This a fair question. But you may not get a fair answer. Because there are not too many choices on th market.
For PC, it often comes with Microsoft browser IE 7 now. For Mac, the default web browser is Safari 3.0 now. So the only feasible alternative is the Firefox web browser by Mozilla and the latest release is Firefox 3.0. So the question is: should PC users choose IE 7.0 or Firefox 3.0, or Safari 3.0 or Firefox 3.0 for Mac users?
It is not a secrete that Firefox is the preferred choice among tech-industry circles and young people over Microsoft IE and Apple Safari. But for the general public, Firefox is not used much yet. Personally, I like the Firefox the most. The following are the reasons:
1. Firefox is easy to use, install and maintain.
2. Firefox has better browsing speed than IE and Safari.
3. Firefox is more secure than IE. (Less attacks.)
4. Firefox has more features than other two browsers.
So my recommendation is that even you have a default browser installed in your system already, it worth your effort to install Firefox and give it a try. The link to download the Firefox browser is:
http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/

Comments
Netscape browser
You did not mention the Netscape Nevigator...did you forgot it? or it simply because the browser is no longer a significant player.