Mac

Windows

All new version – free

Having dropped the 'Communicator' part of its name, the Netscape suite reaches version 6 with a major overhaul. New features include: an email client that lets you check a wide range of accounts, from AOL to Netscape Webmail; handy privacy tools, such as the Cookie Manager and Password Manager; builder tools that almost fully support the standards for HTML 4.0, XML 1.0, CSS1, key parts of CSS2, ECMA-262, and the Level 1 DOM; a customisable interface that offers built-in support for multiple skins or themes. Netscape 6 now incorporates AOL Instant Messenger directly into the interface.

The browser's engine has been fundamentally rebuilt, so version 6 is smaller and you may find it running faster than its predecessors.

You are advised to backup any important files such as address books and email folders before updating to this new version.

Netscape Support statement: "...end-users are not entitled to any support, warranty, or documentation associated with the Product unless they have paid for such support, warranty or documentation." Visit the Netscape Web site for information on purchasing support.

30-day trial

This is an excellent tool for ripping whole Web sites for offline browsing. The interface gives you full control over the number of levels of the site you want to download. You can automate your downloads with an integrated scheduler, and a flexible, rule-based filtering system gives you full control over the download so you can specify complete sites with subfolders or single files with images. JavaScript, Flash and Java are all taken care of as well. Once you saved the site, a built-in server displays the saved site in your browser.

Web link: www.httpweazel.com

Free

Requires MS Internet Explorer 4.x or later.

The NeoPlanet browser offers intuitive channel design and a built-in Web directory that gives you easy point-and-click access to Web sites. It also utilises personalisation tools, allowing you to control your view of the online world. By relying on some MSIE components, the program has been kept small.

NeoPlanet includes a What's Related feature, mail filters, a toolbar button for retrieving and changing 'skins', a scrolling InfoBox news window that offers headline feeds, and a dial-up interface that includes an automatic-disconnect feature to drop your Internet session when you are finished browsing.

New features in this version include a download manager (which can resume interrupted downloads); Annotate, which gives you instant access to information relevant to the Web pages you visit; and the ability to turn your existing Favorites into an instant NeoPlanet Channel. There have also been several bug fixes.

Web link: www.neoplanet.com

Latest version – free

This latest version of Microsoft's mighty Web browser includes improved support for DHTML behaviours, as well as additional support for vertical text and existing standards such as Cascading Style Sheets (CSS 1). Also features additional support for the Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL). A print preview feature has been added, as well as improvements in printing performance and several Internet enhancements that will be included in the upcoming Windows Millennium Edition. This build introduces new language features in JScript and VBScript, and a frames re-architecture.

Web link: www.microsoft.com

New versions – Freeware

Opera
v3.62
(W3.x/NT3.51)

Freeware

Fly at speed around the Web with Opera 4. Opera's speed, flexibility and small program size make it a great 'alternative' choice of Web browser for all levels of users.

Opera 4 has many new features, such as name auto-completion, improved plug-in handling and JavaScript plus other enhancements. Opera has email and news clients, 128 bit encryption, TLS 1.0, SSL 2 and 3, CSS1, CSS2, XML, HTML 4.0, HTTP 1.1, ECMAScript and JavaScript 1.3. There is also experimental support for WML, which lets you surf WAP sites directly from your desktop. Latest updates include third party cookie scripting, e-mail client enhancements, additions to JavaScript, ECMAScript, plus keyboard shortcuts. This service release also includes many small optimisations and improvements while filling out existing features. The 'Java' version includes the Sun Java plug-in.

The evaluation period is 30 days. Opera is a fully functional installation and the software is not crippled in any way. After the evaluation period expires you will only be able to access the Opera company Web site.

Web link: www.opera.com

Mac OS

NOTE: The Mac programs are mostly in archived 'HQX' (BinHex) files – they can be extracted with several applications, including Stuffit Expander (which is on the CD...). Clicking on the links below should set the process in motion. You may receive a message that the file cannot be loaded into Simple Text — if so, start Stuffit and then open the HQX file you want from within Stuffit.

Latest trial version

URL Manager Pro allows you to organise and collect URLs in a hierarchical structure. Organising bookmarks between and within folders is easy with drag-and-drop. Drag HyperText links from your Web browser to the URL Manager window to add URLs to your collection. URL Manager supports Internet Config.

All new version – free

Having dropped the 'Communicator' part of its name, the Netscape suite reaches version 6 with a major overhaul. New features include: an email client that lets you check a wide range of accounts, from AOL to Netscape Webmail; handy privacy tools, such as the Cookie Manager and Password Manager; builder tools that almost fully support the standards for HTML 4.0, XML 1.0, CSS1, key parts of CSS2, ECMA-262, and the Level 1 DOM; a customisable interface that offers built-in support for multiple skins or themes. Netscape 6 now incorporates AOL Instant Messenger directly into the interface.

The browser's engine has been fundamentally rebuilt, so version 6 is smaller and you may find it running faster than its predecessors.

You are advised to backup any important files such as address books and email folders before updating to this new version.

Netscape Support statement: "...end-users are not entitled to any support, warranty, or documentation associated with the Product unless they have paid for such support, warranty or documentation." Visit the Netscape Web site for information on purchasing support.

Netscape version 6 is coming soon – it's a major transformation.

15-day trial

Web Devil quickly downloads Web pages with their associated images, textures and links. The program has an easy-to-use interface and is scriptable, recordable and multithreaded. It supports recursive downloads, remembers the last few Web pages downloaded, and can create the entire folder hierarchy of a site. It also offers support for multiple name filters.

This version fixes a problem where the 'Limit to Same Directory' option was not working in some cases.

Web link: www.chaoticsoftware.com/ChaoticSoftware

Another update to Microsoft's Web browser and Outlook Express. This final release version has a new look and includes various fixes making it more stable.