No Thanks, I'm Just Browsing

Web Browser:   the program that serves as your front end to the World Wide Web on the Internet.

In order to view a page - web site - you type its address (URL) into the [web]browser's Location field - or you click on a link that is embedded in another web site. Either of those feats accomplished, a page of that sought-after web site is downloaded to your browser. Then you can view that site and use its content as you wish.

You can read, view pictures, click on links to 'go to' other web sites, copy material for your next term paper, download music and movies (YouTube!), download software, research information (Google!), and much more. Your web browser can be addictive, because it is always ready to serve as your library, movie theater, music store, 'stereo', shopping mall, 'party line' (a geezer term for old telephone systems), bank teller, and much, much more.

Windows computers have the Internet Explorer web browser built-in. Macintosh OS-X includes the Safari browser. However, you aren't stuck with those 'default' choices. Depending on how you use the Internet, any of several other browsers (over 100!) might be a better choice for you.

Avant Browser is a Web browser based on Internet Explorer. It provides fast, tabbed browsing and offers many features NOT available in Internet Explorer. Need for speed? Avant might be want you want. Did I mention that it's free?

Some more free Web Browsers for Windows:

• FireFox is #1 in my book. It's feature-rich and can be made even more so with the hundreds of extensions that can be added to FireFox. FireFox 3 is much faster than earlier versions. 75 million people have downloaded and used FireFox. Best. Browser. Ever. So far.....
  
  
• Safari. Safari is excellent! It is the web browser built in to Macintosh OS-X, ported to Windows. It's my 2nd favorite.
  
• Another that I use is K-Meleon it's fast and jam-packed with features missing from the boring, everyday Internet Explorer
  
• Apocalypse Browser (zip) Apocalypse. Now.

Even more free browsers are available at ZD-Net (publisher of several computer-oriented magazines):

• Multi-Browser XP (msi)
• Lively Browser (exe)
• Acoo Browser (exe)
• Slim Browser (exe)

MicroSoft's Internet Explorer 7.x is, well, it's OK - especially if you install the free IE7Pro add-in

Did I mention that ALL of the above are free? Gratis. No charge. Yours for the asking.