web browser definition

Web Browser

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Web browser is application software to access the World Wide Web or local website. Through which you can go anywhere on the Internet, allowing you to view text, pictures and videos from anywhere in the world.

Note : Web browser is also called Internet browser or simply browser.

Features of Web Browser

Web browsers provide common features such as :

  • Home Button – It provides the option to the users to bring up the predefined home page of the website.
  • Web Address Bar – The address bar is where the URL of the desired website is entered. This bar helps us to navigate to the desired website of our choice.
  • Refresh Button – Refresh button is for reloading the page. In some cases, the page stores and saves information locally. This prevents users from viewing updated information. So the refresh button is helpful in such cases.
  • Bookmark – It allows users to select particular website to save it for later retrieval of information, which is predefined by the users.
  • Tabbed Browsing – This feature helps to open new screens for multiple browsing at the same time on the same browser.

Types of Web Browser –

All web browsers work in the same way. which are mentioned below. And they have been used for years.

  1. WorldWide Web
  • WorldWide Web is the first ever web browser and was launched in the year 1990.
  • It was later renamed “Nexus” to avoid any confusion with the World Wide Web.
  • The graphical interface had very basic features and was less interactive in terms of.
  • WorldWide Web didn’t have bookmark feature.
  1. Google Chrome
  • Chrome was launched by Google in 2008 and is a cross-platform web browser.
  • Many features of the old browser were merged to create better and newer features.
  • To protect computers from malware, Google has developed an ad-blocking feature to protect user data.
  • So far, it has the best user interface.
  1. Internet Explorer
  • Internet Explorer was launched by Microsoft in 1995 and became the most popular browser of all by 2003.
  • About 10 versions of Internet Explorer were released and gradually updated by Microsoft.
  • It was included in the Microsoft Windows operating system.
  • In 2015, it was changed to “Microsoft Edge“, as it became the default browser on Windows 10.
  1. Mosaic
  • Mosaic was launched in 1993.
  • It was developed at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications.
  • The team responsible for creating the mosaic was led by Marc Andreessen.
  • It was named “the world’s first popular browser“.
  1. Firefox
  • Firefox was introduced in 2002 and was developed by the Mozilla Foundation.
  • Firefox overtook Internet Explorer in use and became the dominant browser during 2003–04.
  • Location-aware browsing was made available with Firefox.
  • This browser was also made available for mobile phones, tablets, etc.