Surf the Web: Web Browsers

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A web browser is the software program you use to access the World Wide Web, the graphical portion of the Internet. The first browser, called NCSA Mosaic, was developed at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications in the early 1990s. The easy-to-use point-and-click interface helped popularize the Web, although few could then imagine the explosive growth that would soon occur. TRY THIS... Travel back in time to view the Web using 20th century browsers. The Top Three Although many different browsers are available, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Firefox and Netscape Navigator (a distant third) are the most popular. (Many Mac users prefer the Safari browser.) At one time, Netscape (now owned by AOL) and Microsoft put so much money into their browsers that competitors found it hard to keep up. The battle between the two companies to dominate the market led to continual improvements to the software. Version 5.0 and later releases of either browser are excellent choices. (By the way, both are based on NCSA Mosaic.) Firefox, a more recent entry, was released in November 2004; version 2.0, with enhanced security and other new features was released in October 2006 and has been updated periodically. TRY THIS... Read about the history and future developments of Firefox, the open-source browser. You can download Internet Explorer, Firefox and Netscape Navigator for free from each company's website. If you have one browser already, you can test out the others. Also note that there are slight differences between the Windows and Macintosh versions. Outfitted with a browser, you can surf to your heart's content, but it's easy to get lost in this vast electronic network. That's where your browser really helps, as it comes loaded with all sorts of handy features. Fortunately, you can learn the basics in just a few minutes, then take the time to explore the more advanced functions. Since the three browsers have more similarities than differences, we'll primarily cover those. For the most up-to-date information about each browser and a complete tutorial, check the online handbook under the Help menu or go to the websites of the respective software companies. Browser Anatomy When you first launch your web browser, usually by double-clicking on the icon on your desktop, a predefined web page appears. This page is referred to as your home page or start page. With Firefox for instance, you may be taken to Google's home page or to a page selected by your Internet service provider. But if you want, you can easily change your start page. This article walks you through the process. Next Page  Learn the Net (www.learnthenet.com) is Copyright 1996-2008. Michael Lerner Productions. All Rights Reserved.

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