A
web browser is a software program you use to access
the World Wide Web, the graphical portion of the Internet.
The 2 most popular browsers are Netscape Navigator and
Internet Explorer but there are many others. The first
browser, called NCSA Mosaic, was developed in the early
'90s. The easy-to-use point-and-click interface of browsers
helped popularize the Web.
How Browsers Work
Browsers send requests and receive the data needed to
display the HTML page on your screen. This includes
the HTML file itself plus all the graphic, sound, and
video files mentioned in it. Once the data is retrieved,
the browser formats the type as indicated by the HTML
tags and displays it with the graphics files on your
computer screen. The fonts installed on your computer
and the display preferences in the browser you use determine
how text is formatted.
When you click on a hypertext link, a
new request to retrieve another file is sent out over
the Internet. Most browsers perform other functions,
such as sending e-mail or downloading files via FTP.
Helper applications on your computer enable the browser
to play sound and video inserted in the HTML file.
