I have been a fan of the free, open source browser Firefox for several years. The thing I like most about it is its option to delete all cookies when I close it. But, as with all things human and even more so, with all things modern tech, computer and internet, things change. I saw several articles by that sharp reporter for the Wall Street Journal on how cookies are changing to similar things that are harder to detect. So, a single pixel in this file might be some sort of code that tracks your activities and tells me that I can possibly sell you shoes or books or insurance. Since cookies and the marketing of possible customers is changing, maybe the setting on Firefox that I like isn't as important anymore.
Google's browser "Chrome" also seems to be a good one. The Microsoft browser "Internet Explorer", the well-known blue 'e', comes as part of the Windows operating system and is or was an important part of keeping the system updated and secure.
I was quite surprised when several items in this morning's Google news reported an independent test of browsers which resulted in showing that Internet Explorer was far better at detecting and warning the user of "socially engineered" threats. That term seems to mean attempts at wording a page or other communication in such a way as to tempt the user to click here when doing so is not in the user's best interest. Each time we "visit" a web site, we are actually permitting a file to enter the browser on our machine and show the layout, wording, pictures, sounds, etc. that are built into the coding for that "page". So, characteristics of the browser are quite important in getting us around the internet safely and without irritating or costly complications. The current version is IE8 but the beta form of IE9 was even better, much better than the main competitors.
IE 9 is only in beta form but it detected 99% of the test threats while IE 8 detected 90%. Compare that to 19% for Firefox, 6% for Chrome and even worse for some other major browsers.
Of course, these things don't come out of the sky and Microsoft, Google and Apple are engaged in a mighty struggle for the internet accessed through computers and cellphones. I haven't looked into the test results or the characteristics I think I most want in a browser but I may give the IE9 a try.
