Web Browsers - Getting Around The WWW A web Browser is a program that lets you view and explore information on the World Wide Web. Netscape Navigator/Communicator and Internet Explorer are currently the most popular web browsers used. Your machine most likely came pre-loaded with Netscape or Internet Explorer. Not only will a Web Browser let you view and explore web pages, it has some nice built in features.
- Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) is a computer presentation language used for Web Publishing. it derives from SGML, Standard Generalized Markup Language. It is not a full blown programming Language like C or C++.
- You can display a Web page through a URL address. (For example: http://www.yahoo.com)
- Most Web browsers have a feature called bookmarks. This feature allows you to store favorite web sites that you have visited.
- You can quickly return to any Web page you have recently visited through the feature called History List.
- The type of modem and computer you have dictates how fast a Web Browser will display pages.
- Each Browser has a window with buttons and location or address line, where you would enter the URL to locate a site. The buttons can take you back a page, stop your current action, allow you to search, print a page, view your favorites, your history, and read your mail.
Netscape Navigator and Communicator - - Netscape has the capability for computers to run numerous operating systems, such as, OS/2, Macintosh, Windows and UNIX.
- Netscape Extensions will allow the user to make improvements to their web site. These improvements include video and sound.
- A built in e-mail program and news reader make it easy for the user to learn because it has the same appearance of the Browser.
Microsoft Internet Explorer- - If you are acquainted with Windows operating systems, then you will find the Internet Explorer Browser easy to use. It was produced by the same company that created Windows operating systems.
- I.E. has a feature that allows you to adjust the display of the Browser, by changing the size and location of the toolbar on the screen. Another bonus is you can add your favorites to the toolbar too.
- Data can be easily exchanged between the web Browser, the news reader and e-mail program in Internet Explorer.
We now have an idea what a Browser is and how it works. We touched base briefly on the two most popular ones today, Netscape and I.E. The Browser will let us view web pages by using an URL address. You can also search for any kind of information imaginable, by using what we call search tools or search engines. So, let's go Searching.
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