A c t i o n f o r L i b r a r i e s — O c t o b e r 2 0 0 1

The Internet Connection

By Michael Sauers

Two New Browser Versions to Choose From
Netscape and Microsoft respectively released new versions of their Web browsers, Netscape Navigator 6.1 and Internet Explorer (IE) 6.0, in August and September. Both include significant improvements over earlier versions. And, as usual, there are a few small items to watch out for. Here are some pointers (browser only, not the associated mail programs) to help you decide whether to upgrade or stay with the version you are currently using.

Netscape Navigator 6.1
This latest version of Navigator is a significant improvement over the 4.x versions and has more changes than IE.

Pros:

Faster loading: Unless you install Java 2.0 support, this version loads much faster than 6.0.

Browser-only install: Not since version 4.08 have you been able to install just Navigator (sans Messenger, Netscape's mail client). For those who have been putting off upgrading for this reason alone, you don't have to wait any longer.

Stability: I've been running this browser for more than a month, and it has yet to crash on me.

My Sidebar feature: As a long-time IE user, I like this feature a lot. The consistent access to the What's Related feature without needing to click a button leads me to many sites that I would not normally have visited.

Standards support: Netscape has improved its support for CSS and DHTML. But it's still not perfect.

Password management: Users can now have Netscape remember their passwords for Web sites. A master password is required for access to stored passwords.

Support for skins: Users can customize the look and feel of their respective browsers by creating/installing a new skin. (A library can customize the browser with its own colors and logo.)

Cons:

The interface: Although I like the new icons and other changes to the interface, it did take a bit of getting used to. It looks different, and that may confuse some users. For example, the location and button bars have been merged, and the print button has been moved to the far right.

Print preview has disappeared: For some unexplained reason this choice no longer appears under the file menu.

My Sidebar feature: Users who are not used to this feature may find it disconcerting at first. Also, if your monitor is set to a resolution lower than 800x600 (and some argue 1024x768), it can take up valuable window space. However, it can be closed.

Bookmark management: The sorting features of this version have not been improved. Using any of the automated sorting features still does not affect how bookmarks are viewed in the browser window.

Password management: This feature is not designed for public access workstations and can be viewed as a potential security/privacy problem.

Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0
Most changes from IE 5.5 to 6.0 are behind the scenes. Although fewer changes have been made to IE compared to Navigator, they are significant.

Pros:

Support for P3P: IE 6.0 supports the Platform for Personal Privacy (P3P), which allows users to specify how much information they wish a Web site to have and then automatically block or allow access to sites that meet a user's standards.

Better cookie management: Users can specify which sites are not allowed to set cookies on their computers. For example a user can allow Amazon.com cookies, but deny all cookies from Doubleclick.net.

Standards support: IE has improved its support for CSS and DHTML. It is still not perfect, however.

Integrated multimedia: Microsoft has integrated a mini version of its Media Player to reduce the need to load a separate program to play audio and video.

Image toolbar: This floating toolbar gives users the ability to quickly save, e-mail and print pictures from Web pages. Also included is an auto-resize feature that allows images to be enlarged in place.

Cons:

OS Limitations: This version, and all future versions, will not run on Windows 95. Windows 98 or higher is required for this browser to work.

Reduced plug-in support: Microsoft is now requiring Web authors to use Microsoft's ActiveX controls to integrate other programs such as Adobe Acrobat and Apple Quicktime into their sites so the content can be viewed through IE. In limited cases, users may not be able to view the content on sites using the traditional plug-in method.

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