List of browsers
From WebHost Wiki
This article ideally needs updating! Here is a list of common browsers currently in use, including details about their current popularity and known issues to consider when programming for compatibility. Downloadable versions of most browsers are available from http://browsers.evolt.org/.
Contents |
List of browsers
Internet Explorer
Internet Explorer (IE), is a web browser made by Microsoft and included as part of the Microsoft Windows line of operating systems. It has been the most widely-used web browser since 1999.
Criticisms: Internet Explorer has received lots of criticism over the years.
- In 1998 they were taken to court for abusing monopoly power in its handling of operating system sales and web browser sales. The issue central to the case was whether Microsoft was allowed to bundle its flagship Internet Explorer (IE) web browser software with its Microsoft Windows operating system. Bundling them together is alleged to have been responsible for Microsoft's victory in the browser wars as every Windows user had a copy of Internet Explorer.
- Internet Explorer makes it difficult to have code in place in HTML documents that conforms to W3C standards, and have it still look right.
Firefox
Mozilla Firefox is a open-source, cross-platform web browser which is developed by the Mozilla Corporation and a large community of external developers. It includes advanced features such as tabbed browsing, incremental find, pop-up blocking, live bookmarking and a download manager. It is also highly customisable allowing downloadable extensions, themes plugins and advanced preferences. It also has extensive support for most Web standards.
The latest version can be downloaded from the Mozilla Site
Firefox Add-ons
Although not an extensive list, here are some useful plug-ins that are useful when setting up and maintaining websites:
- Web Developer - A great tool for changing screen size, disabling and listing all elemetns of a website, editing within the browser.
Netscape
Netscape was considered the main rival to Internet Explorer before recent browser releases such as Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Opera and other browsers. The Official Netscape Browser ceased production in late 2007.
Safari
Browser Timeline (2006-1995)
This is a summary of release years for common browsers in the last 10 years.
| Browser Timeline | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Internet Explorer (Win) | Internet Explorer (Mac) | Netscape | Safari | Mozilla Firefox | Opera |
| 2007 | Internet Explorer 7 | Netscape Browser 9. *Ceased production in late 2007* | Firefox 2.0 | Opera 9.25 | ||
| 2006 | Internet Explorer 7 Beta 3 | Netscape Browser 8.1 | Firefox 2.0 Beta 1 | Opera 9.0 | ||
| 2005 | Netscape Browser 8.0 | Safari 2.0.2, 2.0 (Safari RSS), 1.3 | Firefox 1.5 | Opera 8.5, 8.0 | ||
| 2004 | Netscape 7.2 | Safari 1.2 | Mozilla Firefox 1.0, 0.8 | Opera 7.6 Alpha | ||
| 2003 | Netscape 7.1 | Safari 1.1, 1.0, 0.9, 0.8 | Mozilla Firebird | Opera 7.0 | ||
| 2002 | Netscape 7.0 | N/A | Phoenix Beta | Opera 7.0 Beta | ||
| 2001 | Internet Explorer 6.0 | Internet Explorer 5.1 | Netscape 6.2, 6.1 | N/A | Opera 6.0 | |
| 2000 | Internet Explorer 5.5 | Internet Explorer 5.0 | Netscape 6.0 | N/A | N/A | Opera 5.0, 4.0 |
| 1999 | Internet Explorer 5.0 | Internet Explorer 4.5 | N/A | N/A | Opera 3.6 | |
| 1998 | Internet Explorer 5.0 Beta | Internet Explorer 4.0 | Netscape Navigator 4.5 | N/A | N/A | Opera 3.5 |
| 1997 | Internet Explorer 4.0 | Internet Explorer 3.0 | Netscape Navigator 4.0 | N/A | N/A | Opera 3.0 |
| 1996 | Internet Explorer 3.0 | Internet Explorer 2.1, 2.0 | Netscape Navigator 3.0, 2.0 | N/A | N/A | Opera 2.1, 2.0 |
| 1995 | Internet Explorer 2.0, 1.0 | Netscape Navigator 1.2, 1.1 | N/A | N/A | MultiTorg Opera (not public) | |
Web trends
This is a list of browser popularity taken from various sources. As seen by the trends, statistics of this measure often vary greatly and are to be seen only as a guide.
| Statistics sources | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Browser | W3Schools[1] (12/2007) | Upsdell[2] (12/2007) | Avocado Consulting[3] (01/2006) | WebSideStory |
| IE6.xx | 33.2% | ~35% | 69.59% | |
| Mozilla/Firefox/Netscape | 37.7% | ~22% | 3.27% | |
| IE5.xx | 1.7% | ~3% | 3.92% | |
| IE7.xx | 21.0% | ~30% | ||
| Opera | 1.4% | 0.34% | ||
| Safari | 1.7% | 0.46% | ||
See also
- Browser compatibility
- List of Operating Systems
- List of file formats
- How to install multiple browser versions
External links
Downloads |
Browser trends |
Official browser sites |
Wikipedia links |
Browser plugins |
