The World Wide Web is a system of Internet servers that support specially formatted documents. Web browsers are used to make it easy to access the World Wide Web. Browsers are able to display Web pages largely in part to an underlying Web protocol called HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP). HTTP defines how messages are formatted and transmitted, and what actions Web servers and browsers should take in response to various commands. It is what allows Web clients and Web servers to communicate with each other. When you enter a Web address (URL) in your browser, this actually sends an HTTP command to the Web server directing it to fetch and transmit the requested Web page and display the information in your browser. All Web servers serving Web sites and pages support the HTTP protocol.
Example: The URL to reach the infob page on go2inbox is: http://www.ABC.com/infob.php
Once you enter the URL "http:// www.ABC.com/infob.php" into your address line, the browser breaks that Web address down into three distinct parts.
The Protocol: "http"
The server name: "www.ABC.com"
The file name, which follows the server name: " infob.php"
In order for your browser to actually connect to the Web server to retrieve the information you request, it communicates with a name server to translate the server name into an IP Address. Your Web browser is then able to connect to the Web server at the resolved IP address on port 80. Once your browser has connected to the Web server using HTTP, the browser then reads the HyperText Markup Language (HTML), the authoring language used to create documents on the World Wide Web, and the data is then displayed in your Web browser.
A Web browser is actually a software application that runs on your Internet-connected computer. It allows you to view Web pages, as well as use other content and technologies such as video, graphics files, and digital certificates, to name a few. Some browsers will translate only text while others do support graphics and animation. Web browsers are not all created equal, and Web pages also will not be displayed the same in different browsers.
Microsoft Internet Explorer
Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE) is currently considered the dominant browser. IE version 7X offers tabbed browsing, instant access to e-mail, integrated RSS support, better standards compliance, a built-in phishing filter, advanced security (cross-domain script barriers, International Domain Name Anti-Spoofing protection and so on), and an option for deleting browsing history by removing user-identifiable information. The latest version of IE supports Windows XP, Windows 2003.
As of March 2009, Windows Internet Explorer 8 has been made available in as a RC (release candidate) version, which means it is undergoing final testing. The RC is available for the following operating systems; Windows XP, Windows XP 64-bit Edition, Windows Vista, Windows Vista 64-bit Edition, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 64-bit Edition, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Server 2008 64-bit Edition.
Mozilla Firefox Web Browser
Mozilla Firefox is a free, open source, cross-platform, Web browser developed by the Mozilla Corp. and hundreds of volunteers. Mozilla Corp. is responsible for the browser, where volunteers and enthusiasts have created many of the plug-ins available for the browser. Firefox offers support for many standards including HTML, HTML, XML, XHTML, CSS, ECMAScript (JavaScript), DTD, XSL, SVG, XPath and PNG images. The browser can also be used on a variety of operating systems such as Windows, Mac OSX, BeOS, FreeBSD, Linux, and others. Industry statistic show that around 12 percent of Internet users are using Mozilla Firefox. The current version of Firefox is 3.0.7, but as of March 2009 there is a 3.1 beta 2 release that is available for testing.
Google Chrome Web browser
Google Chrome is a Web browser designed for Windows systems. It offers users a minimal design and what Google calls 'sophisticated technology' to make the web faster, safer, and easier on Windows-based PCs. Google Chrome features searching from the address bar, thumbnail views of your favorite pages for quick access, a private browsing function that opens an incognito window when you don't want to save your browsing history, instant bookmarks, crash control and dynamic tabs. The browser works with Windows Vista and Windows XP.
Opera Web browser
Opera is an international Web browser, developed in Norway. It is available for Windows 3.x and Windows 9x/NT/2000/XP/2003 in four different languages. The most current release, Opera 9x, includes widgets, support for BitTorrents, support for a wide variety of image, audio, and video formats, as well as enhanced HTML features, JavaScript, server push capabilities, Opera e-mail, voice technology, and client side image mapping.
Netscape Web browser
The first commercial Web browser was Netscape. The latest version is available for Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows 98 SE and Windows ME. Netscape Browser 8x is the next-generation release of Netscape's venerable and once extremely popular Web browser. Version 8.0 is based on code from company spin-off Mozilla, borrowing much of the functionality and format from the increasingly popular Firefox browser. The Netscape browser offers integrated pop-up controls, tabbed browsing features, and a password manager, but the most interesting and unique feature is the dual rendering and layout engines that allow users to switch between Firefox and IE.
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