QandAs: Tech

What is a Browser?

Answer:
A browser, or web browser, is a software application that allows a user to access information on the Internet.

Browsers may be used to view web pages, search for information, watch videos, access an email account, or perform many other functions. Browsers can be used to access the World Wide Web or to access a private intranet.

A browser is needed to access the Internet and locate the Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) typed in by the user. Once the user is browsing the webpage, video and audio can be accessed and hyperlinks can be utilized to navigate around the page and to other sites.

The first web browser was called WorldWideWeb and was released for the NeXT system in 1991. This was closely followed by NCSA Mosaic in 1993, incorporating graphics, and Netscape Navigator in 1994. Netscape Navigator, which was heavily influenced by Mosaic, quickly became the most widely used web browser in the world.

In 1995, Microsoft introduced what quickly became the default web browser for many people, Internet Explorer. Internet Explorer also fond its roots in Mosaic, but had an advantage in being bundled with Microsoft software, making it ubiquitous among Windows users. Internet Explorer held onto its extreme popularity for a few years, until Mozilla Firefox came out, as an open source web browser. Other, newer, web browsers include Opera, Safari, and Google Chrome.

Browsers can also be used in intranets. For example, a company or government agency may have an intranet in which specific information can be accessed either by employees or by the public, using a web browser.