• On MovieTome: TRANSFORMERS 2 SPOILERS!
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Browsers

If you're looking for browsers or browser extensions, CNET Download.com has you covered. We feature all the latest versions of Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera, and more, as well as Firefox extensions, Internet Explorer add-ons, even RSS readers. If you want to surf the Web, CNET Download.com is the place to start. See all 3,814 products in this category.

for the week of: November 30Downloads
  1. 1.
    Adobe Reader

    Other Browser Add-ons & Plugins118,158

  2. 2.
    Flash Player

    Other Browser Add-ons & Plugins76,045

  3. 3.
    Avant Browser

    Web Browsers58,956

  4. 4.
    Internet Explorer

    Web Browsers25,424

  5. Share photos and videos directly to the desktop.
  6. 5.
    Mozilla Firefox

    Web Browsers21,921

  7. 6.
    Opera

    Web Browsers12,721

  8. 7.
    Internet Explorer 8

    Web Browsers11,001

  9. See, hear, and chat live in video rooms.
    Start backing up your files in less than 60 seconds.
  10. 8.
    IE7Pro

    Internet Explorer Add-ons & Plugins10,930

  11. 9.
    Google Chrome

    Web Browsers10,878

  12. 10.
    ieSpell

    Internet Explorer Add-ons & Plugins8,359

See all most popular software

  1. Recover files lost to crashes, deletions, disk formatting.
    Detect and remove adware and spyware from your computer.
Release date
  1. Website Extractor Dec 05

    Web Browsers

  2. Opera Dec 04

    Web Browsers

  3. The Kraken Dec 04

    Firefox Add-ons & Plugins

  4. IE Tab Dec 04

    Web Browsers

  5. Cool Screen Capture Dec 04

    Internet Explorer Add-ons & Plugins

  6. StumbleUpon for Internet Explorer Dec 03

    Internet Explorer Add-ons & Plugins

  7. StumbleUpon Dec 03

    Firefox Add-ons & Plugins

  8. BMExtreme Dec 03

    Web Browsers

  9. Google Chrome Dec 02

    Web Browsers

  10. CharTTool Dec 02

    Web Browsers

See all new releases

  1. 1.
    Adobe Reader

    Read Adobe PDF files on your desktop or on the Web.

  2. 2.
    Mozilla Firefox

    Surf the Web, block pop-ups, and keep spyware at bay with this lean and fast open-source browser.

  3. 3.
    Opera

    Browse with a multiple-document interface, mouse gestures, keyboard shortcuts, zooming functions, and integrated search.

  4. 4.
    Maxthon (Classic)

    Surf the Net with pop-up filtering, tabbed navigation, and automatic page-scrolling.

  5. 5.
    SlimBrowser

    Browse multiple Web sites in one window with a pop-up killer, an ad blocker, and a quick-search feature.

  6. 6.
    IE7Pro

    Customize, secure, and add features and extras to your Internet Explorer.

  7. 7.
    McAfee SiteAdvisor for Firefox

    See safety ratings for the sites and search results to protect yourself against online scam.

  8. 8.
    FoxyTunes

    Control almost any MP3 player from Mozilla Firefox, Thunderbird, or the Mozilla suite.

  9. 9.
    Tab Mix Plus

    Duplicate and control Firefox tabs in ways you never thought possible.

  10. 10.
    PDF Download

    Open, download, or view Adobe Acrobat files as PDF or HTML files.

See all editor's picks

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from the download blog

Opera 10 alpha: Compliant and faster--but not fastest

Posted by Seth Rosenblatt on Dec 04, 2008
Opera 10 is both Acid3 compliant and faster than previous versions of Opera. Get a hands-on look at the future of the Norwegian Web browser.
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an introduction to Browsers

Browsers, often called Web browsers, are software clients that allow users to navigate to sites on the World Wide Web. The majority of these Web sites use the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), but many browsers can also interpret other protocols, including FTP, RSS, and P2P protocols such as BitTorrent. Hypertext pioneer Tim Berners-Lee created the first ever Web browser, WorldWideWeb, in 1990, but the software didn't become popular until the release of NCSA Mosaic, the first graphical client.

Browsers truly hit the mainstream with the launch of Netscape Navigator, which was later shortened to simply Netscape, though the free client's popularity was radically affected by the 1995 release of Internet Explorer, Microsoft's entry into the browser market. In the years since, IE has completely dominated the market, only recently losing ground to alternative browsers such as Mozilla Firefox and Opera.

Aside from general Web browsers, various subsets of the category offer special services. Offline browsers cache content from the Internet for future reference when you're not connected to a network. Newsreaders manage content from Usenet newsgroups and syndicated feeds.

In recent years, the open-source browser Mozilla Firefox has earned praise for the ability of third-party developers to easily create extensions that add functionality. Among the thousands of home-brewed add-ons for Firefox, we've narrowed down our favorites in a collection of the best. The Microsoft browser also allows for IE add-ons, but its closed framework makes it a bit more difficult for developers.