This gives an overview of the browsers and their futures.
This page covers:
AOL,
AOL Compuserve,
AOL Desktop,
AOL Explorer,
AOL Netscape,
AOL OpenRide,
AOL TV,
Apple Safari,
DoCoMo iMode,
HotJava,
IBM Home Page Reader,
IBM Web Browsers,
iCab,
Konqueror,
Lynx,
Microsoft Internet Explorer,
Microsoft MSN Explorer,
Microsoft MSN-TV Viewer,
Mosaic,
Mozilla & Friends (Camino, Firefox, SeaMonkey, etc.),
Nokia,
OmniWeb,
Openwave,
Opera,
Swift,
W3C Amaya.
Note : because this site focuses on browsers needed to test websites, it rarely covers browsers that are little used or that use standard engines from more common browsers.
Note : you may also wish to refer to Wikipedia’s list of web browsers.
AOL makes a large stable of distinct browsers. These include:
AOL (for AOL subscribers):
Note: AOL does not update the version number when it makes security updates.
AOL was originally an ISP and offered its flagship IE-based browsers only to its clients. But AOL seems to often try to reïnvent itself, and in the process has produced a bewildering range of browsers and browser suites, using a number of different browser engines.
AOL’s flagship browsers have always used IE (except for one OS X version which used Gecko), but its other browsers — Compuserve, Desktop for Mac, Explorer, Netscape, etc. — have used various versions of AppleWebKit, Gecko, and Safari: one, Netscape 8, used both Gecko and IE.
AOL has also abandoned several of its browsers, e.g. Compuserve and OpenRide. Right now (Apr 2008) AOL appears to be pushing different browser suites in different areas, e.g. AOL Desktop 10 for Windows in the U.S.A., and AOL 10VR (a very different product) in Canada.
One can only assume that an ever changing kaleidoscope of browsers will appear in the future.
See AOL’s Webmaster Info site to learn how to craft web pages for AOL browsers.
Note that the AOL browsers use browser engines created by others: sometimes Trident (the Internet Explorer engine), sometimes Gecko (the Mozilla engine), and sometimes AppleWebKit (the Safari KHTML engine).
AOL often updates its browsers without telling news services, so the version number of the latest version may be off.
AOL acquired Compuserve years ago, and offered this browser for its subscribers [get it...]. Versions up to 6 use Internet Explorer as its browser engine; later versions use Gecko. Note : you need a Compuserve account to use it.
The Compuserve browsers have not been updated for a very long time, and use browser engines which are now extinct, so no one should be using a Compuserve browser. When tested in Nov 2007, the Compuserve home page would not work with Firefox, but it would work with IE, so it would seem that an IE-based browser would be best for those who choose the Compuserve service.
There are two products with this name: AOL Desktop (for Windows), and AOL Desktop for Mac.
AOL Desktop is a browser suite for Windows, using Internet Explorer. It was once named Helix, and may be considered a replacement for the defunct OpenRide.
AOL Desktop 10: this was released Dec 6, 2007 as AOL Desktop 2.0, then silently renamed sometime later to AOL Desktop 10
[get it...]. Note that there was no version 1.0; this suggests that OpenRide
is deemed version 1.
This is a browser suite for OS X, apparently using Apple’s AppleWebKit.
AOL Desktop for Mac 1.0: this is available as a beta.
This is a free browser for Windows, based on Internet Explorer. [get it...]
This browser’s future is uncertain, but it is possible that AOL will kill it, as it has OpenRide, to focus on Netscape.
AOL often updates its browsers without telling news services, so the version number of the latest version may be off.
AOL acquired Netscape several years ago [get it...].
Netscape is to become extinct, with no updates after Mar 1, 2008. [details...] AOL is suggesting that users switch to Firefox or Flock.
AOL OpenRide: this was a browser suite for Windows.
OpenRide 1.x: this was released Oct 4 2006, and was silently updated several times before being quietly killed by AOL in mid 2007.
It is no longer available.
In Jun 2000 AOL announced AOL-TV, a TV-based Internet appliance designed to compete with MSN-TV. It was a limited HTML 3.2 browser with simple JavaScript support. It was discontinued in Feb 2003 [details...].
Safari uses Apple’s WebKit, which is based in part on Konqueror’s KHTML browser engine. Originally for OS X, Safari now runs on other platforms, including Windows. [get it...]
Apple reportedly chose to base Safari on KHTML instead of Gecko because (a) KHTML was faster, (b) KHTML’s source code was smaller and cleaner, and (c) Apple did not need Gecko’s multi-platform support.
Note: Apple uses 3 sets of version numbers for Safari. One set are the Safari version numbers listed above, i.e. 1.0, 1.2, 1.3, etc.: these are the primary numbers Apple uses in its public documents. A second set are Safari build numbers, e.g. 85.5, 85.8, 85.8.1, 100, 125.7, 312, 412: these are the numbers in the userAgent strings. The third set are the WebKit (browser engine) version numbers. Apple updates the Safari version number only with major updates. Apple usually (but not always) updates the build number when it fixes bugs, and sometimes (but not always) updates the WebKit number when it fixes bugs. Apple has a page listing how Safari version numbers relate to each other, but it is not always up-to-date.
Safari renders pages differently for different DOCTYPEs [more...].
DoCoMo offers a mobile web browser in cellphones, primarily in Australia, Japan, and parts of Europe. DoCoMo provides resources for website designers.
HotJava was made by Sun Systems.
The last version, HotJava 3, was released in May 1999. It was never updated, and in April 2003 it was relegated to Sun’s archives.
Note : Sun also offers Java software for users and designers [more...].
IBM used to offer two browsers:
iCab is a Mac-only browser made by Alexander Clauss [get it...]. It is free, but paying for it will flip it into Pro mode.
iCab was available as a free beta for a long time, and has a small number of loyal users. It is touted as a highly standards-compliant browser.
iCab likely will never be widely used, as it competes with other highly standards compliant browsers — e.g. Opera, Safari, and Firefox — which are made by organizations with much greater resources.
Konqueror is a browser included in the open source
KDE Desktop Environment
for Unix and Linux systems
[get it...].
It is an HTML 4 browser that aspires to be fast and standards-compliant.
It uses KDE’s KHTML browser engine.
Lynx is the most popular text-only browser [get it...].
Lynx is updated at very rare intervals.
Note: it may be impossible to find the latest version for your O/S, since the Lynx developers do not consistently make it available for the common operating systems. You may have to settle for a version that is a beta, or is old, or is in a foreign language.
Note: one way to help testing pages for Lynx compatibility is to use the free Lynx Viewer.
Microsoft makes several independent browsers. This discusses its flagship browser, Internet Explorer [get it...].
Note: Microsoft does not update the version number when it makes security updates.
For years IE was available on several platforms. This has changed. In Sep 2002 Microsoft killed IE for HP-UX and Sun Solaris. In Jun 2003 it ended IE upgrades for Macs; in May 2005 it killed MSN Explorer for Macs; and in Jan 2006 it killed IE for Macs. Now IE is for Windows only.
For years new versions of IE would run on much older platforms. This has also changed. In Feb 2005 Microsoft revealed that IE 7 would run only on Windows XP SP2 and up.
In Mar 2006 Microsoft revealed that it was working on versions of IE beyond IE 7. Up until now Microsoft has only issued new versions of IE with new versions of Windows, which has resulted in IE stagnating when new versions of Windows are delayed. If this policy has indeed changed — if new versions of IE will indeed appear more frequently — Microsoft will be able to finish what it did not have time to do in IE 7. The future looks promising.
Microsoft ended support for Netscape plug-ins with IE5.5/SP2. Users must find equivalent ActiveX components, even though ActiveX is a major cause of security problems. [more...] Designers must change their code to use ActiveX components, as Apple did for QuickTime.
A court ruling forbids Microsoft to distribute its own version of Java, but does not force it to distribute Sun’s. Those wanting Java must therefore get it on their own.
IE5//Mac and IE6//Windows (and up) render pages differently for different DOCTYPEs [more...].
When browsing a site on the “Local Machine”, e.g. on a test PC, a comment with a “Mark of the Web” may be put in the code to make the site work as it would at a specified URL, including any security restrictions at that URL [more...].
The IE engine is used by many browsers, including:
MSN Explorer is a suite that Microsoft makes for subscribers of its MSN Internet service. The suite makes Microsoft’s MSN Internet service a more viable competitor to AOL. It integrates standard Microsoft software with a customized user interface and special services.
The current status of MSN Explorer is unclear. Microsoft changed links to it to go instead to “Microsoft Online Services”, where there is no option to get any version of MSN Explorer.
MSN-TV is a Microsoft TV-based Internet appliance, formerly named WebTV. There are two versions of MSN-TV:
MSN-TV (classic): this is a limited HTML 4 browser with some CSS and JavaScript support: for details, see developer.msntv.com.
MSN-TV 2.8.2 appeared in October of 2003: it has been reported that 2.9 appeared in Aug 2004, but I have not been able to confirm this.
The MSN-TV Viewer, software to emulate the appliance, is available [get it...]. The Windows version of the viewer is a reasonably up-to-date 2.8, the Mac version a truly obsolete 2.0. Note : recently, developer.msntv.com has been unavailable; it may be that Microsoft has silently pulled availability of its emulator.
The NCSA made Mosaic, one of the original graphic-based browsers: earlier browsers were text-based. Many current browsers — including Netscape and Internet Explorer — trace their origins to Mosaic [get it...].
Development of Mosaic was abandoned long ago, and now is only of historical interest.
The Mozilla Group makes the open-source, highly standards-compliant Gecko browser engine, used by a diverse range of products on many platforms.
Note : you can donate to the Mozilla Foundation.
There are three Mozilla browser products:
In addition, there is this browser product, produced by the SeaMonkey consortium as a replacement for the defunct Mozilla browser suite:
Gecko will render pages differently for different DOCTYPEs [more...].
Mozilla has info for designing pages for Gecko [more...].
The latest versions of notable browsers are:
| Extinct Browsers | Gecko Engine |
|---|---|
| AOL-Compuserve | 0.9.4.2 |
| AOL-Netscape 9.0.0.6 | 1.8.1.12 |
| Mozilla 1.7.13 | 1.7.13 |
| Current Browsers | Gecko Engine |
| Epiphany 2.22.0 | 1.8.1.13 * |
| Flock 1.1.2 | 1.8.1.14 |
| Galeon 2.0.5 | 1.8.1.12 * |
| K-Meleon 1.1.5 | 1.8.1.14 |
| Mozilla Camino 1.6 | 1.8.1.14 |
| Mozilla Firefox 2.0.0.14 | 1.8.1.14 |
| SeaMonkey 1.1.9 | 1.8.1.13 |
An asterisk beside a Gecko engine number above marks browsers which can also use somewhat older Gecko versions.
Wikipedia: Mozilla Foundation, Firefox, Camino, SeaMonkey, Gecko-based browsers.
Nokia offers a mobile web browser in some of its cellphones. Nokia provides resources for website designers.
Some cellphones may use a Safari-based browser.
The Omni Group makes the OmniWeb browser for Mac OS X [get it...].
Openwave offers a mobile web browser for cellphones. The browser is used by a variety of cellphone makers. Openwave provides resources for website designers.
Opera Software makes the Opera browser for many operating systems, including embedded systems. Opera is renowned as a browser that is small, fast, standards-compliant, and available on many platforms. [get it...]
Note: Opera updates the version number when it makes security updates.
To learn about Opera’s support of standards, see Web Specifications Supported in Opera 6, Opera 7, and Opera 8.
Opera 7 will render pages differently for different DOCTYPEs [more...].
This is a Windows-based browser that currently uses a Windows version of the Apple WebKit browser engine used by Safari.
[get it...].
Swift is under development and is currently available as an early alpha and as a “test release” which is in actuality a more recent alpha. It is incomplete, unstable, and should be used with great caution. Note : the Swift site is often down for days on end.
It isn’t clear how active the development team is: it is led by a young, seemingly immature student who appears to have little time to work on Swift. This, combined with the fact that Apple has a version of Safari for Windows, may make Swift pointless, at least for testing websites.
Amaya is a browser/editor made by the W3C (Worldwide Web Consortium) — an organization that defines the browser standards — in order to test and exhibit elements of new standards. All versions of Amaya are necessarily betas [get it...].
For details about Amaya, visit the Amaya site.
The W3C has nearly 400 members. It makes recommendations which — as they are made by consensus of the members — are de facto standards.