Dr.Orca is a basically avant browser(the IE shell) but its based on Gecko(Firefox) and not IE.

It looks just like the IE version and is every bit as fast. I don't really have time to give it a full run down right now but maybe some of you would like to give it a shot.
http://forum.avantbrowser.com/viewtopic.ph...fab00d4a94427a0

Oh its also based on 1.5 so you know it has all the featues of the current FF.

I've been giving it a try for a little while now and so far so good. LOTS of features, well laid out menus with easy to understand commands and info, and a really cool mini toolbar that appears when you move the cursor over an image. Pages load fast on my ancient PC and there are settings to block sounds, Flash, etc.

Only minor complaint is that I had to import my Firefox favorites into IE before Orca would list them. I didn't see a way to do it directly but that's certainly a minor issue.

I've tried IE, Maxthon, Opera, and many versions of Netscape. Orca is the only one that compares favorably with Firefox. After I use it for a while I'll post any other info good or bad.

Thanks for the tip, rridgely !

Link to Dr. Orca Forums including Help:

http://forum.avantbrowser.com/index.php?c=10

Strange name for a browser...

I would give it a try, but Mozilla Firefox is open-source, rather not switch something that is not open-source. The GPL gives me so many liberties, thats how I like my software.

Quick update:

I've been using Orca for a while now and it's easily one of the best browsers I have ever used.

It's VERY fast.

Lots of built in features that work very well.

Neat mouse and keyboard shortcuts.

Secure (no malware found since I've been using it).

In full screen mode it autohides all the toolbars so you can access them quickly and easily while staying in fullscreen mode.

Based on latest Firefox release. Incorporates many of Firefox's features such as about:config.

No crashes or freeze-ups.

Etc etc etc

GIVE IT A TRY! You will be pleasantly surprised.

is is better then firefox?

So far I can't decide.

It seems to load pages faster and I really like the browsing shortcuts. It plays video from web pages much better than any other browser I've tried but I have dial-up and an old computer so I'm not sure that's a valid comparison for most people. Firefox is easier to customize by adding extensions. According to the Orca forums you can do most anything a Firefox extension will do but you have to do it by using about:config and/or editing preferences, CSS etc.

Since Orca is still in beta (version 3) it will be interesting to see what changes or additions they make in the release version. There's a lot of info in the Avant browser forums in the Orca section and a forum to report bugs, suggest features, changes, and improvements.

IMHO Orca is much better by far than any other browser except Firefox.

Give it a try and see what you think...