To FootI write from experience only with Windows PCs. The situation with other systems should be generally similar.
Different browsers have different features, and there is no need to use only one browser. Microsoft Internet Explorer is supplied with Windows (since Windows 95). Firefox, Opera, Safari and Chrome are free (at least for private use) and can be downloaded and updated from their respective Web sites (links below), quite independently of the offer of alternatives now required by Europe. I have all five.
When a link is selected in a browser, the result will be displayed in that browser. Otherwise, Windows uses a window of the default browser (but often using Microsoft Internet Explorer for Microsoft updates).
When a new browser is installed, its icons appear on the desktop, etc. A well-mannered browser does not change the default browser (or mail, or address book) setting without permission. Each browser has a readily-found control for setting itself as the default.
So, one can have several different browsers available, running them either in turn or simultaneously as suits the work in hand.
There is no need, expecially on higher-resolution displays, to use a browser full-screen. It is generally better to use what appears to be the size that the site being read was designed for (only the very best sites are equally good at all sizes and settings). Note that modern browsers include a Zoom facility (by menu, Control-mousewheel, etc.), sometimes with a Text Only option - the designers of many Web sites have failed to allow for this.
Well-written sites work equally well in all normal browsers. Others vary.
Each browser on each computer has its own independent bookmarks system. When using multiple browsers, one can use a local Web-type Home Page, such as bookmarks.html in an appropriate personal directory, to hold manually-entered bookmarks for all browsers. For those who know no HTML, the following scheme should suffice; others may do better.
A file of lines of the following form : <br><a href="aaaaa">bbbbb</a> ccccc where aaaaa is copied from the address bar, bbbbb is the link subject (e.g. page title), and ccccc is comment. <br><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/">Wikipedia</a> - Reference <br><a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/">The Times</a> - News which will show as Wikipedia - Reference The Times - News
Such a page can be copied to any computer, and even published on the Web.
This ignores Beta versions and similar. The links are to descriptive material, which links to the download.
See BBC (2010-03-03).
Some Translators :-
History :-
Some search engines :-
The Netscape Bookmarks are an HTML file; IMHO it should be possible to select a Netscape Bookmark File as an MSIE Favorite, which will be a way of using them as quasi-Favorites.
Some pestilential authors globally override your default text and background with undesirable choices of font, colour or pattern. Look for browser options, e.g. MSIE 4 View, Internet Options, General, Fonts or Accessibility.
In at least most browsers, for pages which do not prevent it, Ctrl-Mousewheel zooms the whole page or changes the font size.
Question : Is it possible to make text on a web page view or print in a different colour scheme to that selected by an author inconsiderate of its effect on one's system? For example, a page with a dark blue background and white text can come out white on white paper when printed.
Answer 1 : Look again into the options available via the various menus of your browser.
Answer 2 : Save the page as a file. Later, edit the colour settings (which should be easy), view the local file, and print. However, one then loses any images defined by relative links.
Answer 3 : One can seek the relevant cache file (obvious when one gets there). One can then edit a copy of the cache file. If one views as local the edited cached file, the images are indeed broken, but if one views the original URL, offline, one may get the edited page with images mended.
I assume that it will print with images; print preview looks OK. Tested, but only once.
Answer 4 : Look yet again into the options available via the various menus of your browser.
How about a program to remove all vexatious settings from a cached file - non-relative font changes, colours, etc.? :-}
Note :- There are more settings in browsers to affect the appearance of printing than are always recalled.