t e c h i e - t a l k s ::: technology at its best

It has been years since Microsoft’s Internet Explorer first step onto the throne of web browsers. Ever since it’s been incorporated in the old days of Windows 95, it has been warming the throne without much competition to overthrow the balance of web browser popularity. The closest ever competition came from the already defunct, Netscape Communicator.

The Netscape Communicator served as a platform to provide a unified system of web browsers that transcends different operating systems. Hence, web developers can adhere to certain web standards which will make web browsing on different operating systems similar. However, Microsoft saw this move as a threat to their cooperation. Thus, Microsoft started to release newer versions of Internet Explorer, made it free and included it with all later Windows operating systems. By version IE 4.0, Internet Explorer have surpassed Netscape in many tests and functionality. It was the most stable browser one could find and it was/is widely compatible to all available websites on the web. This lead to the downfall of Netscape Communicator.

The source codes for Netscape was released to the public under the Opensource licenses. Thereafter, a new breed of web browser was born. The most prominent ones are Mozilla Firefox and Opera. (the former being the people’s choice) Up till their newest version 2.0, the Firefox have undergone tremendous changes and improved security. It also saw millions of people jumping onto this new web browser, totally abandoning the sluggish IE 6.0. Seeing the rise of a new superpower, Microsoft decided to react again with the launch of Internet Explorer 7.0. In this article, the newest web browsers from the two camps are going head to head into another browser war. Let us see who shall emerge as the winner!

Internet Explorer 7.0

Microsoft have scrapped the old legacy source codes and re-engineered their web browser (an also their new Operating system, VISTA) enhancing it’s looks and it’s overall functionality. Putting aside the discussion of functionality to later, let’s dig deeper into Microsoft’s ever bugging problem; Security. Security and software bugs have been utilized by hackers in the past. Improved in IE 7.0 are its anti-phishing filters and pop-up blockers. The anti-phishing capabilities of the new IE 7.0 warns users who unknowingly venture into blacklisted or suspicious sites, to retreat and reconsider surfing further into the websites. Other than that, IE 7.0 allows better ActiveX security controls and disabled SSL 2.0 support. Hence, ensuring a more secured browser as compared to its predecessors.

The new IE 7.0 is way different from any of its predecessors. None of them even came close to how much functionality this new browser has. The most noticeable difference is its streamlined and simplified design that is “slicker” than those prior to this version. Furthermore, it hogs lesser system resources (as compared to the sluggish IE 6.0) which results in a better user surfing experience. However, the placement of certain common buttons have been shifted significantly, which may result to a little more time to get accustomed to. For example, the back and forward buttons have not been shifted out from their original place but the home and favourites buttons have been moved to different corners of the browsers. On top of that, the normal menu bar have been scrapped out of the original layout. One have to activate it manually to actually get the normal menu/status bar which allows for easier navigation. (to show menu bar, right-click on the menu bar area and tick beside the Status Bar heading.)

One of the best improvements that I feel IE 7.0 have is tabbed browsing. (it was about time they implement this in IE) Though the idea is already stale, (tabbed browsing originated eons ago, during the times of Netscape) the implementation of the tabs is a much needed functionality upgrade. IE 7.0 went all the way to introducing easier means of navigating multiple tabs by a drop down menu selection or a thumbnail view selection. (which is having a slight bug now causing it to not display some web pages) This upgrade is what makes IE 7.0 the best version of explorer browsers ever.

Mozilla Firefox 2

In response to the launch of IE 7.0, Firefox released its version of Firefox 2.0 a week later. Unlike IE 7.0, Firefox did not make huge changes in their web browsers. (well, they didn’t need to!) What it did was to fine tune the Firefox browser to further enhance the millions of Firefox users.

One of the more noticeable improvements made with Firefox browsers is their tab browsing. Unlike the former versions of Firefox, (version 1.5 below) this version includes a close button at every tab. On top of that, the tabbed toolbar allows for multiple tabs without the need to reduce the tab sizes even when the said area gets overcrowded. Instead, it uses a “scroll-er” to scroll the tabs till your designated tab. Like IE 7, Firefox 2 includes a tab drop down menu but it lacks the thumbnail preview that IE 7 packs into their browser. (this can be fixed by installing an “add-on” to the browser)

Firefox have also reduced its need for computing horsepower with its latest browser. But when we compare it to IE 7, there isn’t much of a difference in performance as compared to comparing Firefox with previous versions of and IE. Firefox 2 includes a restoration option that allows users to restore previous browsing sessions. This is especially crucial when your computer suddenly crashes on you and you had to do a restart. Then you won’t ever need to worry about losing your research work while on Firefox. (unless your hard disk drive fails!)

Conclusion - Who kicks who’s ass harder?

After fiddling with the two browsers, it can get a little confusing to which browser I was using. Functionality wise, both browsers kick ass. It’s easy to mistake the identity of either browser too! The look and feel of both browsers are almost alike! When it comes to security, we know that Firefox have a better reputation than IE. However, up till now, there haven’t been any major bugs or security problems with the new IE 7. As of the time this article is written, I’d say both browsers kick ass! Microsoft have really done a good job in reinventing their IE this time. But the question still hangs unanswered. So who kick’s who’s ass harder?

Well, I can’t agree more that Firefox is the winner of the war. Though IE 7 might have won a few battles, ultimately, the war belongs to the red firery fox. Why you might ask? Firstly, Firefox is free. Unlike IE, which comes pre-installed on a Windows system and you can’t get it anywhere else, (unless you get it through the “hush hush” means) Firefox can be downloaded from thousands of mirrors on the web. Secondly, everything that Firefox needs is free! I’m talking about the add-ons, themes and what nots. Add-ons for IE comes with a nominal cost that ranges from less than US$10 up to US$50! Add-ons for Firefox on the other hand are FREE! It’s easily available for downloads from repositories or from the Firefox website. Lastly, if you have a problem with anything related to the browser, you can go and seek help from a large Firefox community who are willing to help to resolve the issues.

As you read the end of this article, the team that brought you Firefox 2 is currently working on a later version of the browser. Today, a new force is creeping to overpower the domination of IE users worldwide.