Will people flock to a new alternative web browser? A new one, Flock is an open-source program that takes a new look at Web browsing. It integrates blogging and photo-sharing tools into the browser. Additionally, it helps you share favorites with friends and family. The goal is to make Web browsing a social activity. Flock is a work in progress, as are other web browers, such as Firefox. The developers hope to release a test version in a month or so. A developer preview is available, if you’re anxious for a sneak peek. Firefox and Netscape are good alternatives, offering better security, for now. Check out 95 percent of all Web surfers use Internet Explorer. The remainder is spread among several other browsers. Surprisingly, Netscape isn't one of them, and doesn't have enough market share to make the list. The better-known alternative browsers are Mozilla, Opera and Safari.

All three offer features not found in Internet Explorer. For instance, they have built-in pop-up blockers and search utilities. Those features are not offered by Internet Explorer, but can be added with the free Google Toolbar (http://toolbar.google.com). They also have tabbed browsing. You can open a link and simultaneously add a tab to the window's edge. Instead of having numerous open windows, you can view multiple Web sites in one window. Here's a brief look at alternatives to Internet Explorer:

Mozilla Mozilla is an open source program developed by programmers worldwide. It is updated quarterly, latest version is 1.5 Help is available onthe Web site. Any security issues that arise between updates are posted with a fix on a known vulnerabilities page. The most recent version is available for Windows, Mac (OS X only) and Linux. Mozilla is a free suite that includes a browser, e-mail and newsgroup software, address book and HTML editor. Mozilla allows you to zoom in and out of text easily. This is particularly handy for people with vision problems. Mozilla is a 12 MB file. Moxilla also has an option to use the Internet Explorer 'engine' for compatiblily, so that more complex banking sites, use Firefox as a front end, and MS IE for the internal processing. So far, I have been using Firefox 1.5 for these functions and have not run into any problems. At this time, Mozilla has commanded 10% market share, and is gaining in popularity, by leaps and bounds, in 2005.

Opera Opera is available for Windows, Mac and Linux. It also is free. Or, you can pay $39 and remove the ad banner, receive additional tech support and get six months of Opera Web Mail Premium. With Opera, you can use the mouse or keyboard shortcuts to speed up browsing. For instance, you can reload a Web page by right-clicking and moving the mouse. Opera also features "hotclicks." Double-click a word or some text and a menu will open. This menu offers a translation, a dictionary search or an Internet search. Opera is a 15.7 MB file and will take about 40 minutes to download for dial-up users. This should only take about five minutes if you have broadband. There is a non-java version that is only 3.2 MB.

Safari For a Mac-only Internet Explorer alternative, Safari . It works only on Mac OS X 10.2 and higher. The free program claims to load pages more quickly than any other Web browser for the Mac. Safari includes the SnapBack feature. This allows you to go back to the point where you last entered a URL. This is useful when you find yourself 16 pages deep into a site and want to return to the main page.

There are many other Web browsers, as well. For a text-only browser, check Lynx (http://www.lynx.browser.org). Konqueror is made specifically for Linux users (http://www.konqueror.org). Alternative browsers have downsides. Many developers build sites specifically for Internet Explorer. So, alternative browsers sometimes do not display them properly. Example Microsoft updates. You'll also have to learn new software. Although these browsers aren't radically different from Internet Explorer, and are for the most part, intuitive, there is a learning curve. Their very lack of popularity may make alternative browsers more secure. Hackers attack Internet Explorer because of its overwhelming market share. The alternative browsers may have security flaws, but they are much less likely to be tested.