Find the browser that's best for you

For many people, the most important program on their computer is the web browser – the program that translates the internet into pages you can view and interact with.

Once launched, however, the browser window fades into the subconscious – it’s what it displays that matters. That’s why many people never change their browser.

In fact, there are lots of web browsers available, offering a range of features.

And, each of the three best-known browsers – Internet Explorer, Firefox and Chrome – has recently been updated with new versions, so there’s never been a better time to compare them to find the fastest, easiest-to-use and most secure.

In this article we will explain all you need to know about the most popular web browsers, to help you decide which one is the best and if you should switch.

Browsers then and now
The first web browsers weren’t very sophisticated, but that didn’t really matter – because when it first appeared, the web wasn’t either. There was text, and there were pictures, and sometimes forms to fill in. Fancier websites might have sported the odd animation, but that was pretty state of the art.

In short, the web was a world away from what we get now. Modern web surfers think nothing of visiting a site that has high-quality video, 3D graphics and instant news updates. Some websites even look and feel just like a desktop application, so you can use a word processor or spreadsheet in the web browser window.

Modern web browsers make this possible by supporting tools such as Javascript, which enable programmers to build tools that blur the line between applications that run on your computer and those that run entirely from an internet server.

Unfortunately, some of those technologies are also exploited by people trying to con you into visiting fraudulent websites or to attack your computer. An out-of-date browser can easily fall prey to such tricks, so it’s important to keep up to date.

Cream of the crop
We’re going to take a look in more detail at the latest versions of the three best known and most popular web browsers.

Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) is Microsoft’s latest revision of its browser. You might already have been offered it via Windows Update but regardless, you can go to the download page by clicking here. Internet Explorer 9 works only on Windows Vista and 7 PCs – so Windows XP users need not apply.

Mozilla recently released version 5 of its browser, Firefox, which can be downloaded free. Unlike IE9, Firefox 5 will work with Windows XP, but it may be slow to work on older PCs.

The same is true of Chrome 12, made by Google. Despite the high version number, Chrome is the baby of the bunch – and isn’t yet even three years old. Again, it’s free and can be downloaded from Google's site. We’re going to look at the feel and key functions of all three, to see which one comes out on top.