Avant Browser is one of a class of software called browser shells. They put their own face on Internet Explorer and add lots of functionality. This class of product has been around for a long time, but, like Rodney Dangerfield, they ‘Don’t get no respect’.

Avant Broswer really should be respected. It adds a long list of improvements in looks and function to IE, including the major rallying cry of ‘Tabbed Browsing!’.

The software is under constant development by the author, Anderson Che, of Italy. The newest version, 10/027, was released yesterday (10/15/04). Despite its foreign origin (is there such a thing as really foreign on the Internet? I don’t know), it’s a polished product that has a lot more features than tabbed browsing. One of the newest and (in my eyes) most important, is a built-in XML/RSS feed reader. I haven’t really started playing with this, but that will happen about 5 minutes from now!

All in all, this is a great program that deserves a lot more attention than it’s gotten. Take a look- it’s free!