Over the years, I’ve written a lot about web browsers in my newsletters and blogs. Using the Internet has become such a way of life for most of us that the Web browser is one of the most important pieces of software on our computers. So, knowing your options and finding the best browser for your needs is almost essential to make your Web use more productive.
With that in mind, PC Magazine has put together a review of the major web browsers. It is an interesting review, although I disagreed with them in giving Internet Explorer V6 one of their Editor’s Choices award. It is so out-of-date as compared to all the other browsers they reviewed. However, upon further review, I realized that their review was done almost four years ago when we didn’t have this many choices.
Nevertheless, it is a good article if you would like a review of your web browser choices all in one place. Go to:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1920465,00.asp
New Browser from Opera
Norwegian browser maker Opera Software has released a new preview version of its desktop software this week that will include support for the BitTorrent file-sharing system and lend the ability for users to build customized interface applications also known as widgets. The final version is scheduled for final release sometime before the end of 2006.
Some experts credit Opera as the first application to offer the "tabbed browsing" interface now being included in rival browsers such as Microsoft's Internet Explorer 7 and Firefox. Now, continuing that tradition, the new version will offer some interesting technological additions.
Widgets, first popularized in Apple's Mac OS X Tiger release, are applications built inside the browser (in Apple's case a computer's dashboard) that allow users to create a visual interface for viewing specific information stored on their computers. In Opera's case, the tools will give users the ability to view information such as sports scores or stock prices taken from Web sites in real-time, without needing to visit the sites the data is drawn from.
A spokesman said that Opera is hoping to make the widgets capable of working across many different types of devices, from PCs to mobiles and even consumer electronics.
BitTorrent, a file-sharing system that has previously drawn the ire of copyright watchdogs, is being remade as a legal enterprise. Opera said it hopes to improve the speed and efficiency of downloading large files in its browser. BitTorrent is an open-source, peer-to-peer protocol for distributing files designed to allow people to store and share large files across multiple computers rather than in one place. Under an agreement established between Opera and BitTorrent, the browser maker has integrated the file sharing system with its desktop application and will also allow users to search BitTorrent's content archives.
Other additions in the Opera 9 preview will be expanded tools for blocking pop-up advertising, as well as some new content-blocking features. The new Opera looks very interesting and I look forward to seeing the final version later this year. Opera’s web site is:
http://www.opera.com
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