What is a browser and what is it for? Browser - what is it in simple words and which one is the best?

While the vast majority of older people are only superficially familiar with the Internet, for the younger generation, daily “web surfing” is as integral a procedure as brushing their teeth or eating food. However, even among those who access the Internet every day, few know what it is and what capabilities it has. Therefore, let's figure it out.

What is a browser and what is it for?

A browser is software that allows you to request and display the content of websites, manage virtual applications, download files from a computer, and perform many other tasks. The functionality of web browsers is constantly growing, which is facilitated by healthy competition between developers and the active implementation of information systems and technologies in various fields of activity. Most browsers are distributed free of charge, but some of them regularly invite the user to make a voluntary donation for their development.

The history of browsers and a brief overview of modern products

The first web browser was released in 1990 and was called WorldWideWeb (later renamed Nexus). The author of the project was the famous London inventor Sir Timothy John Berners-Lee, whose contribution to the development of information technology is difficult to overestimate. The basis for the world's first browser was the NeXTSTEP platform, also used in the development of Mac OS X.

However, due to the fact that the browser's program code remained closed for a long time (until 1993), NCSA Mosaic is considered to be the first browser released to the general public. It was he who served as the basis for Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer, and it was with him that the legendary “browser war” began.

Unlike Netscape, Microsoft distributed its product for free almost from the start, which allowed it to monopolize the market by 1999, occupying more than 95% of its volume. For users, this resulted in many sites and web documents being optimized for one specific browser (IE) and not opening in others. The developer himself, feeling the advantage, stopped paying due attention to the development of his product. Netscape took advantage of this. After leaving the market, she released the source code of her web browser under the MLP license, thereby dealing a “stab in the back” to Microsoft and laying the foundation for many modern projects, including:

Google Chrome

Today, Chrome is used daily by over 300 million users, which automatically makes it the most popular browser in the world. Based on Chromium and Blink, it is suitable for both casual and advanced PC users. The browser's strengths include:

• Security, which is expressed in the presence of a blacklist of phishing sites and resources containing malware, a personal task manager, etc.
• Speed. Thanks to DNS forward reading and the powerful V8 engine responsible for processing JavaScript, Chrome has some of the best page loading speeds.
• Stability. Chrome operates on the principles of multiprocessing, so a problem in one tab does not in any way affect the functioning of the others.

Among the disadvantages of the project, users highlight a large number of options for collecting information about the client’s web surfing and an artificially limited selection of parameters during installation. They are also not happy with the fact that the current version of the browser can be installed on a mobile device only if the latter has access to the Internet. Chrome has standalone downloaders, but they are not presented on the main page of the project.

Mozilla Firefox

This browser runs on the Gecko engine (which, as of version 57.0, is gradually being replaced by the new generation Quantum engine) and is the second most popular free software in the world. Officially released for Windows, Android, macOS, and GNU. In Linux distributions it is included in the pre-installed files. The web browser is being developed by Mozilla Corporation, which initially named its project Phoenix, but then (due to trademark conflicts) was forced to rename it first to Firebird and then to Firefox.

Although at one time the project was positioned as a legacy of Netscape, this is not entirely true. After the company's defeat in the “browser war,” its code was written from scratch. This allowed developers to make the product more flexible and responsive to user needs, as well as provide functionality that is not available to other web browsers.

The advantages of Firefox include:

• Regular updates.
• Prompt elimination of detected vulnerabilities.
• Ability to manage cookies.
• Features relevant for advanced users (including Incognito mode and a flexible graphics loading system).
• Support for W3C standards.
• Large selection of extensions and add-ons.
• Pop-up blocker.

Among the shortcomings, users highlight Firefox's close cooperation with Google and Adobe. For them, Google’s “live” search in the address bar and support for DRM plugins looks like an imposition of services, which is unacceptable for open source software.

Opera

Opera is one of the few browsers that have been ported to many operating systems. It is compatible with various builds of Windows, OS X, Linux, as well as mobile operating systems: Android, Windows Mobile, iOS, Symbian OS and MeeGo. One of Opera's greatest strengths is its work with JavaScript. Its loading speed is approximately 2 times higher than that of other browsers.

Developers pay special attention to online security. Thus, for encryption when a user visits protected pages, the SSL 3 and TLS protocols, known for their high reliability, are used. The database of saved passwords is encrypted using the 3DES algorithm, cutting off access to them to anyone who does not have the encryption key. Also, the latest releases introduced mechanisms to combat hidden mining, which is especially important given the growing interest in cryptocurrencies.

Among the disadvantages of Opera, users highlight:

• Cumbersome, not particularly user-friendly interface.
• Closed code that prevents third-party developers from finding vulnerabilities in the product and quickly fixing them.
• The transition to the WebKit engine, which increases its developer’s market share and may well contribute to the start of a new “browser war.”

In addition to the browser installed on the device, Opera offers its customers the so-called Opera@USB - a program that works directly from removable media. In fact, this allows you to have all your settings, bookmarks, chat logs and other data at your fingertips, wherever you are.

Safari

This web browser is a kind of alternative to Internet Explorer for all Apple electronic products. Developed from the freely available WebKit engine, it has been included in iOS and macOS for many years. Starting with version 3.0, Windows support was introduced. However, it ended at version 5.1.7. Safari has never been officially released for other operating systems.

The strengths of the browser include:

• Recognizes non-standard fonts used by sites and downloads them.
• Support for different encryption protocols.
• Private browsing is an alternative to Incognito mode.
• Integration of QuickTime multimedia technologies.

In Europe, Apple products occupy an increasing market share every year, and therefore the number of Safari users is steadily growing. In the second half of 2017, the browser took second position in the popularity ranking. In Russia, he has not yet achieved such success. Here the reviewer has so far been able to rise only to 4th place.

Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge

Speaking about web browsers, it would be a mistake not to mention Internet Explorer (for Windows 10 - Microsoft Edge), which today has become a stable supplier of local memes for the Internet community. Having once won the “browser war,” the developers were superficial in updating and protecting their product, which is why after a couple of years the progressive community practically abandoned it, preferring the more convenient and functional Firefox and Google Chrome.

Faced with harsh reality, Microsoft was forced to reconsider its priorities, and starting with the ninth version, the browser began to fully support SVG and CSS3 standards. Moreover, today the company's developers work closely with the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and actively participate in the creation of its standards. The implemented developments include Pointer events, which allows you to determine the type of user interaction with the device.

However, neither all these steps, nor rebranding and changing the name from Internet Explorer to Microsoft Edge, helped completely restore the browser’s reputation. For the most part, users still consider IE to be a slow and poorly secure product. This is confirmed by the fact that the browser is used mainly by employees of government agencies, to whom it is imposed despite the available alternatives.

What criteria are used to evaluate browsers?

The software market offers dozens of free or shareware web browsers, the abundance of which can make an inexperienced user's head spin. Choosing the best among them is not easy, because... some are not secure enough, others drag all sorts of software “garbage” into the system, others are not optimized and often “deadly hang” the system. Therefore, if you cannot boast of knowledge of modern standards, we suggest that when choosing a browser you should be guided by the following criteria:

Standards support

Almost all modern browsers position themselves as an independent innovative product. However, in reality, most of them are just another variation based on the now popular Chromium. There is nothing criminal about this, since the engine code is open. But some web browsers, supposedly at the stage of active development, for some reason use solutions from 2015, or even 2012 (which are now hopelessly outdated). The user will learn from personal experience why this indicator is critical when he tries to install an application and ends up seeing the following message:

And if the browser is not compatible with modern standards (for example, the HTTP/2 network protocol), you can forget about fast page loading, prioritizing requests, support for push notifications and many other functions and capabilities.

Want to check if your web browser is up to date? To do this, just find out its version and string User Agent. Information on the first point is in the “Help” - “About the program” section, on the second - using numerous online services.

Safety

Almost any program can have a vulnerability. However, not every developer can eliminate it, and even do it quickly. Therefore, to assess the security of a web browser, several indicators should be taken into account, such as:

• Exposure to vulnerabilities.
• Regularity of security updates.
• The number of vulnerabilities fixed since the release of this version.

Obviously, the most popular browsers, such as Chrome or Mozilla, will have an order of magnitude more problems than Safari or Yandex Browser. This is explained precisely by their popularity, because hackers’ actions are most often aimed at a mass audience. Finding vulnerabilities in unclaimed software is simply not interesting or profitable for “evil geniuses.”

Functionality

For the largest web browsers, this point is not particularly relevant. As soon as one developer introduces some new function into his browser, another almost immediately presents the same or a similar analogue. A striking example of this is the “Incognito” mode, which first appeared in Google Chrome and then was implemented in Firefox.

However, if you are using a lesser-known product, its functionality may be greatly reduced or modified compared to the “giants” of the industry. For example, some add-ons (blocking ads, allowing you to bypass blocking, etc.) are simply not installed on them. Somewhere video calls, “live” search or synchronization mode are not supported. However, the greatest concern among users is the national search engine Sputnik, for which a unique search system is being developed that provides information only from a limited number of sites.

User friendliness

This indicator is one of the key arguments in the ongoing debate on the topic of “the best browser.” Everyone has their own evaluation criteria here. For some, it’s enough for the browser to just work, for others, the ability to adapt the interface to suit them is critically important, while others put loading speed and RAM consumption above all else. However, several generalized parameters can be identified. So, a good browser:

• It does not drag extra “garbage” into the system in the form of applications and extensions that the user will not use. A clear example of this is “Amigo” from mail.ru, which, as soon as the user loses vigilance, installs “Mail.ru Agent” on the computer.
• It does not “hang” the system, taking the lion’s share of RAM with 1-2 open tabs, which is what Google and Firefox have been doing lately.
• It has an intuitive interface and gives the user maximum freedom when it comes to settings, which is definitely not the case with Opera and IE.

Browser Basics

However, for successful web surfing, the “best” browser alone will not be enough. Advanced features and convenient add-ons are of no use if you don't know how to use them properly. Therefore, we will consider the main features of browsers that everyone should be able to use.

Navigation

Although the interface of different browsers looks different, they all have common elements, including:

• The address bar is the place where the site address is written, and a quick search is also carried out (if the browser saves browsing history).
• Search is a rectangular window with a magnifying glass icon, which allows you to quickly use the search of Google, Yandex and other search engines without going directly to their pages.
• Buttons “Forward”, “Back” - help you navigate between multiple pages viewed in one tab.
• “Refresh” - by clicking this button you reload the page if it takes a long time to load or suddenly stops working.

Tabs and windows

Moving between pages (especially if there are more than 2) using the “Forward” and “Back” buttons is not always convenient. Therefore, more often than not, users prefer to open new pages in new tabs. All tabs are located within one window, and therefore switching between them occurs in one click.

Good to know:

• To add a new tab, just click on the “+” icon on the tab bar,
• To close unnecessary ones, use the mouse wheel on the tab itself.
• If you accidentally closed a tab that you needed, right-click on the tab bar and select “Restore closed tab” from the drop-down menu.
• If you need to compare two pages, open them in different windows. To do this, select “New Window” from the browser menu.

Downloading files and photos

Downloading multimedia, software, text and other files to a computer is one of the most popular functions of modern browsers. To save an image, just right-click on it, select “Save As” and in the window that appears, specify the desired file name and save path. For files, this process is often more simplified. Once you click "Download", "Upload" or another button with a similar name, the file will be added to the downloads folder on your computer. To find out its location, go to your browser settings and look for the “Path to save files” item or similar wording.

However, do not forget that files saved from the Internet often contain malicious codes and other dangers. Therefore, never agree to a race if:

• Not sure about the reliability of the resource.
• To download, you are asked to send an SMS to a number.
• To start downloading, you need to install a third-party plugin or program.

Plugins and extensions

When working with any program, the user always strives to customize it “for himself.” And browsers are no exception. In an effort to make web surfing more comfortable, browser developers have created their own online stores where anyone can display their application. Here you can find browser themes, ad blockers, block bypass services, systems for downloading from YouTube, VKontakte and other media resources in one click, and much more. Whether the product will be distributed for free or paid depends only on its author.

Where to look for the list of plugins available for installation depends on which browser you use. So, in Firefox, just hold down the key combination “Ctrl+Shift+A” (which corresponds to the transition: “Tools” - “Add-ons”). And in Google you will need to open the menu bar (a vertical row of three dots), select “Additional tools” in the drop-down table, and then “Extensions”. Or open the Google application store by going to: “Settings” - “Advanced” - “Accessibility”.

Browsing history

Found an interesting resource a few days ago, but forgot to bookmark it? It doesn’t matter, the browser (unless otherwise specified in the settings) stores the entire history of your web surfing over the past few months. It also features a convenient search system, which means that if you remember the approximate date of viewing or (at least partially) the name of the page, it will not be difficult to find it. This service may be named differently in different browsers, but the essence always comes down to “history” or “browsing history.”

Bookmarks

There is more and more information on the Internet every day. When there are only 2 or 3 sites that interest you, storing their addresses in memory or on paper may be convenient. But what to do when the number of important pages exceeds a hundred? That's right, mark them with “bookmarks”. This function is now implemented in all popular browsers.

Click on the special icon (most often resembling an asterisk), which is located either in the address bar itself or directly next to it. The browser will prompt you to add the page to the list of bookmarks and assign a name by which it will be easy to find later. If the list turns out to be too large, group sites into sites into folders that you also create yourself.

Why do you need to update your browser?

For an advanced user, such a question will seem strange. However, many beginners seriously do not understand why update it

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