Oh, for a Bug-Free Browser

If the Web browser isn't already the most important application on your computer, there's a good chance it soon will be. The role of the Web as shopping mall and library is expanding rapidly. Eventually, such basic computer tasks as word processing and number-crunching may become Web-based. Which brings me to a simple question: If browsers are so important, why don't they work better?

Today's browsers are powerful and huge. Downloads of Netscape Communicator 4.7 and Internet Explorer 5.0 run between 15 and 20 megabytes. They include video players, MP3 music players, Internet radios, instant-messaging tools, and lots of bells and whistles. What they don't provide is stable and secure Web browsing.

NO REPLY. I have used every browser produced by Netscape, from version 0.95 through the current Communicator 4.7, on Windows computers and Macintoshes, and every one of them has been buggy. The most serious--and frequent--problem is the notorious ''This program has performed an illegal operation and will be terminated'' (or its Mac equivalent).

Where Netscape is crash-prone, Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Explorer 5.0 (which is also used by America Online Inc. (AOL)) has gotten downright scary. On five occasions since late August, Microsoft (MSFT) has issued warnings on its security Web site (www.microsoft. com/security). The postings recommended that you turn off key features of IE 5.0 (and in some cases 4.0) to close holes that could allow a malicious Web site operator to gain unauthorized access to your computer. In each case, Microsoft released patches that fixed the problem, but between Aug. 25 and Oct. 18, there have only been eight days when no warning was in effect. And as of Oct. 18, Microsoft had not yet responded to a week-old report by Princeton University computer scientist Edward W. Felten of a new security problem in IE.

It's difficult to say just how much of a threat these security holes pose to either consumers or people on corporate networks. Joe Peterson, Microsoft general manager of IE development, points out that so far, all of the holes have been detected before bad guys could exploit them. The problem, he says, ''tends to sound a lot worse than it is.'' And, Peterson warns, turning off browser features to prevent potential problems could cripple usability. ''You have to make choices between the things you want to do and security,'' he says.

One thing that's certain is that there will be no quick fixes for either browser's problems. Last year, Netscape made its browser program code public and turned development over to a cooperative called Mozilla.org, an approach that has worked well for the fast-growing Linux operating system. The result, promises Chris Saito, senior director of client marketing for the AOL subsidiary, will be a browser that is smaller, faster, and less likely to crash. ''We're hoping to have a much more stable release,'' he says. But it won't be ready until some time next year.

Peterson promises that IE ultimately will be redesigned for improved security. But Microsoft won't even talk about a timetable.

In the meantime, what's a poor computer user to do? I find that Netscape is far more crash-prone than IE, though e-mail from readers suggests this experience is far from universal. At any rate, the crashes and other oddities in Netscape look like something you will have to live with.

IE is more problematical. So far there's no evidence that anyone has been harmed by the succession of security flaws, but with problems popping up like mushrooms after a rain, it's hard to tell how long our luck will last.

Security-minded folks who are also technically adept should subscribe to Microsoft's e-mail Security Notification Service (www. microsoft.com/security/services/bulletin.asp) to get the earliest notification of problems with any Microsoft product. If you use Windows 98, run Windows Update regularly and download and install any critical updates. If you run Windows 95 or NT, manually check windowsupdate.microsoft.com regularly for security fixes.

There's no good reason why people who just want to surf the Web should have to worry about regular crashes or security holes that create a back door to private information. But the reality is that they do, and the situation is not likely to get better anytime soon.

Questions? Comments? E-mail tech&you@businessweek.com or fax (202) 383-2125

By STEPHEN H. WILDSTROM

Presto! Shared Printing

Windows computers on a network can be set up so that a printer attached to one computer can be used by others. But this is not always the easiest or the best way to share. For one thing, printing to a computer on a co-worker's desk can be thoroughly inconvenient for everyone. Printers designed to attach directly to an Ethernet network are better, but they tend to be expensive.

Intel Corp. (INTC), which has been expanding its line of small-business networking products, offers a practical alternative with its $170 InBusiness Print Station. The Print Station, a plastic box roughly 6 inches square, plugs directly into the network. You can then attach one or two printers to the Print Station using standard PC printer cables. The software that allows each workstation to use the network printers installs quickly and easily. You may also have to install the software supplied by the printer manufacturer on each computer.

The Print Station will work with just about any standard printer. The only printers likely to cause problems are some of the cheapest ink jets, which need an attached computer to do most of the processing of text and graphics. To learn more, go to www.intel.com/network/smallbiz.

By Stephen H. Wildstrom

Help Desk

Q: Can you tell me about laptops and their batteries? Let's say you bought a laptop from a distributor here in the U.S. and you want to take it to Europe, where the voltage rating is double that of the 110v in the States. Can you recharge your laptop in Europe? Do you need a voltage converter, or do laptops adapt to both voltages--like my Norelco electric razor?

A: Every laptop that I have seen comes with a power supply that is designed to work on both the 110v, 60 hz AC power standard in the U.S. and the 220v, 50 hz power used in much of the rest of the world. Use of voltage converters is unnecessary and can actually damage the converter, your power supply, or both. All you need are the appropriate adapter plugs for the power outlets used in the countries you will visit. The generic ''European'' plug with two round pins is all you'll need in most Western European locations.

The same advice holds for a broad variety of electronic devices such as handheld computers, digital cameras, and anything else that charges using a transformer ''brick.'' That's because the devices charge their batteries using low-voltage direct current. They aren't very fussy about either the voltage or the frequency of the alternating current supplied.

By Stephen H. Wildstrom

Web Destinations

Millions of American families with high school seniors are facing one of the most traumatic rites of passage: choosing and applying to colleges. The Web can't reduce the angst involved, but it can definitely make the logistics a lot easier.

Many sites offer similar information: General data on schools, comparison tools, advice on picking the right college, and guides to financial aid. Many also let you complete an application online. One site, www.embark.com, goes further. Its parent company, Embark.com, supplies application management software to a number of universities. Applying to one of these ''partner schools'' from the Embark sites automatically ties the applicant into the school's back-office system. That makes it easier for the college to communicate with the applicant and for the student to check on the progress of the application. Embark currently offers electronic applications for about 50 undergraduate schools, with more signing up regularly.

Peterson's, the publisher of popular college guides, operates one of the most comprehensive application Web sites at www.collegequest.com. CollegeQuest features very good tools to help choose a college, plus online forums with experts to get personalized advice on the process. Unfortunately, as of mid-October, an attempt to fill out an application produced a page saying ''We are busy readying our college applications''--a real problem for students facing Nov. 1 early-admission deadlines.

Most students find the admissions essay the most grueling part of the application. www.myessay.com offers a unique service that promises to ease the pain. Students can submit a draft essay, and for $99.95 (or $299.95 for a bundle of four essays) myEssay's panel of experts, including former admissions officers, will review the essay ''the same way your top-choice school will.'' For those who find the price steep, or who have ethical qualms about a professional review of student essays, the Web site does offer free advices on how to write a successful essay.

Some old standbys continue to offer useful advice on admissions. It's too late for most students to get help on the SAT or ACT exams, but www.kaplan.com and The Princeton Review's www.review.com offer a lot of useful information beyond promotion of their cram courses. The College Board offers help on preparing for next spring's advanced placement exams at www.collegeboard.org/ap/. And for those who consider numerical ranking of colleges important, U.S. News & World Report offers the most popular set at www.usnews.com.

By Stephen H. Wildstrom