The first web browser was created by Tim Berners-Lee in 1990 and was known as the WorldWideWeb but later became renamed to Nexus. Mosaic was later introduced in 1993 which later became known as Netscape, this was the first browser that became popular among users. Netscape offered something that users were looking for and craving, simplicity. With the ability to easily find information through this browser interface, more and more people became interested in the WorldWideWeb.
When NCSA Mosaic was introduced as the first graphic based web browsers, users flocked to the internet and the web boom began. Netscape Navigator was a strong presence on the web in 1994, offering users the simplicity they wanted with the graphical edge that desired. During its peak it was responsible for more than 90% of all web usage.
Internet Explorer was introduced by Microsoft in 1995 and was bundled in their Windows operating systems. Browser wars began to take off through the internet with new and short lived appearances from browsers like Opera and some that are still around today such as Mozilla’s Firefox and Opera mini that is actually taking off with its mobile users.
The most recent browser introduced is Google’s Chrome released in 2008. Google Chrome is working towards taking some of Internet Explorers users but with the new introduction of Internet Explorer 8 and the added security features built in, the war continues.
What Is A Web Browser For?
The main function for the web browser is to bring the information requested to the user. The URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is used to input the address of the location you wish to bring up, such as http://www.websitenamehere.com. The most commonly used prefix is of course http, but there are also sites that operate under prefixes such as ftp, file or https.
The browser, once locating the URL will then display it in your screen. Some websites are designed for specific browsers, so if you are viewing the same site in IE as you are in Netscape, it could be seen differently. The browser is capable of displaying text, graphics, audio, video, XML files and often times will offer plug-ins for java applets or flash applications.
He website displayed may contain hyperlinks which are texts or images that contain a hidden URL, when you click on the link the browser will direct you to the page or location either by opening a new tab, new window or taking you from the original page you were on.
Users love the browsers for many reasons, the fact they offer a simple and easy way to view the websites and locations they wish to visit is the top reason. There are also many benefits to using browsers and their features make our internet experience more enjoyable. With back and forth buttons, page refreshers and one click add to bookmarks we can navigate through our pages with ease. Home buttons make it easy for us to get back to where we started from, no matter how deep we dived into the web and today many browsers offer search bars that will help us find exactly what we are looking for when we are unsure about the exact URL address.
Internet browsers help keep our systems safe and secure with their built in safety features and just make our internet experience better in general.
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