Wednesday, 8 May 2013

Alternatives to Internet Explorer


Following the legal agreement between Microsoft and the European Competition Commission in December 2009, millions of Internet Explorer users in Europe now have the option of choosing an alternative browser. However, there are many Internet users out there who do not know what other Web browsers are available in the market due to Microsoft Internet Explorer’s dominance over the years. In no particular order, the following list should give such users a general overview of the top Internet Explorer alternatives on the Web.

IE9

PROS
Hardware acceleration. Minimalist interface. Download manager with malware protection. Improved tab function. Many security features. Tracking Protection. Improved standards support. Pinned tabs make sites like apps in Windows 7.

CONSBehind other browsers in HTML5 support. Only works in Windows 7 and Vista.

BOTTOM LINE
Microsoft's Web browser is a big improvement over IE8, but it's largely stood still for over a year, while other browsers have advanced.


PROS
Clean, minimal interface. Fast performance. Innovative tab implementation. Highly customizable. Good HTML5 support. Good security. Most cross-platform support. Social network integration via API. Syncing for tabs, history, passwords and now Extensions. Graphics hardware acceleration. Built-in PDF viewer. Independent from large vendor. Host of developer tools. Compatible with MacBook Retina displays.

CONSLacks client-side tracking protection like that found in IE9. Lacks Chrome's built in Flash and Instant page view. Slightly trails Chrome in HTML5 features.

BOTTOM LINE
Firefox offers clean design, fast performance, new standards support, and constant improvements?now with a slick, improved download manager.
PROS
Minimal interface. Turbo feature makes slow connections even faster. Built-in mail and Bittorrent clients. Excellent HTML5 support. Syncing of bookmarks, settings, passwords, history, and more. Mac and Linux versions. Extensions. Live tiles on start page. Themes.

CONSOccasionally sites won't display properly, though this is getting rare. Hardware acceleration not enabled by default.

BOTTOM LINE
Opera is a worthy Web browser alternative offering unique features, good performance, and some leading HTML5 support.
PROS
Leading support for HTML 5. Fast. Hardware acceleration. Excellent security. Instant site prediction and loading. Extensions. Syncing. Built-in Flash player and PDF reader.

CONSDo Not Track privacy feature is buried and discouraged. Still some occasional minor site incompatibilities.

BOTTOM LINE
The race is tightening up, but Google Chrome remains the Windows Web browser to beat, in terms of speed, features, and support for new standards.
PROS
Reading view. Reading list. Cover flow and other beautiful interface elements. Built-in RSS reader. Good standards support. Good browsing speed. Fine tab implementation. Decent extension selection.

CONSSlow startup. Not being updated together with Mac version. No hardware acceleration for Windows.

BOTTOM LINE
Safari for Windows is still a good-looking and reasonably fast and compliant browser, but Apple doesn't seem interested in it anymore.
PROS
Loads of nifty browsing helper features. Speedy performance. Two page-rendering engines (Webkit and Trident) for compatibility. Leading support for new Web standards. Cloud syncing of tabs, passwords, and more. Do Not Track enabled by default.

CONSTabs not as flexible as other browsers'. No appreciable graphics hardware acceleration.

BOTTOM LINE
If you think a browser can't make a difference in your use of the Web, Maxthon will make you think again, with a raft of neat helpers, super standards support, and fast performance.
Pros 
It has decent speeds and provides basic browsing functions.

Cons 
Its security features are limited and it has compatibility issues with modern applications.

Information from - pcmag.com , toptenreviews.com .


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