Free Security Tools

Campus Technology ran a helpful story about free security tools. If you enjoy free technology the article is helpful and informative since I've used the tools described in the article.

Note on Dodds, The Greeks and the Irrational

This is a classic. Although at points it sounds dated, written as it was in an age dominated by Freud, the central thesis holds up well and is an important corrective to the predominant view of the Greeks as rational. Doods brings into question the view that religion is rational which I believe is an even more important, and long-lasting contribution. The earliest Age of Reason is more complex according to Dodds and he quite effectively surveys the counter irrational tradition coursing through Greek myths and philosophy. The more typical view of the Greeks overemphasizes the Ionian Enlightenment while Dodds wants us to see a more complex view including Pythagoran sounds, hints of Indian religion and mysticism, reincarnation associated with the cultic mysteries, and the polytheism denatured by later monotheism. Dodds reviews later European thought of Hegel and Nietzsche and others while expounding on the richness of the Greek artistic tradition as with Euripides' 'rationalizing.' Dodds, along with Gilbert Murray, points out that the Greek 'irrational' is not all that far removed from Indian culture during the Axial Age. Greek literary tradition is more akin to Indian thought than many care to consider. We may know less about rational Enlightenment, after Kant, than many thinkers care to admit.

The text is clear with a plethora of lengthy and fascinating sidelights contained in the copious notes. Composed originally as a series of lectures the text is academic but stimulating.

Note on Creel, Richard, Religion and Doubt: Toward a Faith of Your Own

This is really an excellent short work introducing undergraduate students to the study of religion. The author does not assume students have a background in religion or if they are currently religious. The idea is to build an understanding of religion that arises from a personal point of conviction, whatever that may be. I think this is an effective approach given the fact that fewer and fewer students are religious, do not think of religion in confessional terms, and yet, have a shocking lack of understanding of religious issues.

Thug Propaganda

One of the posts by an independent journalist on a counter-terrorism blog commented on thug insurgent propaganda. I want them to remain anonymous for security reasons but I thanked them for their insights which I will quote here (corrected just for grammar, clarity, and spelling):

One rule in reading AQ (or any insurgent) propaganda;
They always excessively exaggerate their strength and success. Part of the rules of the game;
- Their objective is to appear stronger than they are in reality, that is, unbeatable. When in fact, they are fighting with the tactics of the weak because they are so very weak;
- If they have five people in a cell doing bombings, it is a battalion, 10 is a brigade, etc.;
- They will always claim more casualties than they actually killed, usually by a factor of three or more and wounded are claimed killed (3 WIA will result in 10 KIA claim);
- They love being called an insurgent or militia since such terms confer legitimacy on them. Most of what they actually do would be familiar to a Chicago Mobster or a gang member.

I think these insights are valuable in that as long as I have been monitoring the thug websites and interacting with their supporters, these exaggerations seem to hold true. Unfortunately for many Americans, and mainstream media reporters as well, they buy into thug propaganda hook, line, and sinker. I see mainstream reporters naively repeat what thugs say which is a terrible way to practice journalism. The actual information is available if people would just look a bit for accurate data. We are significantly losing the information battle of the war.

August Order of Battle

Graphic source: The Long War Journal

The Order of Battle for August has been released. There were major changes in July mostly due to new formations, re-subordinations, and reorganizations. The Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program notified the U.S. Congress of Iraqi government plans to purchase up to $10.8 billion worth of weapons, equipment, and support services. The Iraqis seem to be planning beyond the interdiction stage to the next phase of national defense. They are making progress.

Olympic Ordeal for China

Kashgar in China's Xinjiang province Graphic source: ©AFP/Graphic

Things heated up again in China as insurgents in the western area of the country attacked in anticipation of the Olympic games. Sixteen policemen were killed and another sixteen were injured in a grenade attack in the largely Muslim-populated Xinjiang region. The latest attack follows deadly bomb blasts in Kunming last month and in Shanghai in May, killing a total of five people, for which a Muslim militant group with ties to Xinjiang claimed responsibility.

Acts of Savagery and Barbarity

Graphic source: BBC

One person is stabbed repeatedly on a bus in Canada and is then beheaded; in India a stampede at a temple kills 140, the victims included 40 children. Which act is normal? Which act is religiously inspired?

The stampede happened at the Nainadevi temple in the Bilsapur district of Himachal Pradesh state, during a nine-day Hindu religious festival.

I have only questions and no answers but at least in this instance religion led to more savagery, brutality, and will not end. Most people would agree that stopping a brutal death is a good thing. Efforts will be made to make buses more secure. I am not so sure any efforts will be made to end insanity that passes for religion.

Peters Re-Drawing of the Middle East

Graphic source: Ralph Peters, "Never Quit the Fight"

Who is to say that the Middle East might be better off looking like Ralph Peters recommends? His vision is to re-draw the boundaries to reflect the traditional antagonisms inherent in the region. Let's face it, its difficult to imagine things being much worse.

The retired lieutenant colonel and former intelligence officer stirred quite a bit of controversy with his statement in the article "Constant Conflict" wherein he states:

There will be no peace. At any given moment for the rest of our lifetimes, there will be multiple conflicts in mutating forms around the globe. Violent conflict will dominate the headlines, but cultural and economic struggles will be steadier and ultimately more decisive. The de facto role of the US armed forces will be to keep the world safe for our economy and open to our cultural assault. To those ends, we will do a fair amount of killing.

Constant conflict is the wave of the future. He may indeed be correct. It is clear that the current boundaries in the Middle East are untenable.

Middle East Lukewarm or Hostile About Obama

As summarized by the BBC, the Middle Eastern reaction to Obama's visit was lukewarm at best, at worst it was skeptical of any change in American foreign policy. The pundits stuck to the issues of personal concern and do not comment on any thing else that might concern Americans or others around the world. They are apparently weighing Obama strictly on the issues of concern to Middle Easteners.

EDITORIAL IN PALESTINIAN AL-QUDS

Visits by senior leaders to this country - Israel and the Palestinian territories - are coming thick and fast, and the visit by Obama is just the latest... These repeated visits and this clear bias towards Israel's position once again emphasise the strength and influence that Israel and its allies have across the world.

AHMAD HANNUN IN PALESTINIAN AL-QUDS

Obama's visit to Israel is part of a sad farewell party for the Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, who is clinging to his premiership like a limpet to a rock... As for Obama, he wants Israel to give him additional support to help him reach the White House, and for that he reads out his supportive policies to the leaders of Israel.

HAFITH AL-BARGHUTHI IN PALESTINIAN AL-HAYAT AL-JADIDAH

What would have happened if Obama put on his head a Palestinian keffiyeh [chequered scarf] in the same way that he twice put on the Jewish skullcap? This would have been balanced behaviour, but he did not do it and will never do it. The reason for this is that his 15-hour visit was put on to demonstrate his solidarity and support for Israel's policy.

WALID NUWAYHID IN BAHRAIN'S AL-WASAT

Obama's tour is not exploratory, but rather aims to send a message to American domestic opinion that he is reasserting US administrations' traditional priorities on Middle Eastern issues. And because these issues have grown in number under George Bush, Obama started his tour in Afghanistan, as it was the first victim, followed by Iraq, the second victim, to Palestine, as it is indispensable for confirming established US principles.

AHMAD ZAYBAN IN QATAR'S AL-RAYAH

With regard to substance, Obama did not move away from US policy constants in his statements during his current tour in the region, with only some differences in details and tactics.

The reaction by Middle Eastern commentators is consistent with a poll taken in the region. For example, a March-April 2008 Pew Research poll taken in 24 Arab and non-Arab countries showed that in the Arab nations of Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan, confidence in Obama ranged from 23 percent in Jordan to one in three in Lebanon. About a quarter felt similarly about McCain.

Pakistani Intelligence Supports Insurgency

The New York Times ran another outrageous story charging that Pakistani Intelligence (ISI) aided insurgents in the Kabul, India embassy bombing which killed 54 people.

The evidence consists of intercepted communications between Pakistani intelligence officers and the insurgents who carried out the attack. C.I.A. emissary, Stephen R. Kappes, the agency’s deputy director, had been ordered to Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital, even before the attack. However, the intercepts were not detailed enough to warn of any specific attack. The ISI officers involved had not been renegades, indicating that their actions might have been authorized by superiors.

The actual embassy attack was probably carried out by members of a network led by Maulavi Jalaluddin Haqqani, whose alliance with Al Qaeda and its affiliates has allowed the terrorist network to rebuild in the tribal areas. Haqqani battled Soviet troops during the 1980s and has had a long and complicated relationship with the C.I.A. He was among a group of fighters who received arms and millions of dollars from the C.I.A. during that period, but his allegiance with Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda during the following decade led the United States to sever the relationship. Haqqani and his sons now run a network that Western intelligence services say they believe is responsible for a campaign of violence throughout Afghanistan, including the Indian Embassy bombing, and an attack on the Serena Hotel in Kabul earlier this year.

Also, American officials also charged that members of the Pakistani intelligence service provide insurgents with details about the American campaign against them.

Indian officials had already accused the ISI of helping to orchestrate the Embassy attack.

Pakistan and India clashed again in the Kashmir which undermines a cease-fire established in November 2003. Indian and Pakistani soldiers fired at each other for more than 12 hours overnight Monday, in what appears to be the most serious violation of the cease-fire. The nightlong battle came after one Indian soldier and four Pakistanis were killed along the border.

Pakistan is no friend of the U.S. and if the UN were a potent force they should impose sanctions. The lawlessness of the Pakistanis seem to know no bounds. They are quickly degenerating into a rogue state.

Where Is the Public Outcry of Discrimination Against Buddhists?

Graphic source: CNN

I find it ironic that a popular culture news site such as CNN can run a feature entitled "Buddha's Warriors" without any public outcry. On the other hand, despite the fact that Muslims have been associated with worldwide violence, something that is not identified with Buddhism, there is a public outcry of discrimination when public figures suggest that Islam possibly has something to do with a martial, warrior mentality. Islam even has a doctrine which is suggestive of a warrior mentality, jihad, a point that is not shared with Buddhism.

CIA Presses Pakistan Plays

Maulavi Jalaluddin Haqqani Graphic source: The New York Times

The C.I.A. seems to have been more confrontational than in the past and their recent assessment earmarks the links between members of the spy service, the Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence, or ISI, and the militant network led by Maulavi Jalaluddin Haqqani, who appears to act as a proxy for Al Qaeda.

A C.I.A. official, Stephen R. Kappes, the agency’s deputy director, was apparently more direct in communicating American displeasure with Pakistan while on a recent visit. The public face is the one displayed by Bush with the Pakistani Prime Minister but behind the scenes the communication must have been blunter.

The loyalties of the various players is unclear. Just last weekend for example, Pakistani military and intelligence officials thwarted an attempt by the central government to put the ISI more directly under civilian control. Thus, it is unclear whether Pakistan officials are covering for the insurgents, or if the ISI has rogue elements that the government chooses to ignore.

The Afghan government has stated that the recent suicide bombings which killed dozens at the Indian Embassy in Kabul was conducted with the approval of the ISI.

According to the Times article: it was the ISI, backed by millions of covert dollars from the C.I.A., that ran arms to guerrillas fighting Soviet forces in Afghanistan in the 1980s. It is now American troops who are dying in Afghanistan, and intelligence officials believe those longstanding ties between Pakistani spies and militants may be part of an effort to destabilize Afghanistan.

Is there likely to be any fruit borne by Pakistan's latest effort at countering the insurgency? What happened yesterday is indicative I believe. According to the Times: "On Tuesday, Pakistani security forces raided an abandoned seminary owned by Mr. Haqqani, Pakistani officials said. No arrests were made."

This is simply more of the same, the Pakistanis make another feeble attempt at counter-terrorism as a show to the Americans. Oops! Haqqani is not at his abandoned seminary, who knew?

NASA Launches Historical Portal

Graphic source: NASA

This image is a cutaway illustration of the Explorer I satellite with callouts. The Explorer I satellite was America's first scientific satellite launched aboard the Jupiter C launch vehicle on January 31, 1958. The Explorer I carried the radiation detection experiment designed by Dr. James Van Allen and discovered the Van Allen Radiation Belt.

NASA last week launched a new interactive Web site, jointly developed with the non-profit Internet Archive, which is a single online resource featuring enhanced search, visual, and metadata capabilities. The portal stores more than 140,000 digitized high-resolution NASA photographs, audio, and film clips. Web 2.0 elements are scheduled to follow this initial launch.

Quick Fix for Much Bigger Issue

Forty years ago, the U.S. was the world's biggest oil producer. But in 1970 U.S. crude oil output peaked. More importantly, the 9.6 million barrels produced a day was enough to cover the bulk of the country's needs. Currently, U.S. crude production covers only 42% of the country's needs. After that, we are dependent on foreign oil and the repressive regimes that guarantee the availability of oil to us. Despite Nixon's clarion call for "Project Independence" in 1973 we have done little to make that vision real.

On the world front, Matthew Simmons, a voluble Houston-based consultant, states that the world hit its sustainable peak oil level in May 2005.

The immediate obstacle to oil though is political as whatever resources we have left remain isolated in Alaska's wilderness preserves and on the Outer Continental Shelf off the Atlantic, Pacific and eastern Gulf of Mexico coasts.

These should be opened up immediately.

Thereafter, in Iraq, where the world's biggest untapped prospects lie, major oil firms should invest in the country which would help both the U.S. and Iraq.

None of these obvious statements are an answer since they are simply an immediate fix while we wean ourselves away from dependence on foreign oil.

The next President should be thinking long and hard on seriously implementing the vision that Nixon sought in '73.

Bush Weak Before Pakistan

Today begins a week of frustration as President Bush praised Pakistan's prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani for his commitment to their joint battle against extremists. This is a joke.

Neither leader addressed the latest clash in Pakistan, a missile strike that hit a madrassa housing insurgents just inside the border with Afghanistan.

Bush said: "Pakistan is a strong ally and a vibrant democracy."

Pakistan double-deals with the insurgents who are killing our troops. It is not a vibrant democracy but large swatches of its territory are under the de facto control of various competing insurgent groups.

Until Washington gets tough with countries that will stab us in the back or our troops are unleashed the situation will continue in the insurgents favor who trade lives for time. They are waiting us out knowing that the CIA is limited in their actions and since we have no troops in Pakistan they can bide their time. In the meantime, the insurgents, many of whom are viewed highly by Pakistan, can raid our troops in Afghanistan before beating a hasty retreat across the border of protection of Pakistan.

The threat of nuclear weapons falling into the hands of the insurgents has allowed Pakistan to snooker the U.S. into feeding them more cash. They are playing up the terrorist threat to the hilt and yet do nothing to stop them.

Ranking Terrorist Threats: Do Nothing Until You Hear From Me

On the Counterterrorism Blog Madeleine Gruen and Frank Hyland have released their second installment on the homegrown terrorism threat in the U.S.

They are clear on the criteria used for the threats. The terrorist group must have "the presence, the level of intention, and the capability to carry out its threat." Although a number of groups would like to carry out acts they are not able thus they are ranked lower as a result.

Al-Qa’ida (AQ) is on the top of a list such as this and thereafter each threat is ranked from the most likely to least likely.

The Groups:

1. Al-Qa’ida & Al-Qa’ida-Inspired Individuals or Groups:

An unnamed group or individual then is at the top of the list. The authors are playing the numbers. With the size of our population and the relative unhindered legal and illegal access to weapons and explosives, along with out course our continuing unpopular policies here and abroad, "the odds are high that someone will see coverage of an incident abroad - Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel - and react." The exact nature and timing of such a threat is virtually impossible to predict. "The perpetrators are not necessarily members of a network, often do not know each other, and therefore leave no `tracks' to follow from one to the other." The organization of AQ consists of groups, cells, and individuals that act independently.

The two World Trade Center attacks were by people who received training in terrorist camps; currently however, Westerners have attended AQ training camps in Pakistan and/or Afghanistan. Moreover, the UK attacks were "AQ-inspired native-born men who carried out the attacks on London commuters in July 2005."

At a subsequent point the authors promise to consider "US-based groups that have no clear-cut physical ties to AQ, but that abide by the same ideological doctrines as AQ and which are unabashed supporters of AQ, such as As-Sabiqun."

The second rank consists of White Nationalist Groups who have carried out attacks but they have "been relatively disorganized. . . lacked funding, and its adherents have not been as ideologically committed as they have been committed to a social network and cults of personality." For these reasons, I believe this places them at a significantly distant second to AQ.

The authors then rank the Lebanese Hizballah (LH) at number three but they continue to outline the group's major strengths. In this regard, I believe they are in fact more dangerous than the White Nationalist Groups. For example, the authors contend that the group have access to weapons, explosives, have the motivation, and the requisite skills in order to carry out a successful attack here. Hizballah meets all of these criteria. In addition, they maintain that LH has "undoubtedly carried out the pre-attack surveillance necessary not only to carry out at least one attack, but to do it in short order after receiving the `Go' from their masters in Tehran and Beirut. Members of the group have insinuated themselves into many of the major metropolitan areas of the US." They are entreched in criminal activities already such as cigarette smuggling thus they have the tactical and monetary resources for an attack. LH has already hit Buenos Aires.

Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) places fourth mostly because for decades they have had an infrastructure presence in the U.S. PIJ leader Fathi Shqaqi was assassinated in 1995 when University of South Florida Computer Engineering Professor Ramadan Shallah immediately left Florida, journeyed to the Middle East and assumed the chairmanship of PIJ. They are here.

The fifth place finisher, HAMAS, has been successful elsewhere in politics whereas in the U.S. they have been involved in lengthy legal proceedings against their fund-raising arm--The Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development--at one time the leading Islamic charity in the U.S. I have no doubt they could strike but I believe they are significantly less of a threat than the higher ranked groups.

Hizb ut-Tahrir (HT) is a political Islamist organization that is present in the U.S. HT has not been directly linked to a terrorist attack but its published ideological doctrine and strategy are identical to AQ’s. We have to live with this group I believe, until, or unless they break the law. The group does not even use the HT name in the U.S. so they may be difficult to even identify.

Muslim Brotherhood (MB) is arguably the most influential of all Islamist groups but the authors have not identified the group with violence in the U.S. thus they must simply bear watching.

The eighth and final grouping, the USA General Store, is a catchall for groups such as the Tamil Tigers, or the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) who exploit or extort funds from American contacts.

Most of the analysis seems to hinge on the weaknesses inherent in the security posture of the U.S. In the same way that key Counterterrorism expert Steven Emerson writes, the threat is non-specific, unnamed, and general enough that little can be done except act in defense, or in reaction to a violent act or acts. Given the constitutional constraints on legal action, and the paucity of actual, physical attacks, the groups remain little more than named threats. The threat is very real, lethal, and places Americans in the uncomfortable and unfamiliar role of facing domestic threats. I would predict that little will be done until or unless said groups or individuals actually act. Although our security posture has undoubtedly improved since 9/11 we are by no means safe. Hence, the frustrating position for Americans to watch and wait.

U.S. Let Bin Laden Get Away During Two Administrations

Salim Ahmed Hamdan, right, said his boss, Osama bin Laden, left, was gleeful about killing people on 9/11. Graphic source: Miami Herald

It is a strange world when I have to agree with Islamic insurgents but Bin Laden's driver, Salim Ahmed Hamdan, is correct on at least one point. The U.S. let the insurgents slip away.

Hamdam told a pair of FBI agents that it was America's fault that the al Qaeda leader is alive.

He stated: ''You had these opportunities, America. You didn't do anything,'' FBI agent George Crouch Jr. testified Friday at Salim Hamdan's war-crimes trial.

The U.S. could have killed bin Laden in Khartoum, Sudan, before he moved to Afghanistan in 1996; we could have killed him after al Qaeda's 1998 U.S. twin bombings of two U.S. embassies in East Africa; or Bin Laden could have been eliminated after the October 2000 suicide bombing of the USS Cole, in Aden, Yemen, which left 17 U.S. sailors dead.

Hamdam said: ''bin Laden was emboldened.'' So he struck with the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. And nearly 3,000 people died.

Hamdam opened up in particular to a Lebanese-born FBI agent named Ali Soufan who was praised as well as an interrogator in Lawrence Wright's, The Looming Tower.

The testimony is chilling and corresponds in rough outline to what key counter-terrorist experts have said in contrast to George Tenet and Louis Freeh's self-serving accounts of fighting al Qaeda.

Pakistanis Steal More Money From Americans: Americans No More Secure Than Before

Graphic source: Sharpshooter-maj.com photo by Stuart Freer

It is one of those mind-boggling stories that is surely designed to upset you if you have been paying attention at all to the Pakistani situation. The U.S. is transferring Pakistani counter-terrorism aid in favor of a fighter jet upgrade. What are they thinking in Washington? As Pakistan has become the latest and best haven for the Islamic insurgency, and therefore desperately need counter-terrorism funding to lock down the insurgents, and the potential of obtaining nuclear material, the Pakistanis are now going to get: a jet upgrade?

The Pakistanis play our politicians to the hilt. Using nuclear weapons as their creed, they extract more from us, make a show of attacking terrorists to demonstrate their commitment against the war on terror, and then Pakistani government officials either look the other way, or know about insurgent safe havens and possess the intelligence that would be invaluable to American efforts to root insurgents out. The Pakistanis have so far stolen $10 billion from us since 9/11. And, yet, the insurgents are in their backyard. Polls taken show that many Pakistanis support the Taliban anyway. Its mind-boggling how blind Americans can be.

Upgrading U.S.-supplied F-16 fighter planes is not going to assist the engaged troops on the ground currently across the border in Afghanistan. Pakistani Prime Minister Yousef Raza Gilani is visiting next week and he should be grilled on the insurgency. Who cares about Pakistan's aging fleet of F-16 fighter jets? Those upgraded jets will not protect America, or Americans on the ground in the region.

About $230 million in aid money has been approved by Congress for military equipment and training that had been earmarked for law enforcement and counter-terrorism purposes.

The Pakistani explanation is that the F-16s are used against the insurgents. Hows about U.S. fighters take care of that problem?

The other excuses do not make sense either. Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmoud Qureshi visited earlier this month and the administration believes the upgrade is a way to both enhance the Islamabad government's anti-terrorism capabilities, and ease its financial burden in the face of soaring energy and food prices. Huh? It may help Pakistan with its costs, but I believe Americans have problems with rising energy costs as well and the upgraded jets will not improve the security of Americans.

Senate Democrat Patrick Leahy and House Democrat Nita Lowey, both of whom chair key foreign affairs appropriations subcommittees, expressed reservations about the aid shift. They are correct.

President Bush is to meet Prime Minister Gilani at the White House next Monday for talks expected to be dominated by aid and security issues. Why doesn't Bush find out we need to know about the insurgents who are fighting, and killing Americans, and take them out?

The Innovative Educational Outlet Just-In-Time

For today's class, we are going to review all the educational tools available, including the latest Education 2.0 implements. We have text messages, ring tones, songs, chants, poetry, cassettes, the web, pamphlets, magazines, multiple languages, DVDs, and fliers. This is just-in-time education at its best.

What innovative and yet comprehensive American educational facility is this?

The answer is: none.

This is the Taliban undermining the Afghan government. The International Crisis Group, based in Brussels, Belgium, reported that the Islamist insurgency is making a violent comeback and innovatively employs all these tools to defeat the Coalition.

The Taliban's propaganda machine widely exploits collateral damage and civilian killings by Coalition forces. On the other hand, the Afghan government and the Coalition barely mentions the Taliban's atrocities of ruthlessly killing or torturing those who disagree or oppose them. Indeed, in the wake of the sparse interest that the Western, mainstream media has in these event, independent journalists usually can not verify conflicting claims. Journalists often report the Taliban claims.The Taliban gets its message out both to the West; and craftily, the Taliban employs songs, religious chants, and poetry that appeals to Afghan nationalism and Islamic pride. The Taliban wins on both counts for their double-sided message.

The Coalition is getting whupped in the information aspect of the war.

Japanese Sleipnir the New Contender in the Browser Wars

Like most of the new contenders in the browser wars a Japanese software company has an entry in the international market. As Internet Explorer and Firefox have dominated the field the new entry, the Sleipnir browser, has arrived. The difference is said to be in the high level of customization that the browser allows. In particular, the browser contains the selection either the Trident or Gecko layout engines for each Web site visited. Trident was developed by Microsoft Corp. and is used in Internet Explorer while Gecko is used in Mozilla's Firefox. Since web browsers display information differently, in Sleipnir the user can click a small button in the bottom left of the browser and switch between Trident and Gecko, i.e., users can choose the best one for the particular site.

The first time I tried it the browser would not run Gecko and it told me to run Addons and Install. I couldn't find it easily so the first-time around was a bit of a struggle.