Many web surfers treat their web browsers as a means to an end; they all pull up the same web pages, so why put much thought into which you use? If you've been sticking with one browser or another out of habit, convenience, or just because you weren't aware of some of the options out there, here's a quick look at some of the big names in the browser wars and what makes their offerings stand out.

Internet Explorer has a sordid history, being at the center of the Microsoft antitrust case, and later exposing millions of computers to malware due to security holes. Despite any missteps, it holds the lion's share of the browser market, with over 70% of web hits coming from users running IE. The most recent full version, 7, adds tabbed browsing, security fixes, and an anti-phishing tool to help prevent you from falling for scam websites. For most people, IE is going to be their default browser, and the choice to move to another one of these browsers will be made based on the attractiveness of the options they offer which IE doesn't. The current version of IE is Windows-only, so Mac and Linux users should already be familiar with some of these other programs. 

The most popular alternative browser, Firefox, is accountable for about one-fifth of web traffic. The open-source program from the Mozilla Foundation claims to be more secure than IE, with a rapid turn-around time on developing bug fixes and getting them out to users. Firefox supports an extension system, letting you add new features to the browser with small downloads. This keeps the main program from getting overloaded with features, as you can only add the ones you're interested in. Some popular choices include modules that crawl RSS feeds, add IRC chat to the browser, and site-specific extensions, adding StumbleUpon or Twitter functionality right into the browser.

Safari is the de facto Mac browser, also used in the iPhone. Since last year it has been available for Windows as well, but hasn't made a big dent into the PC browser market. The browser is notable for its Javascript performance, which lets it handle sites with high levels of interactivity without bogging down your computer. Apple also includes some nice ease-of-use features, like being able to quickly recall search results so you can easily check out a bunch to find what's most useful. Some of its functions, like integration with dashboard widgets, are OS-specific, only available for Mac users, and limit some of the browser's appeal.

Newcomer Chrome from Google is a lightweight browser using the same rendering engine (the low-level code that draws the web page) as Safari. Chrome aims to be secure and fast, downloading a daily blacklist of dangerous websites and competing with Safari for rendering speed. Chrome lets you create desktop shortcuts that point to web-based applications like Google Docs, letting them appear like regular local apps when you run them. Like IE, Chrome is Windows-only at the moment, though the open-source project Chromium, on which Chrome is based, has Linux and Mac ports available.

The last big player, though it holds the smallest share of the top five browsers, is Opera. Opera just announced version 10 of its browser, supposedly boosting its speed by 30%. One of Operas notable features, also available on other browsers through additional plugins, is mouse gestures, the ability to navigate using the motion of your mouse, rather than working directly with on-screen elements. For instance, instead of moving your pointer up to the "back" button and clicking on it to go to the previous page, a mouse gesture of holding down a mouse button, sliding the mouse to the left, and releasing the button would perform the same task.

Though these all offer different features and tweaks, the deciding factor is going to be how they affect your personal browsing habits. A browser with a fancy bookmark organizer won't do you much good if you're not the kind of user who makes a lot of bookmarks in the first place. Luckily, you can try out all these options for free, and find the one that fits you best.