Abstract

Many people are unfamiliar with Internet terminology. They have often asked as to the origins and the meaning of an Internet Browser. Here we will try to add a little meaning and explanation to one of the most important programs on the Internet. If we look at the history of browsers for a moment, it may help to understand what browsers are.

History

Sometime in the mid 1960's, during the Cold War, it became apparent that there was a need for a bombproof communications system. A concept was devised to link computers together throughout the country. With such a system in place large sections of the country could be nuked and messages could still get through. And so it was the Internet was born as a communications tool. No ABC.net.au, no CartoonNetwork.com, just e-mails and transmitting files in both directions. It was certainly a boon for those who needed it, but definitely not friendly to use, cheap or readily accessible to the general public.

Browsers have really been around for a quite a long time, only we never called them browsers. Instead, we called them viewers, text readers or a read-only application. They had names like these because all these programs did was to open simple files of text and let someone read them, very much like you would with a book. These programs were displayed on what computer folks called dumb terminals.

It is generally not considered politically correct to call things dumb, but compared to the types of computers we used today these computers could not be considered very smart. They did not run games or word processors or the like. All they did was show information from large, room sized computers called servers or hosts.

Browsers and the World Wide Web

You can think of the web as the illustrated version of the Internet. It began in the late 1980's when physicist Dr. Tim Berners-Lee wrote a small computer program for his own personal use. This program allowed pages, within his computer, to be linked together using keywords. It soon became possible to link documents in different computers, as long as they were connected to the Internet. The document formatting language used to link documents is called HTML (Hypertext Markup Language.)

The Web however remained primarily text based until 1992. Two events occurred that year that would forever change the way the Web looked. Marc Andreesen developed a new computer program called the NCSA Mosaic (National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois) and gave it away! The NCSA Mosaic was the first Web Browser. This type of browser made it easier to access the different Web sites that had started to appear.

Soon Web sites contained more than just text, they also had sound and video files. They now extend out to other file types including sensory emulations.

These pages, written in the hyper-text markup language, have "links" that allowed the user to quickly move from one document to another...even when the documents were stored in different computers.

Web browsers "read" the html text and convert it into a page like the one you are now looking at.

Each web site has an address, or Uniform Resource Locator (URL).  The URL contains a set of instructions that are read by the browser.

Protocol Domain Directory Document

http://www.crt.net/e-topics/browsers

The beginning of the URL contains the protocol.  This is usually "http" (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) or "ftp" (File Transfer Protocol).  The second section of the URL reveals the domain.  Directories follow the domain.  Lastly is the name of the document.  (If no document is named the browser will automatically open any document in the directory named "default" or "index."

People were calling the information on the World Wide Web "pages," and calling the act of reading those pages "browsing", so, that's where the name "browser" comes from.

It is about this time, when average people like you and started using the World Wide Web, that it would be called "surfing the Web." The name browser stuck, though, because it tells us what this program does: it lets us browse through all of the mountains of information on the Web.

You can call any program like this a browser, of course. A program that did nothing but show pictures could be a picture browser. But nowadays we keep the name with the Web browsers like Internet Explorer, Opera, and Netscape.

What are these Browser wars we have heard about?

By In mid-1994 Netscape Communications, then called the Mosaic browser was starting to make splashes outside of the academic circles where it had begun. Netscape quickly became a success and had an overwhelming market share. It created and innovated at an incredible pace. New HTML capabilities in the form of "extensions" were introduced. These capabilities helped cement Netscape’s dominance. By the end of 1995, by some accounts, Netscape had as much as an 80%+ market share.

With the launch of Windows 95 and a web browser of its own (Internet Explorer) in August 1995, Microsoft began an effort to challenge Netscape. Unlike Netscape, Internet Explorer was free of charge it was not until January 1998, Netscape made an announcement that their browser would thereafter be free.

Slowly, Internet Explorer gained market share ground. By the fourth generations of both browsers, Internet Explorer had caught up technologically with Netscape's browser. As time went on, Netscape's market share diminished from its once-towering percentages. It now accounts for around 30% of the market.

Microsoft eventually chose to embed its browser inextricably into its operating systems. This effectively meant that you had to buy a Microsoft operating system if you wanted to use Internet Explorer and was said to have an unfair competitive advantage and have a monopolistic advantage. Microsoft is now before the courts of America and may even see the company broken up if its competitors and the legal system have their way.

Are Netscape and Explorer the only browsers available?

Currently there are many Web browsers available over and above the standard but very popular Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer. Critics frequently disagree over which browser is superior. Most people prefer whichever browser they used first.

Some browsers are quite small whilst others are very large and may take up quite a lot of space on your computer and need significant set-up time. Yet others can be very personalised with your own screen look, feel and sound to them.

Almost all these browsers can be obtained over the Internet. You should feel free to download whichever one you are currently not using and take it for a test-drive. Charging a fee is virtually unheard of.

What are the features of these alternatives that would make us want to use them?

Usually the answer is in the form of leaner, sleeker alternatives, such as the lightweight Opera browser from Opera Software, or the Enigma browser from Sutton Designs. Whilst Netscape and Explorer are around 20 to 30 megabytes in size (a long time when you are downloading over the Internet) these designs are around half to one megabyte in size.

Often the other most outstanding feature is speed. These alternatives are usually fast. Opera is said to be the fastest browser in the world. They also offer an alternate means of showing additional windows and navigating around their screens with or without a mouse.

For those who are into personalisation the NeoPlanet browser is very stylish looking. With over 500 stylish skins the NeoPlanet can look, feel, and sound the way you want it to.

What does this term plugin mean?

Even though these web browsers have everything necessary for you to explore and enjoy the Internet, you may wish to add some "specialised" software to make your Internet experience even more rewarding.

You may decide that you want to add Plugins to your browser. These are necessary if you wish to hear sounds and see some advanced animations and videos. Even though browsers have the capability for e-mail and newsgroups you may wish to install separate software for these applications.

Chatting of course is possible without subscribing to an online service, however you may need separate software. Browsers can now even exude scents from devices attached to the computer.

What are the challenges for future browsers?

Perhaps the biggest challenge for the next generation of browsers will be the mobile computing generation of devices, commonly known as WAP (Wireless Application Protocol). Browsing the Internet using the real estate of a WAP device screen is considered the most significant obstacle thus far.

Challenges for Web pages are being able to display on any browser. Tim Berners-Lee in Technology Review stated "Anyone who slaps a 'this page is best viewed with Browser X' label on a Web page appears to be yearning for the bad old days, before the Web, when you had very little chance of reading a document written on another computer, another word processor, or another network."

Arthur Hissey
Computer Research & Technology
www.crt.net.au