As is obvious from a usability standpoint, I prefer Netscape because I like to know what is going on when data is being downloaded to my computer. I also like the innovations that Netscape is carrying out with the interface of Navigator. Internet Explorer has made improvements (most notably, full screen viewing) but due to inconsistencies and the continued refinement of Netscape, I give the nod to Netscape in this round.
I am currently observing the differences between the browsers in reference to web page presentation and so far the emphasis of webpage development has moved on to Dynamic HTML and I see that as an open ball game at this point. Netscape and Microsoft have fought ActiveX versus Java etc.. into the ground as an issue and through the advent of signed certificates in relation to Java, the average user will be hard pressed to know what technology is being used on a page. Netscape continues to improve the user interface while proving it has the gusto by releasing Java Certificates, Dynamic HTML, stylesheets, fonts and image layering.
I learned through a source at Net Magazine that Internet Explorer does an excellent job in allowing you to run and setup programs through the browser locally without having to offload the files from a CDROM to the hard-drive, this is a neat feature although it is a feature that is not currently needed in the web world. This innovation does not affect the web style viewing of the CDROM but it adds an enhancement in which you do not have to shell out to the operating system in order to run a program.
I.E. 4.0 includes a wonderful package of enhancements to the Windows Desktop and Explorer interface. These enhancements are a must have for the power user but it is my opinion that they have absolutely nothing to do with the usability of the Browser in reference to the web. The I.E. browser itself has not changed much and it is as though Microsoft wants everyone to belief that somehow the desktop enhancements and the browser are one and the same (they are not). I would recommend downloading both Browsers and installing them. I use the I.E. 4 desktop enhancements and use Netscape Navigator for browsing HTML pages on the web and My Computer (I.E. does not know what to do with shortcut links and tries to open the .lnk file, Netscape allows you to use the link to go to another location) with the noted exeption of dragging graphics to a graphics program or copying them directly to the clipboard (Netscape does not do this).
I do not own stock in Netscape at all, but at this point in time I prefer Netscape in the same way that I used to prefer the GNN web browser before it fell by the wayside and I had to switch to what was then my second choice in Navigator. This is why I am watching the developments in web standards and usability so that I do not continue to blindly use one or the other browser out of habit and simply watch the rest of the web leave me behind. At this point in time I stand by my belief that Netscape is the "Real Browser" for real surfers.
