AOL makes a large stable of distinct browsers. These include:

• AOL (for AOL subscribers): this is a browser suite given to AOL subscribers; this is discussed below this list.
• AOL-Compuserve: this is a browser suite given to Compuserve subscribers; it is apparently dead.
• AOL Desktop: this is a free browser suite for Windows, apparently a replacement for AOL OpenRide, and once code-named Helix.
• AOL Desktop for Mac: this is a free browser suite for OS X.
• AOL Explorer: this is a free standalone browser for Windows.
• AOL-Netscape: this was a free browser, often offered as part of a suite; it is now dead.
• AOL OpenRide: this was yet another browser suite for Windows; it is now dead, perhaps replaced by AOL Desktop.
• AOL-TV: this was a browser, no longer available, designed to complete with Microsoft’s MSN-TV.

AOL (for AOL subscribers):

Versions

• AOL 4: obsolete.
• AOL 5: AOL still offers this for Windows NT4 and the Mac OS.
• AOL 6: obsolete.
• AOL 7 // Windows: AOL offers this for Windows 95. Later Windows users should upgrade.
• AOL 8 // Windows: released in October 2002, it uses IE, distressing many designers who had hoped that it would instead use Gecko.
• AOL 9 // Windows: AOL offers what appears to be its current generation browser suite. An odd point is that, although AOL pushes it in many markets, AOL has never AFAIK issued a press release saying that a final version had been released. Note: in Nov 2004 AOL issued AOL 9 SE, with security features added. Note: in Jan 2007 AOL issued AOL 9VR, with Windows Vista support added, and in Jul 2007 AOL issued a beta of AOL 9.1.

• AOL 10.3 // Mac OS X: released in Aug 2002, and updated in Apr 2003, it uses an obsolete early release of the Gecko engine. AOL was testing another update, but there have been no recent updates, and its future is uncertain.

Note: AOL does not update the version number when it makes security updates.

AOL’s Future

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.

Designing for AOL

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).

Caution About Updates

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.

Versions

• AOL Compuserve 2: AOL still offers 2.6.1 for Windows 3.1.
• AOL Compuserve 4: AOL still offers this for Windows NT4. [get it...]
• AOL Compuserve 5: AOL still offers this for the Mac. [get it...]
• AOL Compuserve 6: this was replaced by version 7.

• AOL Compuserve 7: AOL offers this for Windows 98, ME, 2000, and XP. It uses a very old beta of the Gecko engine, so old that no one should use it; users should use a different, more contemporary browser. [get it...]

Caution

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.

This is a free browser for Windows, based on Internet Explorer. [get it...]

Versions

• AOL Explorer 1.2: released in Jan 2006.
• AOL Explorer 1.5: released in May 2006.

AOL Explorer’s Future

This browser’s future is uncertain, but it is possible that AOL will kill it, as it has OpenRide, to focus on Netscape.

Caution About Updates

AOL often updates its browsers without telling news services, so the version number of the latest version may be off.

References

Wikipedia

AOL acquired Netscape several years ago [get it...].

Versions

• AOL Netscape 5: development was cancelled in mid-1999, and Netscape 5 was never released. It was to have been built using the NN4 core, but AOL dropped it to focus on NN6. Note : sloppy browser detection code may mis-identify Gecko-based browsers as Netscape 5, which is why “Netscape 5” appears in many browser stats reports.
• AOL Netscape 6: AOL released it in Nov 2000, using a Gecko beta engine. It was updated several times, but never used a released Gecko engine, so it had compatibility and reliability problems that hindered its widespread use.
• AOL Netscape 7: AOL released it on Aug 29, 2002, using the Gecko 1.0.1 engine, and updated it several times since, but updates were far apart, allowing bugs and security problems to remain unfixed for long periods of time.

• AOL Netscape 8: AOL released it on May 19, 2005 and updated it several times. It uses either Firefox or IE, depending on the page and the user’s choice. It is available only for Windows.
• AOL Netscape 9: AOL released it on Oct 15, 2007. Unlike NN8, this is Gecko-based only.

Netscape’s Future

Netscape is to become extinct, with no updates after Mar 1, 2008. [details...] AOL is suggesting that users switch to Firefox or Flock.

References

Wikipedia

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.

Versions

• Safari 1.0: this was released on Jun 23 2003 for OS X 10.2 (Jaguar).
• Safari 1.2: this was released on Feb 2 2004 for OS X 10.3 (Panther).
• Safari 1.3: this was released on Apr 15 2005 for OS X 10.3.9 (Panther).
• Safari 2.0: this was released on Apr 27 2005 for OS X 10.4 (Tiger).
• Safari 3.0: this was released with OS X 10.5 (Leopard), and on Nov 14 2007 for OS X 10.4 (Tiger); a beta is available for Windows.
• Safari 3.1: this was released on Mar 18 2008 for OS X 10.4 (Tiger), OS X 10.5 (Leopard), Windows XP, and Windows Vista.

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.

DOCTYPEs and Safari

Safari renders pages differently for different DOCTYPEs [more...].

References

Wikipedia

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...].

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.

References

Wikipedia

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.

Another major desktop environment for Unix and Linux systems is GNOME, for which Gecko-based browsers are available.

References

Wikipedia

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.

References

Wikipedia

Microsoft makes several independent browsers. This discusses its flagship browser, Internet Explorer [get it...].

Versions

• Microsoft’s IE 5.0x: Microsoft supports IE 5.01, but not earlier versions.
• Microsoft’s IE 5.5x: Microsoft no longer supports IE 5.x. Microsoft’s decision to kill 5.5, but to keep supporting 5.01 was an act of incredible and inexplicible stupidity: 5.5 was a far better browser than 5.0.
• Microsoft’s IE 6: Microsoft released IE6 for Windows in Q3 of 2001, SP1 a year later, and SP2 (for Windows XP only) two years after that.
• Microsoft’s IE 7: Microsoft will issue IE7 for Windows XP SP2 and up. It was released for Windows XP SP2 on Oct 18 2006.
• Microsoft’s IE 8: under development, possibly to be released in 2008 Q3 or Q4. A beta is available, but it has a lot of rendering errors which must be fixed before it will be useful for testing pages.

Note: Microsoft does not update the version number when it makes security updates.

Internet Explorer’s Future

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.

Netscape Plug-ins

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.

Java and Windows

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.

DOCTYPEs and Internet Explorer

IE5//Mac and IE6//Windows (and up) render pages differently for different DOCTYPEs [more...].

“Mark of the Web”

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...].

Browsers Using Internet Explorer

The IE engine is used by many browsers, including:

• AOL
• AOL-Compuserve (up to v6)
• AOL Desktop for Windows
• AOL Explorer
• Avant Browser
• Browser3D Browser
• Crazy Browser
• CubicEye
• EarthLink Browser
• Fast Browser
• iRider
• Mad Cow
• Maxthon (formerly myIE2)
• MSN Explorer
• Oligo
• PhaseOut
• ResearchDesk
• SecureIE
• SlimBrowser
• Smart Explorer
• TabLane
• TouchNet
• UltraBrowser
• ViOS
• WebPhace
• WindowSurfer

References

Wikipedia

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.

• Microsoft’s MSN Explorer 2 // OS X: this was released in May 2003 and killed in May 2005.
• Microsoft’s MSN Explorer 7 // Windows: no longer supported.

• Microsoft’s MSN Explorer 8 // Windows: this was released Oct. 23, 2002. A major difference from v7 is that it is no longer free for those who wish to use it with their own ISP.
• Microsoft’s MSN Explorer 9 // Windows: this was released Jan 8, 2004, with a range of plans and extra-cost options.

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 (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.

• MSN-TV 2: introduced in Oct 2004, this uses a version of IE6. The most recent version of the software appeared in Feb 2006. [more...]

References

Wikipedia

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.

Mozilla Browser Products

There are three Mozilla browser products:

• Mozilla: an extinct browser suite for a variety of operating systems. The last version is 1.7.x: SeaMonkey (see below) can be considered its replacement.
• Camino: a standalone browser for OS X.
• Firefox: a standalone browser for a variety of operating systems. Development of Firefox 3 is ongoing, and a beta is available. Note: Firefox 3 stupidly will not support Windows 98, 98se, 98me, or NT, nor will it support OS X 10.1, 10.2, or 10.3. Note: a Client Customization Kit is available for producing customized versions of Firefox.

In addition, there is this browser product, produced by the SeaMonkey consortium as a replacement for the defunct Mozilla browser suite:

• SeaMonkey: a browser suite for a variety of operating systems.

DOCTYPEs and Gecko

Gecko will render pages differently for different DOCTYPEs [more...].

Designing for Gecko

Mozilla has info for designing pages for Gecko [more...].

Notable Gecko-Based Browsers

The latest versions of notable browsers are:

An asterisk beside a Gecko engine number above marks browsers which can also use somewhat older Gecko versions.

References

Wikipedia: Mozilla Foundation, Firefox, Camino, SeaMonkey, Gecko-based browsers.