Whether we like it or not Internet Explorer has become the standard and a lot of sites have compatibility issues using other browsers.
Install these three browser plug-ins for IE and you'll get the best browser experience ever:
1) Google Toolbar: A very good pop-up blocker with a search engine, dictionary and auto-fill.
2) ieSpell: Online spell checker. Just click on the spelling button on the browser tool-bar similar to checking spelling in an email client or word processor and it will check all the typed words inside the text boxes.
3) Download Express: Replaces the Windows "Save as" dialog box with its own that has an accelerator and a resume manager.
All these are browser plug-ins work only with IE and are loaded with the browser and are not programs that run all the time in the background consuming system resources. They all provide seamless browser integration.
I have timed IE with both Mozilla and Opera and they are not faster. It's just they are fast when they load from the cache. You have to test under the same conditions for both browsers to get the real comparison. Use previously viewed several times cached pages for both browsers when timing.