Catch the wave: the best software for surfing the World Wide Web - Netscape Navigator Gold 2.0 and Microsoft Internet Explorer - Software Review - Evaluation

Entrepreneur, May, 1996 by Cassandra Cavanah

The best software for surfing the World Wide Web

No aspect of the Internet has been quite as exciting for business owners as the World Wide Web. What makes the Web so exciting? Its graphical environment allows Web page authors to create Web sites that are attractive to look at as well as chock-full of information. A Web page can include logos, pictures, sound, video and, with the new generation of Web browsers, text that moves and changes before your eyes.

To get on the Web, you'll need an Internet account from a company like Earthlink, Netcom, CompuServe or America Online. You'll also need a Web browser--the software that lets users see the graphical aspects of the Web. The technology for creating Web pages is changing rapidly, and to stay on the cutting edge, you need to update your browser frequently. Bottom line: The newer the browser, the better your view of the Web.

The most popular browser is Netscape Navigator Gold 2.0 from Netscape Communications. It has traditionally offered the best Web viewing and is used by about 80 percent of Internet surfers. Though there are numerous other browsers--many of them quite good--Netscape's biggest competitor is Microsoft's new Internet Explorer. Below, we take a look at both these programs.

The Programs

Web browsers interpret HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) codes, which are used by Web designers to create graphically oriented Web sites. Netscape has been at the forefront of HTML implementation, and as a result, Navigator Gold is known as the most advanced Web browser available. Microsoft is playing catch-up.

Explorer is available free to anyone on the Internet--you can download it directly from the Microsoft site (http://www.microsoft. com). It's also available from software stores as part of Plus! Pack ($54.95). Navigator, too, can be downloaded free from the Internet (http://home. netscape. com) but only for a 90-day trial period; if you decide to keep it, it's $79. Navigator will soon be available in software stores as well.

I tested the 32-bit Windows 95 versions of both programs; both are also available in Macintosh and Windows 3.1 versions, but only Navigator supports UNIX-based systems. Both programs installed without a hitch. Navigator even automatically put an icon on my Windows 95 desktop; surprisingly, Explorer didn't.

Graphics Matters

Graphics on the Web are great, but there's one significant drawback: It can take what seems like forever for them to load through your phone line. Both Navigator and Explorer allow a document's text to be loaded while simultaneously loading its graphics. That means a page with lots of artwork can be read while the images are loading, making Web browsing less time-consuming. Also, loading can be stopped when the user finds what he or she needs.

Both Navigator and Explorer also support background graphics, allowing Web site creators to spruce up their pages by including interesting colors or even logos that cover the entire background of a page.

Using The Programs

When you open Navigator and Explorer, they look very similar--with a pull- down menu across the top, some icons below it and a place to input a Web page address. But there are some differences.

The Navigator icons are more intuitive, making them easier to use and read. For example, Navigator's stop button--used to stop the transmission of data--is the word "stop" on a red stop sign. Explorer's stop icon is a tiny "x" on a piece of paper; users know it's a stop button only by holding the cursor over it. Similarly, all Explorer's icons are difficult to decipher until you become familiar with them.

Other similarities in the interface include a drop-down address menu that shows the last main Web pages visited, making it easy to quickly jump back to originating pages. For more serious navigation, each program offers a "history" of your current online session that includes every location you've visited. Navigator's implementation, which lists Web pages under the "Go" drop-down menu, is more straightforward than Explorer's, which, in the tradition of Microsoft applications, places the pages at the bottom of the "File" drop-down menu. Explorer offers one bonus, however: A "more history" function allows you to keep a list of thousands of Web site locations on your hard drive.

Both programs include easy, one-click buttons to reach a list of Internet search engines, like Infoseek, Lycos or Yahoo. Search engines give users the ability to search Web pages, Usenet groups and even online magazines easily and efficiently so you save time and energy hunting down information.

Once you've visited a page you like and plan to return to, you'll want to bookmark it. Both programs offer an electronic bookmark that lets you jump to that Web page whenever you desire.

Other Features

Navigator includes integrated e-mail capabilities, which means collecting your e-mail is as simple as clicking on an envelope icon. Explorer relies on Microsoft Exchange for mail, which means you have to open a separate program to send and receive e-mail.