Web Tools:

Web Browsing Software & Utilities

I'm going to be including on this page anything that is related to web browsing, which includes not only web browsers, but multilingual and off-line web browsers, Web automation agents, and whatever other miscellaneous web browsing utilities I happen to come across.

General Information on Web Browsers
Cross-Platform Web Browsers
Macintosh Web Browsers
Unix/Linex Web Browsers
Alternate & Historical Web Browsers
Multilingual Web Browsers
Off-Line Web Browsers & Web Automation Agents
Web Browsing Utilities

General Information on Web Browsers

Want to know about browsers? Follow these links to find out the mostest and the latest on browsers.

Browser News. Includes statistics on current browser usage.
Browser Statistics from W3Schools.
To Hell With Bad Browsers by Jeffrey Zeldman.
Open source and the web browser by OSS Watch.
Comparison of web browsers by Wikipedia.
Macintosh Web Browsers.
What are the best web browsers for Linux?

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Cross-Platform Browsers

These are Web browsers that work on multiple platforms, including Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X.

Mozilla Firefox. A preview of Mozilla's "next generation" browser. The hot browser on the block right now.
Mozilla. This is my favorite everyday browser -- I seldom run into anything Mozilla can't handle.
Microsoft Internet Explorer. Like it or not, the most used browser these days.
Netscape Navigator. Was King of the Hill until Microsoft came along. Current versions use the Mozilla Gecko engine.
Opera by Opera Software. A free adware version is available.

Macintosh Browsers

These are some of the browsers that were created specifically for the Macintosh platform (Mac OS X).

Safari by Apple. Free. Originally created for the Macintosh, but now available for Windows too. No Linux version.
Camino. A Mac-only browser from Mozilla. Free.
OmniWeb. $29.95 to register.
Shira. A Web browser from Japan that has set its goal to be "better and more useful than Safari." Based on Apple's Web Kit. Free.
iCab. A browser for the Mac from Germany. A free version and a "pro" version (for $29).

Unix/Linex Browsers

Install Firefox on Linux. Installing Firefox on Unbuntu and OpenSuse.
Download Chrome for Linux: Debian, Unbuntu, Fedora, and OpenSuse.
Install Vivaldi in Linux: Browser started by the CEO of Opera, which shut down its community site in late 2013.
Konqueror by KDE. An open source Web browser for Linux.
Epiphany. The Web browser for the Gnome Desktop. Uses Mozilla's Gecko engine.

Alternate & Historical Browsers

IX Net Browser. A Web browser lean enough to fit on a 1.44 MB floppy. Trial version available for Windows.
1Tabview. A browser with a different twist, using a tabbed interface to allow you to open up to hundreds of pages with a single click. Windows only. Shareware.
Christmas Browser 99 by Maximized Software. For the total Christmas nut. Surf the web in a winter wonderland! Cheery Christmas music plays while snow gently falls in the background. Requires Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.02 or later for Windows 95 or NT. Shareware. Pay the $20 registration fee and you get to change the background, plus you get more Christmas icons and background music.
Lynx for Win32. A port of Lynx that runs under Windows 95/98/NT (but not Windows 3.1, even with Win32s) or DOS (with 386+ processor). Worth checking out, just so you can preview what your pages will look like in Lynx.
Alternative Web Browsing from the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative. Includes listings and info on Web browsers developed for people with disabilities, including Braille browsers, screen readers, and voice browsers.

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Multilingual Web Browsers

Although English is pretty much the _linqua franca_ (that's a switch) of the Web, it isn't, by a long shot, the only language being used on the Web. The major cross--platform, such as Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Netscape Navigator, all support multiple language interfaces. For more information on multilingual Web browsing, see:

Unicode and Multilingual Web Browsers from Alan Wood's Unicode Resources.

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Off-Line Web Browsers & Web Automation Agents

Offline Web Browsers

These are browsers that can be used to easily browse web pages on your local hard drive, without having to first go online.

SPIS Webview by South Pacific Information Services, Ltd. An off-line web browser from New Zealand that supports frames, tables, font size changes. Evaluation versions available (with nag screens, but no cut-off date) for Windows 3.1 and 95/98/NT.
NavRoad Offline Viewer, Offline Browser for Windows by FAICO Information Solutions. Supports tables, forms, frames, client-side image maps, etc. Shareware versions for Windows 3.1 and Windows 95 available. At 800KB fully installed, can be run from a floppy.
LIKSE by FAICO Information Solutions. The multi-lingual version of NavRoad, supporting German, French, Dutch, Italian, Portuguese.

Web Automation Agents

Many of the programs that fall into this category have lately been blurbed as "Off-Line Browsers." These are programs that automate your online sessions, downloading web pages (and their graphics) while you sleep, for instance, so you can then browse them off-line on your local hard drive. The problem is that there already is a category of software called Off-Line Browsers (see above), which are used for browsing HTML files on a local hard drive. To avoid confusion, and just because I think it better describes what these programs actually do, I've chosen here to refer to these programs as "Web Automation Agents."

WebWhacker 5.0 by Blue Squirrel. Automatic downloading (or "whacking") of web pages, complete web sites, including text and images, for off-line browsing. Distribute your web site or catalog on CD-ROM. $49.95. Demo version expires after adding and/or grabbing 15 URLs. Windows and Macintosh.
Webreaper. Automates the downloading of Web sites, including pages, images, and other objects, so they can be viewed in offline mode. Filters can be set to create targeted downloads. Freeware, although donations are welcome. Windows.
HTTrack Website Copier. Automates the downloading of "mirrored" sites to a local hard drive. Windows and Unix/Linux/BSD. GPL freeware.
Web Devil by Chaotic Software. Automates downloading web sites for offline browsing, extracting content, and helping to maintain web site content. $34.95 retail. Macintosh.

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Web Browsing Utilities

These are utility programs that are generally used in conjunction with a web browser.

Warp9 Whois Plugin by Warp 9 Hosting. Free plug-in for IE that adds a Whois button to your toolbar. Get Whois info on any site with a push of the button.
Google Toolbar. A free Internet Explorer toolbar that shows the Google PageRank of any page, and blocks the display of pop-up ads.
Mac OS X Internet Utilities from Apple.

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