Chapter 5: Examining WWW Browsers
Once upon a time, you had one good choice for a Web browser: NCSA Mosaic. Things have changed. Today, everyone and her uncle has a Web browser they want to sell you.
By far, the leader of the pack, both in market penetration and feature set, is Netscape Navigator. With its recent release of two new browsersNavigator 2.0 and Navigator Gold 2.0Netscape remains at the top of the charts. Snapping at Netscape's tail, however, is Microsoft's Internet Explorer 2.0. Although Microsoft has a long way to go to overtake Netscape's 7090 percent market share, that does not mean it cannot happen within the next 1218 months.
For users, this stiff competition means that browser technology will continue to mature quickly and the prices will be reasonable. In fact, Microsoft gives away their Web browser. Many users have two or three browsers installed on their system and are always looking for a new one to download and try.
For you just starting out, examine this chapter and decide on at least one browser to use. This chapter won't simply tell you to do this or that. Although it shows you specific browsers, those browsers change so quickly there's little point in making precise recommendations. What the chapter does do is tell you what features to look for in your Web browser.
This chapter looks at the following:
Four basic types of browsers are available. The first type requires a TCP/IP connection. Another typeAmerica Online, Pipeline, and Prodigy are exampleswork only when used with a particular online service. (Although at the time of this writing AOL agreed to use the Microsoft Internet Explorer as their primary Web browser, the transition to the new browser had not taken affect at press time.) The tried-and-true character-based interfacessuch as Lynx and WWWoffer a third type. The final browser typefor example, SlipKnotgives you a graphical interface while working with an ordinary shell account connection.
Before shopping for any Web browser, take a look at what's already on your computer. If you purchased a computer in the last year that came with Windows 95 pre-installed, you probably got a copy of Internet Explorer on your system (see fig. 5.1). When you first start Windows 95you'll see an icon called The Internet that you can click on to set up Internet support in Windows 95. After you set up your system for the Internet, you can then use Internet Explorer to navigate the Web. If you are an IBM OS/2 Warp 3.0 user, the BonusPak includes utilities that enable you to access the Internet.
Figure 5.1. Windows 95 and Internet Explorer 3.0 provides a quick and easy way to connect to and start navigating the Web.
Just because your system comes with a Web browser, don't be afraid to look for another browser if the one you have doesn't meet your needs. With a multitude of choices, there's no reason to stick with a browser you don't like. With my current Windows 95 setup, I have five browsers installed: Netscape Navigator 2.0 and 3.0, Netscape Navigator Gold 2.0, Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 and NCSA Mosaic 2.01. Depending on the type of resource I'm accessing, I may switch browsers to the one that handles the resource the best.
NCSA Mosaic was at one time the most popular Web browser. It became the spark application that ignited the Web explosion. Thanks to its blazing success, the browser field expanded quickly. NCSA Mosaic has long since ceased to be the hottest browser around. That honor now belongs to Netscape (see fig. 5.2).
Figure 5.2. Netscape Navigator 2.0 still is the best-selling Web browser, regardless of the efforts of Microsoft and others to usurp its leadership.
If you are looking for cutting-edge enhancements to your Web browser, look for Netscape Navigator 3.0, which was still in beta testing during this writing. Navigator 3.0 retains everything from Navigator 2.0, but improves on the way it handles video, audio, and interactive content (such as Java applets). Navigator 3.0 is due to be released in Q3 of 1996.
You can get a browser in a number of different ways. In addition to having one bundled with your operating system, you might find that your new computer already has the front end to either an Internet providersuch as NetComor an online servicesuch as CompuServe or America Onlinethat includes a Web browser.
Many browsers, such as Cello, NCSA Mosaic, and Explorer 2.0, are given away for free on the Internet or online services. Netscape Navigator, however, is not free, but you can download a copy from Netscape Web site and register the copy online for $49. You also can purchase a copy of the browser at many retail shops for around $29.99 to $39.99.
If you are an educational institute or government agency, you can download and use Netscape for free. You still need to go through the registration process, but you must indicate at which school or agency you work.
Another way to try Netscape Navigator before you buy is to become an active member of Netscape's beta program program. A beta program is one in which a software company provides users copies of new appli-cations while in testing. By accessing the Netscape home page as http://home.netscape.com you can learn more about which applications are in beta.
Other browsers also can be purchased at many software or retail outlets, such as Netscape Navigator 2.0, CompuServe/SPRY's AIR Mosaic, and QuarterDeck's Intenetsuite. Still others, such as NetCom's NetCruiser, are shareware (that is, you can try it for free, but to continue using the browser, you must (or should) pay for it) that you can find online.
So how do you find the browser that's right for you? The first thing you should look for is a browser that works with your computer system. Web browsers are available for major operating systems, including those in the following list:
Even if you don't have the world's most powerful system with the fastest Internet connection, you still can use the Web. The most bare-bones systemsay an old KayPro CP/M computer with a 300 bps modemcan use the Web with a shell account and a character-based browser. It might not be as much fun as Netscape running on an ISDN line at 128 Kbps and a 133 Mhz Pentium system, but it can be done.
The following list describes the ideal Web browser:
In addition to this list, if you are interested in accessing Web sites that offer the latest in multimedia, three-dimensional worlds, and application development, you'll need to make sure the browser supports the following technologies:
Each of these is covered separately.
The heart of the Web is the content that resides on it. Most of this content is created using the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). Originally, Web browsers had to support only one version of HTML, HTML 1.0. Through the years, different companies, organizations, and individuals have proposed new features to be added to the HTML language. This meant that Web browser developers had to reengineer their browser to work with these new features.
An example of this change occurred when the second major version of the HTML standard was approved. With HTML 2.0, Web page designers (the people who create Web pages using HTML) had more control over how the Web page looked. HTML 2.0 features included headings, paragraphs, lists, inline images, and forms. If you've had any opportunity to see the Web or work on it, you know that these features are used in almost all Web pages now, including images.
Because the Web doesn't stop and wait for anyone, including those who are driving it, a new HTML standard has emerged over the past several months. Originally, this standard was earmarked as HTML+, but has since been called HTML 3.0.
With HTML 3.2, which was recently adopted, Web designers can do the following:
If your browser does not support HTML 3.2, you might experience problems viewing some sites on the Web. Usually, if a site is optimized for HTML 3.2, you'll see a warning that the site is best viewed by Netscape Navigator 2.0. This is because Netscape 2.0 is one of the few browsers currently supporting HTML 3.2. If you don't want to use Netscape 2.0 as your browser, you can also use Internet Explorer 3.0 to view many of the HTML 3.2 features. Many of the Netscape extensions discussed in the following section have been included in the HTML 3.2 specifications.
Figure 5.3. Tables add a lot of organization to a Web page.
Along with HTML 3.2 features, Netscape supports a set of HTML codes (usually called HTML tags) known as Netscape Extensions. Netscape Extensions were (and currently are) developed so that Web designers could avoid some of the problems and limitation inherent within HTML.
One of these limitations is that HTML dictates how a Web page will look on a browser. HTML only hints or suggests how the page should look. Unlike this page in this book, which was printed with an exact page layout specification, the way a Web page looks is ultimately controlled by the way the viewer's Web browser happens to display it. So, if in this book the type size for chapter titles is set to 48 points, that is the way the printer will print it, and each book will have chapter titles the same point size, regardless of who reads it. HTML doesn't give you that kind of control over the page.
Although you still cannot dictate the size of a type-face, you can give it a relative size (such as larger or smaller than another font), and you can give it a specific color (such as red or maroon). The major problem with these Extensions is that browsers that do not support Netscape Extensions, such as Mosaic, Web pages using Extensions may look weird.
Another type of Netscape feature is the introduction of frames to Web pages. Frames allow Web designers to divide the Web browser window into different "panes" or frames. Within each frame, a different type of information can be displayed, such as what is shown in figure 5.4. If a Web browser does not support frames, only one page will display instead of the other pages of information.
Figure 5.4. Frames enable Web designers to deliver their content in new ways.
One of the most aggravating problems with Web browsers is their inability to handle diverse file types. In the past, if it wasn't an HTML document or an image file you were accessing, you had to use a helper application. In fact, only GIF and XBM (a Unix file format) graphics could be displayed inside a Web page for the longest time. Now, you can view JPG/JPEG as well. The problem with this is that not everyone works in HTML, and as you've just seen, HTML is limited in its page display capabilities.
To combat the problem of unrecognized file types and to limit the number of applications a browser has to call to as helper applications, Netscape devel-oped support for plug ins. Plug ins are applications created by third-party developers that work "inside" Netscape Navigator 2.0 to display various file types, such as Macromedia Director files, Excel worksheets, and ASAP presentations.
We live in a three-dimensional world. Why don't we interact with our computers in a three-dimensional environment? Well, we just may start doing that in the near future using a programming language called VRML (you can pronounce it ver'muhl if you want be hip).
VRML is described by one of its co-developers, Mark Pesce, as follows:
VRML is a new computer language that provides a framework for space and virtual environments on the Internetessentially, it turns the Internet into a great big space, in the same way that the Web turned the Internet into a great big document.
from VRML Flying Through The Web, Mark Pesce, New Riders 1996.
What this means is that you will be able to interact with documents, files, databases, and other users in a three-dimensional space. A document can be represented by a 3D picture of a document, not a piece of text with a link associated with it.
Another feature you should look for in a browser is support for Java and JavaScript. Java is a new programming language from Sun Microsystems that enables program developers to write one set of code and then have that code be used on any operating system (this is called cross-platform support). With traditional programming languages, programmers must write a separate set of code for each operating system they want to support. This is why, when you acquire a piece of software (such as a Web browser or word processor), you must make sure the soft-ware was written for your particular operating system.
Java promises a day when a program will run on your computer regardless of the operating system or version of operating system you have. The first wave of this is now being seen on the Web. One of the reasons Java is so exciting for online users and developers is that, much like the way HTML works cross-platform, Java applets can be placed inside a Web page and any user can execute the program as long at they have the right browser. (Java applets are programs written in the Java language and inserted inside Web documents.) The first Windows 95 and Macintosh browsers to support Java is Netscape Navigator 2.0. Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0, which is due to release in Q2 '96, also will support Java. And, if you are a Unix user, you can use Sun's HotJava Web browser.
JavaScript, which is loosely related to Java, is a scripting language from Netscape that uses some of the same principles of Java. One of the key differences between JavaScript and Java is the former is less complicated and may be easier for most users to learn to use. (Java is similar to programming in C++, which is a programming language used to develop many applications on the market today, and requires an extensive knowledge of programming skill and knowledge.) Like Java, Web pages can include JavaScript programs that run when you visit that page. Some JavaScript programs are activated automatically when you download that page; others are run by on-screen buttons or controls.
No one really knows yet the security ramifications of including Java applets and JavaScript programs in Web documents. Because most computer viruses reside in computer programs, it would be very easy for someone to hide a virus inside a Java applet or JavaScript program. Then, when you run that program on your computer, your computer would be infected with the virus.
Because of this potential, Netscape includes an option in its Security Preferences dialog box that enables you to shut off Java and JavaScript support (see fig. 5.5).
Figure 5.5. You can use the Security options in Netscape Navigator 2.0 to shut off Java or JavaScript support.
With Internet Explorer 3.0, Microsoft is introducing its new ActiveX technologies. ActiveX is a development environment for software developers and Web designers to create dynamic Web pages. What this means is that instead of static Web pages you can view online, Web pages will have animation, virtual reality, video, and other types of content available online. ActiveX used to be called Object Linking and Embedding (OLE), which many Windows users have become familiar with since its release in Windows 3.1.
ActiveX lets Web page authors create applications to embed in HTML pages that the visitor can immediately interact with. Instead of relying on the user to have a browser or utility available to run the application, an ActiveX application can run on any computer that is running an ActiveX-compliant Web browser (such as Internet Explorer 3.0). Another features of ActiveX that makes it attractive to Web page designers is that if the user who is visiting the site does not have the ActiveX feature installed on their machine yet, the Web page author can have the ActiveX application prompt the user if he or she wants to install the components now. If so, the ActiveX code is designed to find the latest components on the World Wide Web and download them to the user's computer.
Although ActiveX is not a predominate technology on the Web today, in the next 12 months you can expect to see a growing number of sites that feature ActiveX applications. This is due in large part to Microsoft's heavy-handed marketing campaign for ActiveX, as well as the relative ease of programming ActiveX applications using popular programming tools like Visual Basic and Visual C++. This is in large contrast to Java, which is difficult to understand and has a steeper learning curve than ActiveX.
To find out more information on ActiveX, see the Microsoft Site Builder Network Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/workshop (see fig. 5.6).
Figure 5.6. Microsoft's Site Builder Network Web site contains ActiveX content, as well as other Web site authoring information.
As previous chapters indicate, setting up an Internet connection can be a bear of a job. If you go with a stand-alone TCP/IP browser, such as NCSA Mosaic or Netscape, you have to wrestle that bear.
If you're not eager for hand-to-paw combat with the network, your best move is to use an online service's Web service, such as CompuServe. If you are a Win-dows user, for example, you can use CompuServe's latest membership startup disk to install Internet support by following the Setup instructions on-screen. When you are through and have specified to include Internet support through CompuServe, you'll have a copy of CompuServe's Winsock (which is TCP/IP software) on your system. You then can dial up CompuServe and start navigating the Web using the built-in Spry Mosaic browser. As an alternative to Spry Mosaic, CompuServe now lets you select Netscape Navigator 2.0 as your main Web browser.
Some Microsoft Windows browsers require that Windows be upgraded with Win32s. Win32s, now up to version 1.25, is a Windows enhancement that enables Windows 3.1 and Windows for Workgroups to run some non-NT or Windows 95-specific 32-bit Windows programs.
Sometimes Win32s is bundled with your browser. More often, however, you have to hunt it down from ftp sites. You can always find the most recent copy of the file at the following site:
http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/SDG/Software/WinMosaic/win32s.htm
If you are a Windows 95 user, you can use the Internet Setup Wizard to set up Internet support on your computer (see Chapter 4). Once set up, your best route is to acquire a 32-bit, made-for-Windows 95 browser (such as Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 or Netscape Navigator 2.0). Not only will you see improved performance while Web surfing, you also have the added benefit of using Windows 95's software uninstall feature. Although you might not think about uninstalling a browser while you are installing it, you may want to uninstall it if you change browser types or if your system has problems while running it. The uninstall feature is used to clean off all (or almost all) of the files and system settings associated with the browser you installed.
You might think that customizing a Web browser isn't that importantit is. Customizing a browser isn't just a matter of making it look pretty; it's a matter of configuring the browser so that it works successfully with the Web.
Although most of the Web is written in HTML and most of its graphics are in JPEG and GIF formats, many documents and images are in other formats. To handle these foreign formats, either your browser must be able to work directly with these formats or you must be able to customize your browser so that you can use helper applications to view the foreign formats.
Ideally, your browser would not need helper applications, but with everything from Notes databases to Word for Windows documents appearing on the Web, that's just a pipe dream. The next best thing is to have a browser that makes it easy to associate helper applications to deal with new file formats, and, in the case of Netscape Navigator 2.0, lets you use plug in applications to extend the power of the browser.
The character-based interface browsers normally fare the worst when it comes to helper applications. Not only are they incapable of dealing with graphics, but they cannot cope with such non-HTML text files as those in the PostScript or Portable Document Format (PDF) page description formats.
Most of the current wave of browsersNetscape Navigator 2.0, Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0, and NCSA Mosaic 2.0enable you to to configure the software (including helper applications) by using menu options. The ultimate browser would suggest the appropriate applications for the foreign format document. Unfortunately, no browsers have this capability yet.
Getting through the Web can be as tough as trying to hack your way through one of those nasty, sticky webs spun by monster spiders in a B-grade movie. Your browser can be as sharp as a vorpal sword, cutting down all that stands between you and your information goal, or it can be as useless as a dull putty knife.
A decent Web navigator enables you to move back to previously visited sites with the click of a button, such as with the Back button in Mosaic. A better one enables you to decide exactly how far you want to backtrack along your route, rather than forcing you to laboriously walk back step-by-step. One such navigation tool for this is the History list in Netscape Navigator 2.0 (see fig. 5.7). The History list shows the last 15 Web sites you visited during the current session. This way you can immediately return to a site you liked but can't remember how you got there in the first place.
Figure 5.7. Netscape Navigator's History list helps you remember the most recently visited sites during your current Web session.
The best Web navigator enables you to keep a permanent record of favorite destinations. This feature is usually called bookmarking and is invaluable if you spend any serious amount of time on the Web. You can keep bookmarks of favorite sites much like you bookmark a page in a book you're reading or referencing.
Microsoft uses the terms shortcuts and favorites instead of bookmarks. Shortcuts is the same term they use for establishing aliases to files or programs on your desktop in Windows 95. By using this term for Internet bookmarks as well, Microsoft is blurring the lines between the files and resources on your personal computer and those that are online.
Although such Web mapping is a common feature, Web browsers have a way to go to perfect that feature. Many browsers don't enable you to organize your bookmarks any special way. Netscape Navigator 2.0, on the other hand, includes a much improved bookmarking system that enables you to set up your bookmark list the way you want. You can, for example, create and name folders into which you can place your bookmarks. You also can instruct Netscape to show only a specific folder on your bookmark list, further helping you navigate to only those sites of most interest to you. Finally, Netscape also includes a feature that lets you dictate into which folder new bookmarks should be placed when you are browsing and want to quickly save that site in your bookmarks list. Most other browsers don't include this feature.
Another nice addition to this feature would be the capability to make notes on each site, for when you're trying to remember exactly what it was that fascinated you about a particular site a month ago. Both Mosaic 2.0 and Netscape Navigator 2.0 include ways to add descriptions to your bookmarks or add annotations about the site.
Previously, this chapter touched on the problem of viewing foreign file formats. As the Web grows, more formats are being used to make Web documents. Consequently, sometimes even to view a page you need a browser that's up to the task.
A browser must be able to read HTML 1.0 and GIF89athe basics. Those used to be the only capabilities it needed. Today, a browser should also be able to handle HTML 3.2 documents, and Adobe Acrobat PDF file format for text. Graphically speaking, your browser should be literate in GIF89a, GIF24, and JPG/JPEG. These are the most common types of graphic file types you'll encounter on the Web.
The well-equipped Web explorer also has helper applications to handle QuickTime, Microsoft Video for Windows, and MPEG movies, and Microsoft Word for Windows and PostScript documents. For the foreseeable future, these extras are strictly optional.
Why does your browser need the capability to handle so many different formats? The answer lies in the next two sections, which briefly examine the world of text and graphics standards on the Web.
At one time, all text on Web pages was in HTML. Time moved on, and with it went the unity of a single hypermedia language. Today, several HTML variants and other document formats are used in Web pages.
This shift signals a change in the Web from a friendly place, where any Web browser can be used with virtually any document, to a hostile world, where not all browsers work with all Web documents.
This has always been something of a problem for Web browsersit's the reason for viewers. In the future, this problem will only get worse. Pure HTML is no longer the only language of the land, and more file formats are being used to carry the basic textual information of the Web. Let's take a look at the players in the Web language wars.
Before HTML, there was Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML). SGML is an International Standards Organization (ISO) page description standard (ISO 8879). SGML itself does not describe how to format a document. Rather, it provides a set of rules, or grammar, to create Document Type Definitions (DTDs). A DTD specifies how to identify structural items, such as keywords, end notes, and words in italics by specifying tags and their meanings for a class of documents. HTML is a variation from the SGML theme and can be thought of as a DTD for hypermedia documents.
Until recently, pure SGML was regarded as too complex for Web documents. Now, some Web designers are exploring the use of SGML on the Web. The SGML community is also lobbying for HTML to move closer to SGML orthodoxy. They claim SGML offers readers far more sophisticated textual resourcessuch as the capability to bounce more easily from text to footnote to bibliography and back againthan does HTML.
The Text Encoding Initiative (TEI), for example, an SGML DTD for the humanities, enables authors to combine different editions of a text into a single hypertext document. You can have both the manuscript and its final published form in one document, for instance, and easily go back and forth between the two versions.
SGML most likely will fade into a document format hidden behind an HTML mask. Electronic Book Technologies' DynaWeb points the way to this future. DynaWeb is a Unix Web server that automatically translates SGML documents into HTML for Web browsers. Some SGML documents will prove too complex for timely automatic translations. For these, manual translations into HTML will be their way on to the Web. Fortunately, this tedious job will be semi-automated with the use of tools like Avalanche Development Company's SGML Hammer, an SGML-to-HTML translator.
In the meantime, the mainstream of Web document designers are moving from HTML 2.0 to HTML 3.0. The first version of HTML, HTML 0.9, though still used with some documents, is now considered antique. HTML 1.0 and 2.0 remains the most popular Web document format. Fortunately, those with hours invested in legacy documents do not need to update these items. Most Web browser can read these documents.
HTML 3.2 gives authors additional ways to control the look of their documents. The way to accomplish this goal is a matter of hot debate and might yet lead to HTML splitting into incompatible variants. The IETF is discussing the use of style sheets and how to embed presentation control into HTML. For the latter, the ideas under discussion are to add new elements, to add attributes to existing HTML tags, or to use SGML processing instructions. At this time, expanding the role of existing HTML tags is the most popular approach.
For now, although the potential for conflict exists, most Web browsers can read any HTML document you encounter. The problem is that the way certain items display, if at all, is determined by the HTML standard used and the browser you're using. Although there may come a time when HTML will not be the only accepted Web language, many companies have attempted to introduce proprietary languages to the Web and have not received a warm welcome. The main problem with proprietary Web pages is that you must have a specific browser to view the page, which limits the number of visitors to a site.
Some Web designers, desiring absolute control over document presentation, are starting to use Adobe Acrobat's PDF. PDF enables authors to send documents with PostScript-like quality to the original but without PostScript's size and compatibility penalties. Today, with Netscape embracing PDF as a supported format, there is some interest in using PDF as an HTML replacement. For now, though, PDF is more commonly used as a viewer file type. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS), for example, uses HTML for their Web pages, but IRS forms are kept in PDF.
So what do these projected changes mean for you? They mean that the Web is going to be divided into incompatible sections. If there is popular support for standard HTML and open systems, you will still be able to roam over most of the Web freely. If not, then expect an end to the days when you could explore the Web without restriction. Your only response will be to stay informed and update your Web browser often.
You might not believe it, especially if you're new to the Web, but once there was no question concerning Web graphics. The Web's inline graphics were GIF. Today, GIF is no longer the guaranteed inline graphics format of choice because Unisys, the patent owner on the Lempel-Ziv-Welch (LZW) data compression algorithm, began demanding licensing fees for programs using LZW, of which, GIF uses. Compu-Serve, GIF's owner, then started charging fees for programs using GIF.
These charges don't affect Web designers or users directly. You can use and view GIFs in your pages to your heart's content without payment. The changes do affect vendors that make programs that create, edit, or (and this is the important one) view GIFsbrowsers.
When news of the licensing fee first came out, the graphics and online services programming communities blew up at the very notion. For years, the GIF format, though copyrighted by CompuServe, had been the free, de facto graphics standard of not only CompuServe and the Web, but for most of the online world. Graphics designers and programmers started to feel as if someone had changed the rules on them in mid-stream. They began to look for alternatives to GIF.
Browser programmers responded to GIF licensing fees by adding JPG support to their browsers. Despite this early support, JPG hasn't become the dominant inline image format, and it probably won't make further inroads. JPG isn't as flexible as GIF for design purposes. JPG is a fine format for an image to end up in (if you don't mind the loss of some resolution). It's also very hard to edit.
The immediate result of all this has been to slow down Unisys' requests for licensing fees. CompuServe, faced with outraged developers, decided to dump LZW from GIF and come up with a new GIF. This new format, GIF24, promises to be the "free, clear, and open format" for all developers that GIF was meant to be.
Over the past few years, graphics developers have been working on other alternatives to GIF. The Portable Network Graphics (PNG, pronounced ping) format offers the most popular alternative. PNG designers hope PNG will replace GIF for inline images. PNG produces smaller graphic files than GIF. It also includes 24-bit TrueColor support, and is free of all LZW licensing problems. For the down and dirty details, examine PNG's source code at the following site:
ftp://ftp.uu.net:/graphics/png.
What does the preceding information mean for Web designers? First, although PNG has a great deal of freeware and shareware author support, the big-name graphics developers haven't put their support behind it. Aldus Photoshop, for example, has no plans right now for PNG input and output mechanisms. Consequently, some considerable time is going to pass before many top-quality PNG images become available.
More importantly (for our purposes), the Web browser developers currently are sitting on the sidelines. Will PNG get their support? Will the designers continue to support GIF? Right now, Web browser developers are supporting GIF and JPG primarily, and looking at ways to offer support for other file formats with the better helper application support and plug in technology.
All Web browsers are capable of supporting some other Internet tools. You can, for example, access ftp and Gopher servers from a browser. In addition, Web browsers are adding other jobs as they move from being strictly Web browsers to all-in-one Internet front ends.
Some users who like to pick just the right application for the job don't care whether their browser can do anything other than roam the Web. Other users like the convenience of a one-stop Internet front end. If you prefer to use your Web browser to replace all the Internet tools, the minimal additional tools you should expect are Usenet newsgroups and e-mail. Not all Web browsers have full e-mail support, but many enable you to send messages out. With Netscape Navigator 2.0, you have a fully integrated e-mail and newsgroup applications that work very well with the Web browser. Netscape Navigator 2.0 also enables you to replace its e-mail package with Microsoft Exchange if you use Windows 95.
Having Usenet newsgroup support isn't enough in itself. You want your newsgroup reader to support easy newsgroup selection, message threading, and sophisticated message-reply options. With anything less, you get more annoyance than enjoyment from Usenet news. For now, the browser that makes Usenet news the most fun is Netscape.
Moving one level up, you probably want a browser that supports Telnet and its mainframe cousin, Telnet-3270. Many Web browsers do not include Telnet support directly, but do enable you to assign a separate Telnet application to work with your Web browser. This way, when you encounter a Telnet site, the associated Telnet application automatically starts.
More than anything else, your browser's speed depends on the speed of your Internet connection. Having that said, your browser can make it seem as if you are moving much faster on the Web than you actually are.
Netscape Navigator 2.0 offers this bit of magic. Netscapeand now other browsersdisplays the text of a Web site first, and then takes its time bringing up the graphics. It doesn't sound like much, but the overall effect makes Netscape "seem" much quicker when you are online. Rather than waiting for a 20-KB GIF to appear in its entirety, you can decide early whether you want to stick around for the whole image based on the already displayed words from a page.
Another trick in working performance wonders involves displaying information as soon as it arrives. Some browsers do this poorly, showing information in screen-blurring displays as it is received. These displays leave you rubbing your eyes and wondering whether or not you made the right decision in trading in your TV set for a Pentium and a Web hookup. The speed secret here is for the browser to smoothly show information as it appears.
Netscape Navigator 2.0 also supports a new JPG file type called progressive JPG/JPEG. Progressive JPG files display faster than other files because they display in "chunks" as the Web page is downloaded. When a page has a progressive JPG file, you'll see the image display gradually, kind of like a fade-in in a movie, and then after all the text of the Web page has displayed, the image will finish.
The final touch, completing the illusion of speed, enables you to stop an incoming page so that you can move on to something else. There's nothing quite as frustrating as waiting for a page to appear so you can get on with another job. Many programs, like Netscape, now enable you to hit the Esc key or click on the Stop button to discontinue the download of the current page. You then can return to a previous page, click on any links that are showing on the current page, or type in the URL for another page.
Now that you have the basics, you're ready to take a look at browsers. Remember as you go through this section that browsers are changing on an almost weekly basis and that new ones are coming out at an even faster clip. Regard this information, therefore, as more of a general guide than specific recommendations.
Netscape Navigator 2.0 (Mac, Unix, Windows 3.x, Windows 95) is, without question, the leading Web browser today. It's faster than the other browsers, loaded with features, and available in versions for more operating systems than any other browser. There's little to dislike and a great deal to love about Netscape.
Netscape comes in two versions. The first can be obtained from the Web at http://home.netscape.com. If you're in school, or you're working for a non-profit group, you can use this edition for free. Otherwise, you can order a copy of Netscape by sending e-mail to the following address:
sales@netscape.com
Netscape is one program that lacks scarcely any features. It comes ready to work with secure servers that use the SSL protocol. Netscape also supports e-mail and has an easy-to-use and powerful Usenet newsreader. Although it has no other Internet applications, Netscape makes it easy to link up with pre-existing Internet programs, such as Telnet clients. Netscape is also easy to install and configure.
For more features of Netscape Navigator 2.0, see the earlier section "Features To Look For in Browsers."
One small but delightful feature is Netscape's status bar at the bottom of the display. From this bar you can determine exactly what the browser is doing at any given moment, such as the percentage of the current Web page and its graphics that have downloaded to your computer. Although this information might not be terribly useful, it does help keep the impatient user at bay, showing that something is indeed happening and gives you an idea of how much time is left to complete the current download.
Where Netscape really kills the competition is speed. Netscape displays graphics faster than anyone else in the business. The browser uses great caching to boost your speed when you need to look back a page. The program also enables you to display and interact with text and linksbefore the complete graphics display arrives.
Netscape's navigation aids are also of championship quality. The History utility, for example, enables you to create a permanent bookmark for a site long after you've left it behind.
The program is also popular with many vendors. Netscape has struck deals with CompuServe, General Electric, and several other companies to be their official browser of choice.
Netscape Navigator Gold 2.0 is a recently released Web browser that includes all the features of Net-scape Navigator 2.0. What differentiates Gold from Netscape 2.0 is its HTML editing window. With Gold, you can create, edit, and publish your own Web pages.
Although there are several HTML editors available, such as HTML Assistant Pro from Brooklyn North Software, Gold is the first to incorporate an editing tool with the Web browser. Gold also features an editing interface that displays your Web page as it will be viewed in the Web browser. Other HTML editors only show raw HTML code, requiring you to view the HTML document in a Web browser before you know what the page will look like. With Gold, you can reduce the guesswork out of creating and editing Web pages.
If you are interested in Netscape Gold, you can get more information about it at http://home.netscape.com. The price of Gold has not been determined yet, but will probably be around $80.
NCSA Mosaic (Mac, Unix, Windows), the grandfather of all graphics browsers, might be getting a little long in the tooth, but it's still a good program (see fig. 5.8).
Figure 5.8. The newest version of NCSA Mosaic isn't quite as powerful as the top browsers, but it doesn't suffer by comparison either.
Mosaic helps you navigate the Web in several ways. You can make annotations on pages you've visited. These comments then appear at the bottom of a page the next time you visit it. The program also enables you to create a hotlist of URLs, as well as cascaded menus of URLs using the Hotlist Manager.
Mosaic is also in the forefront of supporting the newest HTML standards. Mosaic support many of the HTML 3.0 features. Where you might encounter some problems is when a page includes some of the Netscape extensions that Mosaic doesn't support yet.
The newest Mosaic also includes a top-notch customization tool. Those who have wept over the pain of adjusting Mosaic by tweaking the INI file will jump for joy over this development. User pre-ferences are set using the Mosaic Options dialog box, which includes several different tabs of choices you can set.
The new, improved Mosaic also comes with outgoing e-mail and newsgroup support. Although the program is no Netscape, these features do set it above less sophisticated browsers.
At this time, Mosaic does not support a security protocol. Once the protocol competition is settledwhich shouldn't be longMosaic will likely support the winning protocol.
Some other browsers might have more features or better speed, but NCSA Mosaic is solid, has great HTML support, and best of all, is free. You can check out your copy at the following URL:
http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/SDG/Software/Mosaic/
A browser you're going to hear a lot about (if you haven't already) is the Microsoft Internet Explorer (see fig. 5.10). Version 3.0 is due to be released in Q2 of 1996 and it promises to bring a great deal of multimedia support, including video, audio, and VRML support.
Figure 5.9. The Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 browser promises some new features that will help it gain market share.
Although Internet Explorer lacks some of the features of Netscape Navigator 2.0, including a full-feature newsreader and e-mail utility (although Windows 95 users might want to use Microsoft Exchange as their e-mail program), Internet Explorer has an advantage over Netscape; every copy computer sold with Windows 95 on it includes a copy of Internet Explorer.
Although Internet Explorer 3.0 does not have built-in e-mail or newsreaders, you can download Internet Mail and Internet News from Microsoft for free. These applications are discussed in Chapter 3, "Internet E-Mail and Usenet Newsgroups."
Besides coming pre-installed on Windows 95, you can also download it from the Microsoft Web site at http://www.microsoft.com and use it for free. Recently, Microsoft and America Online agreed to make Internet Explorer the standard, built-in Web browser for AOL's members (which tops 5 million customers). What this means is when you purchase a new computer with Windows 95 preinstalled on it, an icon for AOL appears on the desktop that you can double-click to sign up for an AOL membership.
Some of the new features of Internet Explorer 3.0 include the following:
Spyglass won the right to take NCSA Mosaic and turn it into a commercial product. The company's first attempts at Enhanced Mosaic (Mac, Unix, Windows) have added functions to Mosaic, such as form and printing support, but the program still feels more like NCSA Mosaic with the edges smoothed off rather than a new product.
Spyglass normally sells Enhanced Mosaic to other companies, who then modify it and bundle it with their own TCP/IP offerings. The following is a list of businesses currently marketing Enhanced Mosaic under their own name:
If you're running a browser from any of the companies just listed, you're working with Enhanced Mosaic. Some, like SPRY, have heavily modified the program; others have done little with the base program.
No matter the version, Enhanced Mosaic always supports SHTTP. You shouldn't have any security worries in the commercial Web of tomorrow.
Generally, Enhanced Mosaic installs easily. The Windows version requires Win32s support. Customization was troublesome in early versions of Enhanced Mosaic. At times, in the Windows version, you even had the dubious pleasure of manually editing the INI file.
Unlike with the other programs, your first stop when visiting the Web with Enhanced Mosaic is not a predetermined Web site. Instead, you're presented with a home page located on your home PC. From here, a variety of useful Web sites are presented for your Web running selection. This simple trick makes Enhanced Mosaic the fastest browser at the starting gun. Once you're on the Web, Enhanced Mosaic slows down to typical browser speeds.
One feature Enhanced Mosaic can boast that few others can is its support for multiple browser sessions. You can connect to multiple hosts and switch between windows. It's a nice feature, but don't think about using it unless you have a 28,800 bps or faster connection.
Like Netscape, Enhanced Mosaic enables you to abort out of a troublesome or slow Web connection by hitting the Esc key. You might think that you won't use this feature often, but once you've been on the Web for awhile, you'll appreciate the ability to walk away from a downloading attempt.
On the less satisfactory side, Enhanced Mosaic lacks some navigation tools, and it doesn't inform you of the status of ongoing downloads. When you get impatient, wondering whether or not a GIF is ever going to show up on your screen, this drawback is no small matter.
Enhanced Mosaic is being further enhanced every day. Furthermore, each seller adds its own twists to the program and to the program's add-ons. Coming up with a simple judgment, therefore, is quite difficult. All in all, Enhanced Mosaic is a good, but not spectacular, Web browser. To find out more about Enhanced Mosaic, visit its Web site at the following URL:
http://spyglass.www.com
You also can contact them at 708-505-1010; fax, 708-505-4944; or e-mail, info@spyglass.com.
SPRY's AIR Mosaic represents the first commercial Web browser. (SPRY is a division of CompuServe.) Though it can be slow, especially when displaying large GIFs, AIR Mosaic features a Spyglass-based interface that is easy to use and to configure (as far as IP-based browsers go).
For a trial run, download a test version of the program, using ftp, from the following URL address:
ftp://ftp.spry.com/demo/AirMosaicDemo/
The commercial version is available in several packages, including SPRY's Internet in a Box, AIR Series, and Mosaic in a Box. It is also the default Web browser for CompuServe users who want Web access.
One of AIR Mosaic's strongest points is its ease of installation. Unlike other Windows TCP/IP browsers, you don't need to add Win32s support.
Another AIR Mosaic plus is that you can file documents into folders, which can be added to the menu bar. You can create up to 15 hotlist folders. Each of these folders can handle approximately 200 URLs. Each of these features combine to make mapping your way through the Web much simpler.
One feature unique to AIR Mosaic is its Kiosk mode. In Kiosk mode, you see the Web page without the visual obstruction of a menu. Although this mode works well when you want to get the fullest look at a homepage, it does have its limitations. In Kiosk mode, you cannot use any of the program's navigation tools; you are limited to navigating by hyperlinks.
Overall, AIR Mosaic is a good, though somewhat slow, Windows browser. For more information, contact SPRY at 800-777-9638, ext. 26; 206-447-0300; fax, 206-447-9008; e-mail, info26@spry.com.
Many browsers tend to look alike, mainly because they're all chips off the Mosaic block. Netscape and AIR Mosaic, for example, both have original Mosaic designers behind them. Cello (Windows) is carved from its own rock.
Different doesn't mean bad. Cello, an IP-based browser developed by programmers at Cornell Law School's Legal Information Institute, works more quickly than other freeware browsers. It is available over the Internet, using ftp, from the following URL:
ftp://ftp.law.cornell.edu/pub/LII/Cello/cello.zip
In addition to its speed, Cello includes several other Internet tools. You can use Cello to read Usenet news, send (but not retrieve) e-mail, and perform WAIS searches. Cello also bundles a Telnet and a 3270 terminal emulator in its bag of goodies.
Cello does have its imperfections. The program doesn't render graphics well. Many HTML pages appear crude in Cello. Another more annoying trait is that when you resize a Window, you must reload the document before you can view it properly. Further, Cello does not support any Web security protocols.
These points are bad enough, but far more damaging to Cello's future as a Web browser is that it is no longer being updated. As the Web grows more complicated, Cello is quickly becoming an antique program. Still, if you want a freeware, all-in-one Web browser and interface, Cello has its strengths.
If you don't care for graphics and just want your information straight from the Web, then Lynxthe premier character-based Web browseris for you. Because Lynx runs on VT100 terminals (or in a Telnet session), you can only see or hear multimedia items by downloading them.
Lynx is not limited ASCII text. The newest version, 2.2, supports Curses, a Unix text-based windowing system. Curses makes seeing links much easier than with other text-based interfaces.
Another plus, if you're using a dial-up shell account, is that you can download a filewith Zmodem or the liketo your local PC while your Unix system is still receiving a file from an ftp server or you're wandering the Web. It's as close to on-screen multitasking as you're going to get with a VT100-bound shell session.
The program also has the twin virtues of being cheap and free of installation. Most shell accounts already have access to a Lynx client, in which case all you have to do is type in lynx and you're on your way to the Web.
Further, Lynx comes with a feature that not all fancy graphical browsers have: an integrated Usenet news-reader. Some features, of course, such as support for a security protocol or non-HTML text files like PDF, are beyond Lynx. If that's fine by you, then Lynx's meat-and-potatoes approach to the Web might be exactly what you need. If your Internet site doesn't have a copy of Lynx, you can download one from the following:
ftp2.cc.ukans.edu
NetCom On-Line Communication Services' NetCruiser is the graphical front end to NetCom's Internet access service. NetCruiser comes with a full array of Internet and Usenet tools. Unfortunately, only a few of them work quite right. The Web browser, for example, has some problems and crashes quite a bit.
On the plus side, NetCruiser is one Internet application that is easy to install. It's not quite "plug-and-play" yet, but it's close.
Like any proprietary interface, of course, you're stuck with the tools that NetCom offers. With NetCruiser, for example, you won't be able to use the Eudora mail reader. The flip side is that you do get to use a single, integrated front end.
On the minus side, NetCruiser doesn't offer sophisticated Web navigation tools. Further, the program does not inherently support much more than the HTML and GIF formats. NetCom is, however, constantly working on NetCruiser. In fact, Net-Cruiser is probably the most rapidly updated Web browser available.
A beginner will probably be happy with NetCruiser, but a more experienced user might get frustrated with its restrictions. Still, the software is free, and at $19.95 for a month of service, you're not going to go broke from giving NetCruiser a try. You can arrange to take the browser out for a drive around the virtual block by calling NetCom at 800-501-8649, 408-983-5970; fax, 408-241-9145; or sending e-mail at info@netcom.com.
Do you want the Web's graphics without the headaches of TCP/IP connectivity? Then you are a candidate for SlipKnot. SlipKnot is a shareware program that works with any Internet provider shell account that also provides either the Lynx or WWW browser.
SlipKnot works by using Lynx or WWW for basic connectivity, and then translating their input into a graphical Web display. Unfortunately, SlipKnot skims on some basics. You cannot, for example, resize windows. Still, though the program's a little slow, it does give you the basics of graphical Web browsing.
SlipKnot comes with the basic set of browser tools. Don't look for anything fancy here, like a news-reader, but for walking around the Web, SlipKnot serves quite well. Because SlipKnot also comes with a terminal mode, you can always get directly to Usenet and Internet host-based character applications, like the trn. newsreader and the elm mail front end.
As you might expect, SlipKnot comes with only minimal support for Web text and graphic formats. Further, the program does not come with any security support. By its very nature, such support would be difficult to implement.
Installation is not terribly easy. It is, however, much easier to install than any of the IP applications. You can give it a try yourself by using ftp to get it from the following URL:
ftp://ftp.netcom.com/pub/pbrooks/slipkno