What Is a Browser?

A browser is a program that you use to view information on the Internet. The information available to users is accessible to the Internet community by indexing services called search engines. The browser is designed to display in a graphical manner all the information at a particular web address.

Quite simply, a browser lets you see information on websites. Currently, browsers let you see this information in graphical form.

The first program that could display graphical information over the Internet to a user was published in 1993. This first graphical web browser was called NCSA Mosaic. Prior to its release, the only available web browser was a text browser named Lynx.

In the time since the release of Mosaic, several other browsers have been created with various features. Internet Explorer is Microsoft’s browser, Firefox is the Mozilla browser and Apple has released Safari. Each of these has a few features that are based on their own unique basic program structure. Each of these will allow a user to communicate with a search engine to locate information and to retrieve the information from web servers that store data.

Browsers have become so popular and useful that now many cell phones include a browser to access the Internet. This means you can check on anything from sports scores, to the definition of a word or movie times while in route.

Using a Browser

All of the information on the web is composed of code written in HTML or other programming languages such as javascript. HTML is usually considered the primary language of the Internet. A browser interprets the information based on the code and is able to graphically display the information you have requested.

There are also newer programming languages that have been written that allow new code to be written on the fly and that can collect together information that is stored in many different places and in many different formats.

A browser interprets all of this data in order to display what you see on the screen.

Finding Web Data

A browser also helps you find data through the use of search engines. A search engine is a database that tracks information and topics by their HTTP protocol. This protocol allows information to be located and retrieved for viewing. Information transfer is facilitated in both directions, from the user to the server and the server to the user.

Browser protocols also allow for secure transmission of information between the users at both ends. Secure connections are achieved through HTTPS protocols.

The type of information that is available to users of a browser depends upon the abilities of the program. Many types of files require different browser functionality to accurately display or present the information to the viewer. For example, there are files that contain sound and audio information, video archive information, picture files and text files. Each of these types of files requires a different browser capability.

The browser normally learns how to process and interpret all this information through the use of plug-in’s. Browsers can decode different types of data and decide what should be displayed.

Transmitting Information

Most browsers feature a toolbar that allows the user to graphically interact with the browser to perform many of the common tasks that you want to perform. For example, through the use of a toolbar, printing, calling up a favorite URL or saving a copy of the page you are looking at for later reading is made easier. 

In most browsers, a status bar also appears at the bottom to let you see the loading progress of page you have selected. At the top of the browser window, there is an address bar to let you see what page you are trying to access.

Browser Security

Security breaches are also possible in browsers that allow viruses to be transmitted to your computer. This is occurring so rapidly that every home computer needs a reliable anti-virus program, an anti-malware program, and a Trojan elimination program to protect your system from crashing and/or passing some of your personal information on to unscrupulous people out on the Internet.

Importance of Browsers

Companies through out the world have embraced the Internet, and its many browsers, to market their products in new ways.

The demand for products can skyrocket as they become available to an entirely new set of customers. This is a field known as e-commerce. E-commerce makes ordering from a foreign manufacturer possible and provides a way to have it shipped directly to the customer. The entire e-commerce field is largely made possible by browsers that allow users to easily access websites from anywhere.

Technology is advancing so fast that new types of information are becoming available to view everyday. Browser programs let the user navigate humongous amounts of information from the Internet and display it in a graphical manner.