Section A.7. Where to Learn More
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A.7. Where to Learn MoreWikipedia has a good list of web browsers, with links to further articles about most of them, and a fascinating table that compares browsers and may help you in deciding which ones to use in various situations. An excellent historical overview of several browsers, including IE, Netscape, and Opera, can also be found on the Blooberry site. An amazingly complete collection of web browser software, some dating back over a decade, is available for download at Evolt.org. If you can't find that web browser from 1995 that you miss, Evolt.org undoubtedly has it. If you want to see the Web through the eyes of an ancient browser without having to install one, head over to Deja Vu and prepare for an astounding experience as you browse the Web as though you were using NCSA Mosaic, Mosaic Netscape, and others. Truly amazingand it will make you appreciate what we have now all the more! Finally, several good links to other historical browser sites can be found at the Google Directory page for Computers
A.7.1. CaminoIf you're interested in some history, the original web pages for the Chimera project are still available on the Web. Camino's home page doesn't contain much, but you can find the essentials: news, downloads, links to documentation, and information about bugs. Don't forget to check out the Documentation section (especially the Tips and Tricks page), as it contains some good things to know. Ars Technica has also published an interesting interview with Mike Pinkerton, the lead developer of Camino, that's worth reading if you'd like more information on the project.
A.7.2. OperaOpera's web site contains a lot to read and investigate. User help and support is very good; in particular, Opera provides an excellent, extensive overview of web browser security, including how you can configure Opera to be more secure (something that I wish more browser makers did). I mentioned plug-ins as an area in which users need help; not surprisingly, Opera's support pages have a special section on plug-ins and how to get them to work with the browser. If you have any questions or problems with Opera, you should immediately check out Opera's support site. It really is excellent, with a thorough combination of documentation, tutorials, and a knowledge baseall searchable, of course. If you want further help, you can try Opera's forums, where lively discussions on a variety of issues are available. If Usenet newsgroups are more your style, they're available too. If you just want the monthly news about the browser and the company, sign up for the Opera Newsletter. If you want unofficial help, check out Opera7Wiki, where any user can contribute tips and tricks to the web site. There's a lot of good information there, including links to more Opera resources. I covered some of the really interesting features that Opera offers, but there are more that I didn't mention; for the full list, see "Features in Opera." I think you'll be impressed by what you find there. A user has also posted his list of favorite features, which is an interesting counterpoint.
A.7.3. KonquerorKonqueror's home page is a good starting point, but you'll probably want to jump to information about its specific capabilities as a browser. If you're looking for the latest version of The Konqueror Handbook, you can find it online. The Konqueror FAQ contains solutions for various problems. If you want to know more about Konqueror in general, Wikipedia has a nice page on the browser. David James has created a page comparing and contrasting Konqueror and Firefox; his site also includes an excellent collection of Konqueror tips. If you want to set the home page for Konqueror, read the instructions in the FAQ. As I said, it's silly that it's necessary to read a help file to find out how to specify a home page, but that's the way it is. You can find out more about Konqueror's lack of support for bookmarklets by reading the two bug reports in which the issue is discussed. The attitude of the Konqueror developer who refuses to implement bookmarklets is pretty much summarized in his own statement: "if you want it so much please submit a patch and convince the other konqueror developers to accept it. i won't do so as i have no interest whatsoever in bookmarklets...." As a result of this refusal, a new project has started to enable Konqueror to run bookmarklets. It's still early days, so we'll have to wait and see how successful the project is.
A.7.4. SafariIf you want to learn more about the problems in IE 5 for Mac, you have a few good options: a lengthy and well-documented list of bugs can be seen at MacEdition, while a good list of resources is at "Mac IE 5problems with css rendering." The home page for Safari can be found on Apple's web site. The page contains extensive information about Safari's features and a link to download the browser, but be aware that the latest version runs only on the latest version of Apple's operating system, which isn't a policy I agree with at allApple should make it available for earlier versions as well. If you use a Mac, you should also use the excellent VersionTracker web site, which helps keep Mac users up to date with the latest versions of thousands of different software packages. This handy site will keep you apprised of any new releases. Dave Hyatt is one of the lead developers of Safari, and his blogSurfin' Safariis required reading for those interested in the technical aspects of the browser. Since it's a blog, you can also subscribe to its RSS feed and keep up with it that way. The always good Mac OS X Hints site also contains several tips and tricks for Safari.
A.7.5. OmniWebOmniWeb has a great web site, with lots of information about the browser, its features, and how to use it effectively. The writing on the site is cheeky and fun, which is always a plus. Wikipedia also has a short page on OmniWeb that covers the basics. For updates, user comments, and more, see VersionTracker's page on OmniWeb. For an excellent, thorough overview of OmniWeb 5, check out John Siracusa's review at Ars Technica. It contains one of my favorite tech review quotations ever: "Finding [this level of functionality] in a proper Mac OS X application from a respected developer with a proven track record is like finding a perfect 1/10,000th scale replica of the Eiffel Tower in a box of crackerjacks. Then the tower transforms into a tiny robot and makes you lunch."
A.7.6. LynxThe home page for Lynx is pretty much bare, with just a link to download the software. To really find out about Lynx, you need to look elsewhere. A far better source of information, and the place I would go to first, is "Extremely Lynx." Windows users interested in Lynx should visit CSANT.INFO (which also contains links to other sites about Windows and Lynx), while Mac users should look at MacLynx, which is irregularly maintained but available. For a bit of background, Michael Grobe provides a personal look at the development of Lynx in "An Early History of Lynx: Multidimensional Collaboration." Finally, there are several other good text-only browsers that compete with Lynx and are also worth looking at, including Links, ELinks, and w3m.
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Software
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