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This post is posted to further discussed more in detail on the different types of web browsers.
This post is posted to further discussed more in detail on the different types of web browsers.
There are FOUR leading web browsers : Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Mac Safari and Netscape Navigator but there are many other browsers available. Now, we will discuss these browsers in a bit more detail.
Internet Explorer more commonly known as the IE is a product from the software giant Microsoft. It is the most widely-used web browser by people around the world. IE was first introduced in 1995 along with Windows 95 launch. Most people have a wrong idea that browsing the Internet is only possible through Internet Explorer. This simply proves that they are unaware of the various web browsers available and Internet Explorer is used by the majority. Since IE was introduced, its usage share was around 95% until 2004. However, with many companies coming up with web browsers that challenge IE in their features and usage, Microsoft occasionally updates with some improved capabilities. The 'favicon' which is the favorite icon first introduced in IE was later adopted by many other web browsers. Initially, IE did not support tabbed browsing but today, it can even be used in the older version by installing toolbars. The latest version is Internet Explorer 8 which is a FREE update. So, update your latest Internet Explorer NOW!
Mozilla Firefox is a new browser developed from Mozilla. It is owned by Mozilla Corporation and this browser has gone through many name changes due to name clashes with other products. It was initially named Phoenix, Firebird and finally Firefox. Mozilla Firefox was officially announced in February 2004. Since then, it had slowly grown to be the second most popular web browser after Internet Explorer. Until November 2008, 700 million downloads were recorded. The release of Firefox had became the main cause of the sales of IE to gone down drastically. Among all the other browsers, Firefox has around 22% of the market share at present. it has undergone many updates and version changes to improve usability to the universal users. Firefox is an open source software and its source code is available, therefore, it allows everyone to access the code. It supports tabbed browsing that allows users to open multiple sites in a single window.Besides that, session storage is also an important feature of Firefox which allows users to regain access to the open tabs after he/she has closed the window. Apart from these, there are many other user-friendly features that Firefox offers.
Mac Safari is a browser developed from Apple Inc., which is similar with Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows and the iPhone OS. Safari was first released as a public beta in January 2003. By March 2009, the market share of Safari has gone up to 8.23%. The Safari 4 beta release claims to have many features like the Voice Over Screen Reader. It is able to read aloud everything that takes place on the screen with text and web links. Besides that, Grammar Checking is another interesting built-in feature which performs grammar checks on typed text and gives suggestions to correct your sentence if wrong. If you need to fill an online form with your personal information, AutoFill is a feature that can automatically does that for you, with the help of information that is stored in your address book or Microsoft Outlook. Safari also has very good support for the latest technologies like XHTML, CSS2, JavaScript support and etc. Safari supports all the functions that are available in other web browsers. The Safari is also known for its sleek design.
Netscape Navigator was developed by the Netscape Communications Corporation and was most popular in the 1990s. It was one of the original web browsers and this is why Microsoft designed Internet Explorer to compete against it. Netscape and IE comprise the major portion of the browser market. With the help of exceptional features provided at the time of its release, it had raised its fame with a market share of more than 50% in the 1990s. It was compatible to almost every operating system. However, since 2002, it has almost disappeared from the market due to the strong competition from rivals like the Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Mac Safari and etc. Due to the strong competition, it had undergone multiple version changes to maintain its stake in the market but none was successful. The development of Netscape officially ended in February 2008.
Opera was developed by Opera Software in 1996. It is a well-known browser that is mainly used in the Internet activated mobile phones, PDAs and smartphones. Opera Mini and Opera Mobile are the browsers used in PDAs and smartphones. Though it is not a renowned computer web browser, it is popular as web browser in mobile devices. It is compatible to with Symbian and Windows Mobile operating system. Opera 9.64 which is the latest version provides am e-mail client known as the Opera Mail and an IRC chat client built-in. The Opera Software company self-proclaimed that Opera is 'the fastest browser on Earth'. Opera is fast, small and standard-compliant web browser. it is a preferred browser for a number of small devices like mobile phones and hand-held computers. It has some commons functions like zoom and fit-to -width, content blocking, tabs and sessions, download manager with BitTorrent, a search bar and mouse gestures.
Google Chrome is a free and open-source web browser developed by Google. Its beta and commercial versions were released in September 2008. It has soon become the fourth most widely used web browser with a market share of 1.23%. The browser options are very similar to Safari, while the setting locations are similar to Internet Explorer 7 and the window design s based on Windows Vista.
There are many different web browsers that are available and in use nowadays and they all come in a variety of features. However, many more are likely to arrive in future but only those which are exciting and user-friendly will be able to survive the market competition and hold on to a substantial market share.
Hopefully by now, you can have a little more knowledge on the different types of web browsers.
That's all from me, for now.
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Reference:
- http://www.w3schools.com/Browsers/default.asp
- http://www.tutorialspoint.com/web_developers_guide/web_browser_types.htm
