Web Browsers are Not Created Equal
Web browsers work by reading a set of instructions to reassemble the text, images, other content that make up a web page. There has been significant convergence in the languages, rules, standards, and conventions used to give and read those instructions, but each browser's rendering engine handles it differently. That together with the features, user interfaces, and appearance software makers attach to their particular browser gives rise to a surprising degree of variability in user experience.
This variance can translate to a pleasurable and productive web surfing experience or not; the degree of variability increases with age of the browser.
Fortunately, there is no cause for concern and no reason to suffer under less than ideal conditions. It is fast, easy, and free to get the best there is.
Alternatives to Internet Explorer
If I had to recommend only one browser for everyone it would be Firefox 3. It is the optimal combination of speed, page appearance, features, and compatibility. Firefox is my workhorse. (PC and Mac) Get Firefox
If a very slick and lean look, blazing fast page rendering, and outstanding bookmark management sounds appealing then Safari may be for you. Safari is my favorite for general surfing and to bookmark the sites I plan to visit again. But Safari gives up some compatibility on interactive sites I use. (PC and Mac) Get Safari
If innovative and highly functional features, a minimalist design, and good page appearance sound right then you may like Google's Chrome. (PC only, Mac version on the way) Get Chrome
If you are a Mac user and want an nice alternative to Safari, Camino is an excellent. From the makers of Firefox it is billed as "Mozilla Power, Mac Style." Get Camino
If you enjoy needless suffering and prefer reduced performance and sacrifices in appearance and features I recommend Internet Explorer.
Don't know which browser you have?
If you bought your PC and have not personally, or allowed someone, to download and install one of the browsers above, you are using Internet Explorer. If your computer is more than a few months old then you are likely using an old version of Internet Explorer. Double trouble. If you have Mac you can't use IE, unless you run windows on your Mac.
The differences in page appearance are subtle, speed differences are less subtle, differences in browser design and features are always on display.
Screen shots for side-by-side comparisons of Internet Explorer running on Windows Vista Ultimate and every browser mentioned above. I also included side by side shots of the PC and Mac versions of Firefox 3 and Safari and a few shots of the features I like about certain browsers.
To capture the screen shots, If you look at the far right and left edges of the shots titled "Firefox 3 on a Mac and Firefox 3 on a PC" or "Safari on a Mac and Safari on a PC" you will see the familiar Windows Task Bar on the right edge and Mac users will recognize the Dock on the left. I used a application called "Grab" which comes standard on Mac. Windows Vista has similar tool called "Snipping tool", which comes standard on many versions of that OS. The Windows version is actually a bit jazzier but seems not be able to take time screen capture which prevent clips of expandable menus.
All the screen shots were taken and video recorded simultaneously on a single computer. It is possible and rather easy to run a full installation of Windows on a Mac. Two programs, Parallels and VM Fusion, handle the job nicely, they cost $80 each. I used VM Fusion in the "unity" view, one of three available, and moved around the Dock and Task Bar, which most people keep at the bottom of the screen. The three desktops screens you will see are easily created with "Spaces" located in System Preferences on a Mac.