Mozilla

Allow me to do some product pimping here. Almost all of you probably use Microsoft's Internet Explorer as your Web browser. More than a few of you might use Netscape's browser. Let me tell you about another option, one that I think is superior to either one.

It's the Mozilla Browser Suite, an all-in-one package that includes everything you need: browser, email, chat, web composer, etc., just like MS and NS. But it comes with features you've probably never seen, or had to download some other program to get.

Tabbed browsing gives you a better way to surf the net. You no longer have to open one page at a time. With tabbed browsing, open several pages at once with one click. And now your homepage can be multiple tabbed pages.

Popup blocker lets you surf the web without intrusion. Advanced popup blocker notifies you when popups are blocked. You can also block pop-ups on a site per site basis.

Image Manager lets you block images to block offensive images or to speed up the rendering of web sites.

Junk mail controls helps you take back control of your e-mail from spammers. Mozilla's adaptive junk mail control gets smarter with use and is personalized to the e-mail that you receive.

Manage your mail with customizable Labels and Mail Views. Color code your e-mail to help you prioritize. Sort your mail with views to help you through your e-mail much faster.

Mozilla supports Multiple Accounts to help you manage all your mail through one interface.

The pop-up blocker is invisible, but has a small icon to let you know if something's been blocked, in case you want to check. The Bayesian filter in the Mail client learns as you go, getting better and better at filtering spam, until you rarely ever see it.

But the best feature, and one that once tried will spoil you forever, is tabbed browsing. With tabbed browsing, if you see a link you want to check, you right-click on it and select "Open in New Tab." While you continue to read, a new window opens up in the same browser window, but behind the current view. A small manila-folder like tab remains above the open window, labelled with the names of the open tabs. The new tab loads in the background, while you finish what you're reading! You can open as many tabs as you like.

There's also the Sidebar, a vertical pane that opens next to the browser window. I don't use it much, as it steals screen real estate, but those with big monitors will love it. Everything you need for browsing -- bookmarks, history, favorites, etc. -- are all right there, listed neatly. No hunting through menus or drop-downs. Just click and bam.

But more important, is that Mozilla is standards compliant. This means that your web pages display correctly, the way the author intended. If you've never seen it in action, you might be surprised how different -- and better -- some websites will look. It means your computer works faster, the pages look proper, and you see fewer weird things.

I've saved the best for last. Mozilla, and its related products, including themes and extensions, are all FREE. Are and always will be. And they come with a free community to help you with any problems you have. And they are always being improved on and made better. FREE You can't beat that.

You can install Mozilla on any computer, even with IE or NS already on it. Installation's easy and quick; so is set up. With free downloadable extensions, like Multizilla, TabPref, MozNotes, etc., you can customise Mozilla to an incredibly fine degree, to make the browser do exactly what you want, they way you want it. No behind-the-scenes funny stuff with Mozilla, either. It doesn't know what's best for you and keep trying to make you change; you are the boss and Mozilla knows it.

I've been using Mozilla's browser-only product, Firebird. This is just a browser -- no mail, newsgroups, etc. It's a very small program, incredibly fast loading and running. Pages load with the text first, so you can start reading, then the column structures, then images, then backgrounds, etc. It's fun to watch the page move around and assemble itself, but it does that more quickly than you might think. It has all the features of the full Mozilla browser, but is a Web-only, streamlined wonder. Having used it for the past year, I will never go back. It's too valuable.

Sorry for the evangelism. But I strongly urge you to give it a look. You will be impressed and I guarantee you will be sold.