What is a Browser

Just Browsing

OK, let's see. Computer with adequate bells and whistles -- check. Internet connection -- check. Beverage of choice -- check. Sounds like you're about ready to do some serious surfing -- but wait! There's another very important piece of the puzzle that is missing. What is it? It's the piece that allows you to bookmark your favorite resources, to download and view the text and graphics of a Web site, to browse around the Web and . . . . . .to browse around the Web? That's right, you guessed it -- the Browser!

What exactly is a Browser? If you're running Windows 95 or Windows 98, a browser was included in that Windows package -- Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE).

A Web browser contains the basic software you need in order to find, retrieve, view, and send information over the Internet. This includes software that lets you:

Send and receive electronic-mail, or E-Mail, messages worldwide nearly instantaneously.
Read messages from newsgroups, forums about thousands of topics in which users share information and opinions.
Browse the World Wide Web (or Web) where you can find a rich variety of text, graphics, and interactive information.

Browsers such as Microsoft® Internet Explorer include additional Internet-related software. For example, with Internet Explorer, you also get:

NetShow™ server
NetMeeting™ conferencing software
ActiveX® controls
Chat
ActiveMovie™ application programming interface
Active Channel™ webcast
Subscriptions
Dynamic HTML

NetShow Server

This allows you to see and hear live and recorded broadcasts-such as concerts or breaking news - with synchronized audio, graphics, video, URLs and script commands. And streaming technology allows you to see or hear the information as it arrives instead of having to wait for the entire file to download.

NetMeeting Conferencing Software

With a sound card, speakers, and a microphone, you can talk to others worldwide - from family to colleagues - using NetMeeting. Add a Windows-compatible video capture card and/or camera to see them, too. Exchange pictures and draw diagrams on an electronic whiteboard, communicate with text-based chat, transfer files, and share applications.

ActiveX Controls

ActiveX technology allows authors to develop innovative, highly interactive Web sites. ActiveX Controls are the software components that run behind the scenes in Internet Explorer so that these sites come alive for you.

Chat

This program lets you converse online in real time with one or more people. You decide how your message is displayed - text only or text with graphics. You can send and receive sounds, files, and "hot" links of E-Mail addresses, Web pages, and newsgroups. You can even "whisper" to another person in a group chat. Use it for your next online family reunion.

ActiveMovie Application Programming Interface

ActiveMovie allows you to experience television-quality video and CD-quality audio, while minimizing file size and download time compared to other video and audio formats. By using "progressive downloading," ActiveMovie lets you start playing an audio or video clip while it's still downloading.

Active Channel

Active Channel webcasts enable dynamic information to be sent regularly to your computer. They automatically transmit content that fits your interests - everything from Disney entertainment to stock quotes. Use the Channel bar to select your favorite topics, and Internet Explorer gets the information, so you can read it whenever you want - even offline.

Subscriptions

This feature delivers preferred information straight to your desktop, when you want it, in the way you want it - for free. To subscribe to a Web site, select the site and specify when you want the information updated and how you want to be notified, such as through an E-Mail message. Internet Explorer does the rest. Then you can browse the content offline.

Dynamic HTML

Internet Explorer supports this programming language, which makes enticing, unique, fun, and fast-downloading Web pages possible. The pages download quickly because they are created using lightweight HTML instead of heavy-duty graphics. Round trips to the server are minimized, which means faster browser performance on your desktop computer.

IE is easily recognized by its "e" icon.

Because IE is often included as part of the package of a new computer purchase, many people forget that browsers are actually software programs. But that's precisely what a browser is -- a software program designed to locate and display Web pages. Browsers are designed to read Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML), which is simply the authoring language that is used to write Web pages.

What is a URL?

A URL, or uniform resource locator, is the address of an Internet file. Usually it consists of four parts: protocol, server (or domain), path, and file name. Sometimes there's no path or file name. Here's an example:

http://www.hugheshelpdesk.com/index.htm

http is the protocol. That stands for Hyper Text Transfer Protocol, or in Engish, the standard for how messages are transmitted and formatted on the Web.
www.hugheshelpdesk.com is the server, or domain.
index.htm is the file name.

Perhaps you have downloaded the other most popular browser, Netscape Navigator, from the Internet or have received Netscape as part of your Internet connection package.

Netscape is represented by this lighthouse icon.

If both programs are browsers, do they work the exact same way and produce identical results? Good question.

A little history. Back before Netscape was acquired by AOL, the tech headlines covering browser software often read "Battle of the Browsers," and "Browser Wars." The differences between the two major players were significant, often sparking heated debate by users who had become devoted to one camp or the other. As mentioned above, Windows came loaded with IE, so Netscape was considered the scrappy underdog, bravely fighting for market share in a market dominated by its competitor. Surprisingly, Netscape held its own very well, often surpassing IE in surveys reflecting market share and consumer preference.

That scenario has changed. Netscape is now part of AOL, and for the most part the war seems to be over. The two companies take turns unveiling the latest and greatest upgrades to their browsers, and the major differences between the two appear to be disappearing. So how do you choose which browser to use?

I suggest giving each browser a whirl. Since the programs are available for free, there's no reason not to explore the interface of each browser. And there are still some differences. For example, I prefer Internet Explorer to Netscape. It all comes down to personal preference. (A third browser choice, Opera, is gaining popularity, but is a bare bones browser and not ideal for beginners.)

Once you have downloaded the browser initially, it is a simple and quick task to periodically download the free upgrades. Make sure you do so to guarantee the optimal browsing experience!

Spot the links

You can tell whether an item on a page is a link by moving the mouse pointer over the item. If the pointer changes to a hand, the item is a link. A link can be a picture, a three-dimensional image, or colored text (usually underlined). Click any link on a Web page to go to another page within that site or another site.

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