19-year-old Blake Ross helped to create Firefox at age 17.
Mozilla was already trying to develop an open-source alternative browser to Microsoft�s Explorer, which many analysts felt had grown clumsy and outdated. Mr Ross and his friend David Hyatt began working on a small, user-focused browser. What began as an experimental side-project turned into Firefox.
Firefox
# Open source, non-profit software allows programmers to add applications and utilities � hundreds available free
# Can block pop-up adverts
# PC, Mac and Linux versions
# Tabbed viewing to switch easily between sites in same window
# Very fast rendering
Safari
# Apple�s browser for Macs, blocks pop-ups and allows tabbed viewing
# Many free add-ons available, such as customisable skins
Opera
# Tabbed browsing and pop-up blocking
# Customisable skins
# Mac, PC and Linux versions available
Internet Explorer
# Used by 90 per cent of internet users
# Riddled with security holes. Most web viruses exploit weaknesses in IE
# PC and Mac versions