Word and Excel attachments. For additional information on this subject see Outlook on our Software page.

Windows Messenger
Micosoft invented Windows Messenger as an instant messaging program but no-one uses it. By default it activates whenever Outlook or Outlook Express are turned on. To stop this, do the following:

Outlook

  1. Open Outlook
  2. Click on Tools, Options
  3. Click "Other" tab
  4. Uncheck the box for Enable Instant Messaging in Microsoft Outlook
  5. Click OK

Outlook Express

  1. Open Outlook Express
  2. Click Tools, Options
  3. Click General tab
  4. Uncheck the box for Automatically log on to Windows Messenger
  5. Click OK

For Outlook Express, the icon will still appear in the system tray but it's inactive so just ignore it.

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