Microsoft forced to offer choice of browsers, our quick guide to IE alternatives

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Following an anti-trust ruling by the European Commission, Microsoft will be offering up to 200 million European PC users the option of choosing an alternative web browser.

Windows and Internet Explorer users who subscribe to automatic updates will be presented with a screen offering a choice of 12 browsers, including IE, with the top five displaying in a random order.

Here’s our quick guide to the top 10 browsers that you’ll be presented with.

Internet Browser	Pros	Cons
Internet Explorer (Microsoft)	Versions 7, 8, stable and security improved,auto complete on address bar	Still a major target for hackers and Malware. Version 6 has particularly poor security and stability with crashes that can affect the operating system.
FireFox (Mozilla)	Very fast, stable, very secure and well supported,good features and add-ons	Can get a little bloated with all the available add-ons which means start up a little slow.
Chrome (Google)	Fast and stable, good security	Relatively new, lack of ‘nerdy’ features / add-ons (which may well be a pro for some users!)
Opera (Opera)	Fast and secure, some useful features	Lacking widgets and add-ons
Safari (Apple)	Neat interface, secure up to a point.	Lacking in features, actually quite insecure but not currently targeted by hackers and virus writers
Flock	Social networking dedicated browser, friendly interface	Doesn’t support major web services
Maxthon	Easy to useSupports many plug-insCustomizable	Lacks competitors features like thumbnail previews, a smart toolbar, and anti-phishing technology
Avant Browser	User-customizable tabbed interfacePage zoom slider – 25% to 500%Multiple home pagesGood support	Lacks parental controls and ability to synchronize settings from other browsers
Deepnet Explorer	Pop-up BlockerAnti-phishingPeer-to-peer facility for file sharing	Not as intuitive as other browser