A browser is a program to surf the web and run Java Applets. Most of them
are quite poor at printing accurate renderings of the screen. One way around
this is to use Faststone capture, and print that.
Best Browsers
| Please select one of these modern browsers to download and install free. |
| Click the corresponding browser icon to download the latest free browser software, or click the browser name for more information. |
 | Opera | 10.01 | with the Java 1.6.0_17 JRE (Java Runtime Environment).
Fast and light. Accurate CSS. |
 | Avant | 11.7:41 | with the Java 1.6.0_17 JRE (Java Runtime Environment).
It is a fast browser, especially at starting up. Has problems with JavaScript. Excellent and rendering and printing tables. It uses the IE rendering engine. |
 | Firefox | 3.5.4 | with the Java 1.6.0_17 JRE (Java Runtime Environment).
Most widely supported next to IE. Many add-ins. Somewhat sluggish. |
 | Sea Monkey | 2.0 | with the Java 1.6.0_17 JRE (Java Runtime Environment).
Similar to Firefox, with integrated Email. |
 | Safari | 4.0.3 | with the Java 1.6.0_17 JRE (Java Runtime Environment).
Now works both on Macs and PCs. Some rendering problems. |
 | Flock | 2.5.5 | with the Java 1.6.0_17 JRE (Java Runtime Environment).
Similar to Firefox for social networking. |
 | Google Chrome | 3.0.195.27 | with the Java 1.6.0_17 JRE (Java Runtime Environment).
Frequently updated. |
 | IE8 | 8.0.6001.18813 | with the Java 1.6.0_17 JRE (Java Runtime Environment).
Out of spite, blocks Java unless you OK. It has many bugs and crashes frequently. Renders column classes correctly. |
 | IE7 | 7.0.6000 | with the Java 1.6.0_17 JRE (Java Runtime Environment).
It is pain to get Java Web Start working. |
 | IE6 | 6.0.2800 | with the Java 1.6.0_17 JRE (Java Runtime Environment).
Not secure. |
 | Sun’s Java | 1.6.0_17 | JRE (Java Runtime Environment) |
Terminology
| Browser Terminology |
| Internet Explorer |
Firefox |
Opera |
| Internet Options |
Options |
Preferences |
| Temporary Internet Files |
Cache |
Cache |
| Favorites |
Bookmarks |
Bookmarks |
| Address Bar |
Location Bar |
Address Bar |
| Refresh |
Reload |
Reload |
| Links Bar |
Bookmarks Toolbar |
Bookmarks Panel |
| Copy Shortcut |
Copy Link Location |
Copy Link Address |
| Save Target As |
Save Link As |
Save Target As |
| RSS (not supported) |
Live Bookmark |
Feed |
Performance
There are three things you can do to make your browser run faster:
- Buy more RAM.
- Tweak/tune/configure/adjust your TCP/IP connection. This will speed up all your
internet connections and downloads, not just the ones you do with your browser,
perhaps by as much as 100 times. Try any or all
of these tuning tools to see which works best for you: TCP
Optimizer, TweakMaster or TweakDUN.
- If you use Firefox or IE,
consider installing the Google Accelerator.
Detecting Which Browser
How can you find out which browser is running your Applet? This code came from
Dennis Brake dbrake@mitre.org.
Browser Bugs
All the browsers have bugs. I don’t pretend to provide a definitive list
here. However these are the bugs in each browser that I find most annoying.
Opera: ignores <col format settings for table
columns. Ignores CSS max-width property. Does not
support CSS overflow to permit scrolling tables. Can’t
access a printer to print a selection in Vista.
Netscape: Does not display borders on Applets.
Firefox: Does not display borders on Applets. Ignores <col
class and alignment settings for table columns.
Mozilla: Does not display borders on Applets.
Sea Monkey: draws boxes needlessly around links that consist of an image plus
text.
Internet Explorer: does not render *.png image files
with transparent backgrounds properly. In the latest update of IE, it won’t
render Applets unless you click on them. This makes Applets like CurrCon
which displays all the prices on a page in your local currency useless. This is
just another part of Microsoft’s dirty war against Java.
Report bugs to the vendors in their support forums. The squeaky wheel gets the
grease.
Setting Default Font
You can set choose fonts style and colours to use for default when a web page
does not specify them. You might do this to increase the size to make the text
more visible, or to support Esperanto accented characters.
- In the Opera Browser, Click Tools ⇒ Preferences ⇒
Advanced ⇒ Web pages and select your basic default fonts, sizes and
colours. Click Tools ⇒ Preferences ⇒ Advanced ⇒
Fonts. Pick your default fonts for the various purposes. Also you can set
up fonts to use for various international Languages. Use Latin-Extended-A for
Esperanto.
- In Firefox, click Tools ⇒ Options ⇒ Content ⇒
Fonts & colours ⇒ Advanced. Set up Turkish and Unicode for
Esperanto.
- In Netscape, click Tools ⇒ Options ⇒
General ⇒ Fonts & Colours. Set up your fonts for the various
character encodings. Western, Unicode, User-Defined, Turkish, Baltic and central
European may all need to be modified. Unfortunately they don’t tell you
the official encoding name, just the country. If at first you don’t
succeed, try some different fonts. I did get it to work eventually. Set up
Unicode and Turkish for Esperanto.
- In Mozilla, Click edit ⇒ preferences ⇒
appearance ⇒ fonts. Set up Turkish and Unicode for Esperanto.
- In Sea Monkey, click Edit ⇒ Preferences ⇒
Appearance ⇒ Fonts.
- In Internet Explorer Click Tools ⇒ Internet
Options ⇒ General ⇒ Fonts. Select your fonts for the various
character encodings. If at first you don’t succeed, try some different
fonts. I did get it to work eventually.
Engaging the Java Console in Your Browser
If you are in a browser you have to enable to console before you can see it.
Opera
Engaging the Console
Last revised/verified: 2006-02-07
In Opera you can enable the console with:
- Click “Tools”.
- Click “Advanced”.
- Click “Java Console”.
You also have to enable the console on the Java Control Panel.
- Click “task bar Start”.
- Click “Settings”.
- Click “Control Panel”.
- On Vista, click “Programsl”.
- Double click “Java”.
- Click “Advanced”.
- Click “+ Java console”.
- Click “Show Console”.
- Click “OK”.
- Click “File”.
- Click “Close”.
Finally, to make the console visible:
- Click “Tools”.
- Click “Advannced”.
- Click “Java console”.
Netscape
Engaging the Console
Last revised/verified: 2008-01-07
In Netscape, you enable the console with:
- Click
- Click “Advanced”.
- Click “Enable Java”.
- Click “Done”.
You also have to enable the console on
the Java Control Panel.
- Click “task bar Start”.
- Click “Settings”.
- Click “Control Panel”.
- On Vista, click “Programsl”.
- Double click “Java”.
- Click “Advanced”.
- Click “+ Java console”.
- Click “Show Console”.
- Click “OK”.
- Click “File”.
- Click “Close”.
firefox
Engaging the Console
Last revised/verified: 2006-02-07
In Firefox, you enable the console with:
- Click “Tools”.
- Click “Options”.
- Click “Content”.
- click “Enable Java”.
- click “OK”.
You also have to enable the console on the Java Control Panel.
- Click “task bar Start”.
- Click “Settings”.
- Click “Control Panel”.
- On Vista, click “Programsl”.
- Double click “Java”.
- Click “Advanced”.
- Click “+ Java console”.
- Click “Show Console”.
- Click “OK”.
- Click “File”.
- Click “Close”.
Mozilla
Engaging the Console
Last revised/verified: 2006-02-07
In Mozilla, you enable the console with:
- Click “Edit”.
- Click “Preferences”.
- Click “Advanced”.
- Click “Enable Java”.
- Click “OK”.
You also have to enable the console on
the Java Control Panel.
- Click “task bar Start”.
- Click “Settings”.
- Click “Control Panel”.
- On Vista, click “Programsl”.
- Double click “Java”.
- Click “Advanced”.
- Click “+ Java console”.
- Click “Show Console”.
- Click “OK”.
- Click “File”.
- Click “Close”.
Finally, to make the console visible:
- Click “Tools”.
- Click “Web Development”.
- Click “Java console”.
Sea
Monkey Engaging the Console
Last revised/verified: 2006-03-19
In Sea Monkey, you enable the console with:
- Click “Edit”.
- Click “Preferences”.
- Click “Advanced”.
- Click “Enable Java”.
- Click “OK”.
You also have to enable the console on the Java Control Panel.
- Click “task bar Start”.
- Click “Settings”.
- Click “Control Panel”.
- On Vista, click “Programsl”.
- Double click “Java”.
- Click “Advanced”.
- Click “+ Java console”.
- Click “Show Console”.
- Click “OK”.
- Click “File”.
- Click “Close”.
Finally, to make the console visible:
- Click “Tools”.
- Click “Web Development”.
- Click “Java console”.
Last revised/verified: 2006-02-07
In Internet Explorer, you enable the console with:
- Click “Tools”.
- Click “Internet Options”.
- Click “Advanced”.
- Click “Java Sun”.
- Select Use Java (pick latest). Do not use the MS JVM.
In Windows, you also have to enable the
console on the Java Control Panel.
- Click “task bar Start”.
- Click “Settings”.
- Click “Control Panel”.
- On Vista, click “Programsl”.
- Double click “Java”.
- Click “Advanced”.
- Click “+ Java console”.
- Click “Show Console”.
- Click “OK”.
- Click “File”.
- Click “Close”.
- Restart your browser.
In Mac OS Leopard, you also have to
enable the console on the Java Preferences Application.
- Applications
- Utilities
- Java Preferences Application.
- Click “Advanced”.
- Click “Show Console”.
- Restart your browser.
Finally, to make the console visible:
- Click “Tools”.
- Click “Sun Java console”.
Java.exe
Engaging the Console
Last revised/verified: 2006-02-07
In java.exe the console is enabled by default; you turn
it off by using javaw.exe instead. You also have to
enable the console on the Java Control Panel.
- Click “task bar Start”.
- Click “Settings”.
- Click “Control Panel”.
- On Vista, click “Programsl”.
- Double click “Java”.
- Click “Advanced”.
- Click “+ Java console”.
- Click “Show Console”.
javaws.exe Engaging the Console
Last revised/verified: 2006-02-07
In jawaws.exe (Java Web Start), you must:
- start javaws.exe
- Click “edit”.
- Click “preferences”.
- Click “advanced”.
- Click “+ Java console”.
- Click “Show Console”.
- Click “OK”.
DOM
It is possible for Java Applets to get out and peek at the web page document
surrounding them in Java 1.4+. Another
technique is to have JavaScript dynamically generate <applet
<param tags. You can also have Java call JavaScript
functions to let you get data from froms in insert data in forms.
Learning More
Sun’s JDK Technote Guide on
Accessing the browser’s Document Object Model : available: