Browser Choices

Significance of the browser you use

Does it really make a difference which browser you use? Yes. On the one hand, there are some sites that will only work with a specific version of Internet Explorer (at this point, generally version 6). On the other hand, different browsers give you different levels of control of what you see.

What that means is with some browsers, it's easier to avoid some things. What you want, ideally, is something that lets you turn tings off and on easily. Which things? Things like, pictures, ads, movies and new browsers windows (copies of the browser with new content.)

Remember, you are trying to avoid accidental, unintended exposure here. These features will not necessarily keep someone from deliberately going where no on e should go. But, it will help keep "the honest person honest". And, that's important.

The Major Browser Choices

• Internet Explorer (IE) - by Microsoft, this browser has the vast majority of the browser market, but it only works on Windows. The latest version (version 7) only works on Windows XP and Vista. The older versions will work on most versions of Windows, but not on anything else.
• FireFox - Although it has many features, it does not have everything. But, the ability to find many, many add-ons makes this much less of a problem. (There are probably more add-ons for Firefox than IE and Opera combined.) It runs on many systems.
• Opera - Feature rich and often innovative, this browser allows you to control many aspects of your web browsing. It also works on many types of systems.

Basic Comparison

Where to get them

Some add-ons that will work with more than one browser -General Add Ons