The Very Best Specialzed Free Browsers

» Fast Browser Normal and Pro

Relies on the "guts" of Internet Explorer to run, but greatly extends its capabilities, including translation of web-pages, tabbed browsing, and suppression of those annoying pop-ups that waste your time. Fast Browser Normal version is freeware. The Pro version has minimally extended capabilities. Go to http://www.fastbrowser.net for more info or to download.


» Mozila Browser, Composer, and Calender

The popular Netscape browser is actually the Mozilla browser that has been commercialized, given a new skin, and bloated with destabilizing and slowing features. Netscape also removed the Mozilla feature that suppresses pop-up ads, and the ability to add in Mozilla add-ons. Like Netscape, Mozilla comes packaged with Composer, so you can make web-pages, as well as an e-mail client, though you can choose to not install the client during installation. The Mozilla Calender add-on is a big plus. In short, if you can do something with a hard copy calender/planner/organizer, you can do it with Mozilla Calender. Go to http://www.mozilla.org for more info or to download their latest stable browser release, which must be installed first, and then go to http://www.mozilla.org/projects/calendar/# for more info on or to install the very stable beta calender. The Mozilla called Banner-Blind ad-on is great too, since it removes web-page banner ads from view and gives you less to wade through when viewing pages. Go to http://bannerblind.mozdev.org/installation.html for more info or to download Banner-Blind. Mozilla is not freeware, per se, but testware. The idea is that you get to use their browser for free to test it and report any bugs you might encounter, so they can later sell the "guts" of the browser to companies like Netscape. So far, I myself have yet to encounter a need to use Mozilla's bug reporting system while using their "latest stable release," but the potential need to do so seems little price either way.


» My Internet Explorer (MYIE2)

Relies on the "guts" of Internet Explorer to run, but GREATLY extends its capabilities, including translation of web-pages, tabs, and suppression of pop-ups. Freeware. Go to http://www.ruihehang.com/myie2/html_en/home.htm for more info or to download.

 

I downloaded it and will play around with it for a few days and let you know what I think. As it appears now, it is clearly a clone of MYIE2 or vice-versa, except Avant does not have translation that I have found yet.

 

Okay, here is the rundown.

MYIE2 has translation of webpages ability built into, which Avant does not.

MYIE2 has plug-in support, a utlities tool bar, auto-scrolling, auto-hide of the entire tool bar (it canbe set to hide until you move your cursor over it), allows customization of tabs, and numerous other featues small features which Avant does not.

Other than that, the two appear to be relative clones. Both are exceptional improvements over IE alone!