Browsers. The "Killer App" of the 90's. From text to multimedia, browsers most certainly have changed the way we have viewed the world over the past 10 years. Of course, simply moving from one browser to another can change the way you view your favorite sites. Like much in the computer world, there's only the barest modicum of civility from browser to browser, each one instituting a slightly different variation on the same theme. Sounds like sitcoms from the three big networks, doesn't it?

My television woes notwithstanding, there are some great browsers out there. This understanding is even more important with Microsoft's dominance (monopoly) of the browser market which has reached an all time high of 94% of the market share. So if you want to trash your Internet Exploder (Explorer) here's the top contenders with a "blast from the past" thrown in for good measure.

Just purchased by AOL a few years ago, this is my all time favorite. Not because I really root for the underdog, but the folks at Netscape really go out of there way to make things easy for you. Built in email (goodbye, outlook!), smart downloading (so you don't have to start over on that huge file that just dropped), search right from your browser courtesy of the Open Source directory, and the ability to customize this browser really makes the internet a fun place to be. Since purchased from AOL, it tends to be a little more littered with ads these days, but hey, you have to make the money up somewhere, especially since browers are given away (ok, call it forced on you) with other "bundled software."

The Opera browser bills itself as "the fastest browser on earth" and it certainly lives up to its name. Ad supported (unless you purchase it for $39) this open source tribute to the browser really does deliver all the features you'd expect from a browser, but much lighter, smaller, and faster.. Customizable with skins, availble email and support for most operating systems, this browser is up and coming with a recently released PDA version. Other cool features include multipage search, and the ability to zoom in on a particular web page.

The NeoPlanet Browser is the latest breed in browsers, which is actually more of an overlay of a browser engine. The NeoPlanet browser takes customiztion of your browers look and appearance to the next level by not only changing the colors, but giving you new buttons, sounds, and images with each skin. Definately worth the look if you're tired of the classic windows appearance of Internet Explorer.

Lynx Browser

I hope you weren't expecting a fancy logo for this one. Lynx is one of the very few (and more popular) text-only browsers still available. Open-source (think free) and in color, this browser is definately for the I-don't-care-about-pictures crowd, as well as those of you who want to breeze quickly through the internet. Oddly enough, its only compatible with 32-bit windows applications (Windows 95, 98, NT), not Windows 3.1.

In this day and age, we're confronted with many choices. It's just too bad we don't recognize and take advantage of them. Do yourself a favor...download one of these browsers, check it out, and tell us what you think in the forums. You might just realize you don't have to settle when it comes to how you view the world.