Browser

Overview Browsers are our key to interpreting data on the Internet. HTML, or Hypertext Markup Language, generally speaking, is used to format, link, and edit content on the Internet. Browsers are used to receive and display this information in a standardized way. Initially, browsers were exclusively text driven and did not display complex graphics and multimedia. Today’s browsers not only display text but also photos, animations, video, sound, and other media components.

History The idea of browsers first appeared in 1989 when Tim Berners-Lee of CERN began work on his browser/editor called “World Wide Web.” The browser was renamed “Nexus” years later. The first browser to catch on with the public was “Mosaic,” created at the National Center for Supercomputer Applications (NCSA) in 1993. This browser allowed for color display, and more complex graphics. In 1994, the creators of Mosaic formed their own company called Netscape, and by 1996, an estimated 80% of all browsing was done with Netscape. Microsoft Internet Explorer was first released in 1995 and it began to compete with Mosaic and Netscape almost immediately. Today, Internet Explorer is included in all modern versions of the Microsoft Windows operating system, and is the most widely used Web browser. In March 1998, Netscape released most of the code base for its popular Netscape Communicator suite under an open source license. The name of the application developed from this was Mozilla, coordinated by the newly-created Mozilla Organization, at the mozilla.org website.  To learn more about the history of Web browsers, see www.livinginternet.com/w/wi_browse.htm. To view a time line of the development of browsers, visit this Blooberry.com page.  

Today’s Browsers Today’s browsers are available for a variety of platforms for Windows, Linux/Unix, and Mac OS users. One major shortcoming of today’s browsers is that there is no one standard for all browsers to follow. Some features or functions found on some Web sites (ActiveX or Java, for example), might appear different when viewed with different browsers or even worse, they may not appear at all. Recently, there has been a trend towards a set of standardized rules for displaying Web content. For more information about "browser standards", see www.webstandards.org/. Below is a brief list of today’s most used browsers with links to their respective home pages. These sites offer upgrades, new versions, trial versions, versions for other platforms, and a wealth of information about their browsers. Look at this browser statistics website from W3Schools to find out what browser is most  popular now.

Browsers in Development More and more companies are developing browsers with new features and advanced browsing capabilities. The webpage, browsing.justdiscourse.com/2008/05/14/browser-trends-business-models/  is devoted to reporting the newest trends in browsing, HTML editing, and other Internet activities. Visit the page at internet-browser-review.toptenreviews.com/  for reviews, descriptions, downloads, and current browser prices. Also see www.boutell.com/openfaq/browsers/ for FAQs about current and future browsers. 

3-D Browsers are a new idea for browsing the Internet. The site www.buzz3d.com offers a free version of their “Buzz3D” 3-D browser that puts Internet content into a 3-D landscape. Another type of 3-D browser with a different concept is CubicEye developed by the 2ce, Inc.

Children’s Browsers are a new idea developed to filter unwanted Internet content and simplify browser function to better suit children. For example, the “Kid Rocket” browser allows children to browse a pre-selected list of Web sites. This GetNetWise article discusses the issues regarding filtering as an solution to safe Internet browsing for children.

Browsers for Hand Held Devices is a relatively new idea, bringing familiar Internet browsing capabilities to PDAs, and even cell phones. The site www.andreas.com/faq-pdasite.html offers a wealth of information about PDA browsers and Web sites specifically designed for PDAs. While this WAP page offers offers information about a new advanced intelligent messaging service for digital mobile phones and other mobile terminals that will allow you to see Internet content in special text format on special WAP-enabled mobile phones.