As you might have heard, Firefox isn’t the only browser that uses the Gecko rendering engine. On today’s browser-centric edition of the Showdown, we take a look at four of the strangest Gecko-based browsers available today.

Browser #1: Sea Monkey

Website: http://www.seamonkey-project.org/
Programmer: The SeaMonkey Council
Special Talent: Looking and acting as close to the old Netscape browser as humanly possible.
First Impression: “No sir, I don’t like it.”
Positives: The nostalgia factor is high on this one. Those who long for the days of Netscape Communicator 4 will find a lot to love here. Everything is exactly how you remembered it, from the low resolution icons to the built-in IRC client.
Negatives: Not everyone was a fan of Netscape Communicator 4.
Overall (Out of 10): 4
Final Thought: “Long live the 1990’s.”

Browser #2: Flock

Website: http://flock.com/
Programmer: Flock, Inc.
Special Talent: Social networking
First Impression: “Oooh … Networks!”
Positives: Those who enjoy social media and networking will no doubt love this browser. Links to all of the major social sites, from MySpace and facebook to Flickr and YouTube, have been given its own frame at the side of the screen. Need to update your blog? Send a tweet? Post something new on Digg? Flock allows you to do all of those things and more without even batting an eye.
Negatives: Remove the social media aspect, and all you’re left with is a slightly modded version of Firefox.
Overall (Out of 10): 7
Final Thought: “Flock is the perfect browser for social networking fans.”

Browser #3: Wyzo

Website: http://www.wyzo.com/
Programmer: Radical Software Ltd.
Special Talent: Downloading interactive media of all shapes and sizes.
First Impression: “Are you sure that I just didn’t load Firefox again?”
Positives: Wyzo is designed to make the free exchange of copyrighted intellectual property as painless as possible. Every file — BitTorrent, music files, photographs … the list goes on and on — is downloaded within the confines of the browser instead of in a separate “downloading” box. Not only does this make things a bit easier for the user, it cuts down on the number of open windows. Wyzo also makes good use of CoolIris, a Firefox add-on that specializes in the dissemination of online video. Thanks to CoolIris, getting to sites such as Hulu and Mevio are as easy as pressing a button.
Negatives: Wyzo looks and acts like Firefox a bit too much for our tastes.
Overall (Out of 10): 7
Final Thought: “It’s interesting.”

Browser #4: Kirix Strata

Website: http://www.kirix.com/
Programmer: The Kirix Corporation
Special Talent: Data analysis.
First Impression: “What the heck is this?!”
Positives: Kirix Strata combines the so-called “traditional website experience” with the thrill of spreadsheet creation and cost report analysis. Despite everything, Strata truly is a nice spreadsheet program that many hardcore accountants will no doubt love. It just happens to be attached to a web browser.
Negatives: We seriously doubt that there is a huge market out there for people who wish to read the Drudge Report or CNN and crunch numbers at the same time. Another thing: Unlike the multitude of browsers we’ve reviewed over the past few days, the full version of Kirix Strata costs a mind numbing $249.
Overall (Out of 10): 2
Final Thought: “It costs that much? What were they thinking?”