Web Browsers

• Mosaic. Available for X-Windows (AIX-based workstations) MS-Windows (MS-DOS-based PCs), and Macintosh computers. This comes from the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA), the same people who wrote Telnet.
• Netscape. Also available for X-Windows, MS-Windows, and Macintosh. Appears to be the most stable and full-featured of the graphical browsers. Supports features not found in Mosaic (some of these are not standard HTML). This comes from Mosaic Corporation.
• Lynx. A text-mode browser (no graphics) available for the AIX-based systems, including the Network Server. Probably the best browser for a text-only interface.
• WWW. Another text-mode browser; much more primitive than Lynx. An excellent example of an absolutely minimal interface.
• Others. There are several other browsers, including: Cello (for MS-Windows), WinWeb (for MS-Windows), and MacWeb (for Macintosh computers). All of these are graphical and support a variety of features.

• Not every browser supports all possible features. For example, the "blinking" attribute for text is only supported by Netscape. The text will show up in other browsers, but it will not blink. Do not design your home pages to depend on features not everyone will be able to see.
• When browsers do support features, they do not necessarily support them in exactly the same way. For instance, HTML allows for several levels of headings. Usually, the lower-numbered heading levels cause text to be displayed in a larger font; obviously, however, a text-mode browser cannot do this. As another example, the "emphasis" attribute may be shown by one browser as boldfaced text, while another may use underlining instead.
• Do not count on a particular font. Which font gets used to display text is under control of the browser, and can usually be set by the user, as a "preferences" item. This can affect things like line height and interword spacing, and can completely change the layout of your text.
• Remember that users of graphical browsers have differently-sized screens. A user on a workstation may have a screen that is 1024-by-1024 pixels, while a PC or Macintosh user may be limited to a screen that is 640-by-480. This means that a graphic that nicely fills the width of a "page" on a workstation may be too wide to see all at once on the PC. Do not make your inline images too big.
• Also remember that users of graphical browsers can usually change the size of the window they use for viewing. Since text is formatted to the size of the current window, this can change the layout.
• Keep in mind that not all users have the ability to display graphics. When you have inline images, make sure they also have a textual alternate whenever possible.

You might also want to look at some of the various comparisons that have been done, such as Browser Caps, to make sure you know which browsers support the features you plan to use.