The Mozilla project aims to implement a fully functioned, open source web browser. Recent releases have begun to approach that goal. Figure 10-10 shows the same web page as the preceding figure, rendered by Mozilla rather than Konqueror. A few details differ, mainly because the web page includes dynamic content.

Figure 10-10. Mozilla running under Linux

If you installed GNOME or KDE and the Mail/WWW/News package group during system installation, Mozilla will be installed on your system.

Like Netscape Communicator, Mozilla appears in the GNOME and KDE menus. To launch Mozilla manually, issue the following command from an X terminal:

               mozilla &

Netscape Navigator still rules the Linux world as it once ruled all platforms. However, Navigator doesn’t look quite as good under X as it does on a Windows or Macintosh system, mainly because of the font technology used by X. That said, Navigator certainly looks much better than Links. Linux also supports Netscape Communicator, Navigator’s big brother, which provides email and newsgroup access in addition to web browsing capabilities. No matter what you call it, Netscape’s browser is a killer Linux X application. Figure 10-11 shows a typical web page rendered by Communicator.

Figure 10-11. Netscape Communicator running under Linux

As you can see, the Linux version of Communicator is very similar to the Windows version. As such, you’ll find configuring and using Communicator to be quite straightforward. To configure Communicator, choose Edit → Preferences. Then, specify your identity and that of your mail and newsgroup servers, along with any other special preferences you desire.

Both GNOME and KDE include Communicator on their menus, making it easy to launch. If you prefer to launch Communicator manually, you can issue the following command from an X terminal:

               netscape-communicator &

Communicator is the simplest way to get email and news working under Linux, because its configuration dialog boxes closely resemble those of its Windows-based sibling: merely replicate your Windows-based Communicator settings under Linux and you’re done. However, Linux supports many other email clients that you may wish to explore, such as:

Links is a text-based browser, meaning that it can be run from a command-line prompt and does not display images or graphics. Figure 10-12 shows a web page as viewed using Links. Because of its limitations, Links is useful mainly for displaying simple web pages. Links is automatically installed if you select the Mail/WWW/News package group during installation.

Figure 10-12. The Links web browser

To use Links, specify the initial URL as a command-line argument, for example:

               links http://www.oreilly.com

Opera is an interesting web browser developed in Norway by Jon S. von Tetzchner and Geir Ivars⊘y and used by 1.5 million customers. Figure 10-13 shows a web page viewed using Opera. Opera Software ASA distributes Opera in two forms: a free version that displays banner ads and a version that cost $39 at the time of this writing. You can obtain Opera at http://www.opera.com.

Figure 10-13. The Opera web browser

Opera is available for several platforms, including Windows, Macintosh, and Linux. Opera’s support for Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and Extensible Markup Language (XML) are considered by many to surpass that of Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator. Because of Opera’s compactness and excellent XML support, its developers have entered into agreements to adapt Opera for use in cell phones and Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs). Partners in these endeavors include IBM, AMD, Ericsson, Psion, Qualcomm, Palm, and Screen Media.

Among Opera’s features are the following:

The Windows version of Opera supports additional features including instant messaging, integrated search, presentation graphics, WML (Wireless Markup Language), integrated support for Java, and email.

Opera can be downloaded as a deb, rpm, or tar.gz file. If you plan to install Opera under Red Hat Linux, you’ll find the rpm file the most convenient format. You can download Opera as a dynamically or statically linked binary. A dynamically linked binary depends on system libraries in much the same way many Windows programs depend on DLLs. Although the dynamically linked binary is smaller than the statically linked one and uses fewer system resources, you may prefer the statically linked binary because it requires no particular system libraries or library versions. Therefore, installation of the statically linked binary is less likely to fail. Once you’ve installed Opera, you’ll find it on the GNOME or KDE menu; however, if you prefer, you can launch Opera by issuing the command:

               /usr/bin/opera