A web browser is the quintessential desktop application. Everyone needs one, and there is not a desktop Linux distribution around that does not make a web browser available. This type of software application is responsible for retrieving and presenting information held on the World Wide Web, a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the internet. Web browsers allow users to view web pages which often contain a mixture of text, images, videos, and other multimedia.
There are many different web browsers available for Linux, the most popular of which is Firefox. However, the market dominance of Firefox does not mean that this is necessarily the best web browser for every situation.
Everyone has their own needs, some preferring heavyweight browsers packed with a large number of features and add-ons, other users still wanting an attractive graphical browser but with a smaller footprint. Many graphical browsers consume large amounts of memory. Some users find this not acceptable, especially if they are using a machine with low specifications. Consequently, this article also caters for text browsers. This type of browser is invaluable on systems without a graphical environment. Moreover, parts of the world are still reliant on low bandwidth internet connections, and text browsers can be a sensible way of making the most effective use of a limited data pipe.
Whilst we recognise that Opera is closed source proprietary software (free to download), it is nevertheless worthy of a special mention in this article.
To provide an insight into the quality of software that is available, we have compiled a list of 10 excellent web browsers. There's a mix of graphical and console based applications included. Hopefully, there will be something of interest for all types of users.
Now, let's explore the 10 web browsers at hand. For each title we have compiled its own portal page, providing a screenshot of the software in action, a full description with an in-depth analysis of its features, together with links to relevant resources and reviews.
Fully Featured Graphical Browsers
Firefox
Highly popular browser delivering safe, easy web browsing
Chromium
Open-source project behind Google Chrome
Opera
Popular graphical web browser and Internet suite
Konqueror
KDE 4's advanced file manager, web browser and document viewer
Epiphany
Simple yet powerful GNOME web browser targeted at non-technical users
Lightweight Graphical Browsers
Dillo
Small, stable, developer-friendly, usable, very fast, and extensible
Arora
Simple webkit based web browser using Qt toolkit
Text mode Browsers
ELinks
Feature-rich program for browsing the web in text mode
Lynx
Very fast and easy to use
Speciality Browser
Flock
Built on Firefox, specializing in social networking and Web 2.0 facilities
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