Hello, dear readers of the blog site. Browsers are important not only for users who are looking for the fastest, most convenient and bug-free version of the Internet browser, but also for webmasters.
It's no secret that in different programs some sites can be displayed differently, and to prevent this from happening, webmasters try to use. But today I want to move away from the problems of webmastering a bit and invite you to try to evaluate the most popular known browsers together with me.
For the convenience of evaluation, I decided to divide them into two groups: popular and little-known. I will also give a general description of all the creations participating in the review with links to detailed description all their possibilities.
I'll start with what is a browser and what is the history of the development of this area of software. Of course, the first browser could have been born only after . Actually, it was he who created the first browser, because without this necessary attribute, the whole meaning of his invention would lose its meaning. Let me explain my thought.
Tim Bernes-Lee developed all the technical aspects (http data exchange protocol, Html hypertext markup language, formation principles and much more). But all this would have given nothing without a program that would interpret the markup language of the pages in their display on the monitor screen.
In fact, the browser is an interpreter Html language, CSS style markup and Java scripting. Moreover, different versions some nuances may vary, which leads to the complexity of site layout. But webmasters have long learned how to get out of these situations, and in most popular browsers, all network resources are almost always displayed correctly.
The first graphical browser(it could already display not only text, lists and tables, but also pictures!) was the famous Mosaic. In fact, he became the ancestor of all modern columnists and his popularity at that time was very high. Using his code, such well-known masterpieces as Netscape and the first Internet Explorer were developed, which, due to its integration with the Windows operating system and free, completely ousted the first player from the market.
However, the non-profit organization Mazila was created, which inherited the Netscape source codes (actually Mosaic). Nevertheless, this company, whose name comes from a variation of the English words "kill mosaics", completely redesigned the code of the first browser and created one of today's market leaders - Mazila Firefox.
Usually, the quality of work with a particular browser is judged by its functionality, ease of use, launch speed and speed of loading new pages (this is especially critical). Also an important aspect now is the safety of work and the stability of the program in case of any bullying. Almost all leaders meet these requirements to one degree or another.
In addition, almost everything, because any other distribution model dooms developers to failure and obscurity. As you probably remember, a very good browser called Opera, starting from the date of its birth (1995), was paid and only in 2005 there was an official opportunity to download it for free (we, dear residents of the post-Soviet space, have not waited). What did it lead to?
In Runet, Opera now occupies a leading position (it was very nice to have a paid program for free at one time - if anyone remembers), well, among the stingy bourgeois, the paidness of this application is still strong in memory and its share in the bourgeoisie barely exceeds one percent. So here it is.
In fact, the nine and its followers are a ray of light among the frankly mediocre previous implementations of this mastodon. This version browser is quite stable, well protected and fast enough. But still, this version did not demonstrate any special advantages over other modern analogues, and the share of Internet Explorer in the world (and RuNet in particular) continues to decline steadily (only 25% of the entire market).
It is held only by the initial integration into all Windows versions. However, the soft ones have their own assets, for which it is simply necessary to take data on user preferences when traveling on the Internet, and for this purpose ideal solution is the browser. So I'm sure that in the new 10 Internet versions Explorer MicroSoft will push to get ahead or at least not far behind the competition.
Since 2005, Opera can be downloaded completely free of charge, but it was its payment until 2005 that played a cruel joke:
In addition to the desktop version, there are also quite popular mobile versions of the browser, which now occupy a leading position in their segment. So in the camp of the developers of this miracle, everything is not so bad.
Having appeared later than all other competitors (in 2008), Chrom took a very sharp start and overtook all other players in about four years. It has already overtaken it by a lot (42% of the entire market) and this can be considered a huge success for such a young product.
This browser is primarily distinguished by its amazing speed and reliability, which allows it not to fall even when one of the open pages or applications freezes. Well, they complete the picture of an excellent browser.
Naturally, Chrome can be downloaded completely free of charge by accepting the terms of its use on the official website using the button just above.
Of course, there are dozens of various Internet browsers, whose fate is not as pampering as the five indicated just above. It is not possible to consider them all within the framework of this article, so I decided to focus only on those reviewers who decided to "sit on the tail" of the now super popular Chrome. Fortunately, it is based on the free WebKit engine.
It is clear that the prototype (test stand) of Chrom called . In principle, it has a lot of the functionality of the brainchild of Google and the numbering of its versions is ahead of the versions of the fastest browser in the world:
However, Chromium is somewhat inferior to Chrome in terms of functionality, and it clearly loses to it in terms of stability, because in fact it is at the beta testing stage all the time. Probably, I would not use it as the main browser.
Everything changed, but not one of the browsers, even after refreshing the page while holding Shift on the keyboard, did not display the changes made. I had to clear the cache and only after that everything fell into place. How to do it?
Good luck to you! See you soon on the blog pages site
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Novice Internet users ask what a browser is, how it works, and which program is better to give preference to for PC and phone. Other questions arise regarding the use of the software and its installation by default. Below we will analyze in detail all the points that interest beginners.
So, first of all, let's look at the meaning of the word. So what is a browser? If to speak in simple words, a browser is a program designed to download and view pages, download files, manage applications, and perform other tasks. The first such software appeared 26 years ago in 1993. Its name is NCSA Mosaic. The creators of the browser were E. Bina and M. Anderssen, who developed a program for Windows. The feature of the software was open source, which was later used to create more modern software - Netscape Navigator.
Considering what a browser is and why it is for you, one more thing should be noted. This is a special web interface, designed, as a rule, for surfing the Internet. This software is distributed free of charge. It may be supplied as a standalone unit or as an add-on to other elements of the software. For example, Internet Explorer comes with Windows, Safari comes with Mac OS X, and Google Chrome, Opera and other software as separate software.
Analyzing what a browser is on a computer, you can simply say - this is what you are now reading this text on the Internet in. At the request of the user, the browser submits a request to the web server, from where the response comes and the transfer of the desired page. After processing the information, the web browser provides information to the user in a convenient form.
In general, as you understand, in the realities of the 21st century, it is simply impossible to do without a Web browser. But let's say you already have it, what to do with it?
Above, we partially considered what a web browser is and what it is for. At the present stage, the program is used on the Internet and allows you to solve the following tasks:
Depending on the functionality, the browser may provide additional features, for example, accessing sites via VPN, setting individual settings, etc.
Now let's look at what browsers are for PCs and phones. Note that the names of web browsers may overlap. This is due to the fact that almost all manufacturers make software for computers and smartphones in order to cover the maximum market share.
If we select browsers for computers, for 2019 there are five programs in the category of the best. Let's consider them in more detail. Please note that below are the most popular ones. But if suddenly your PC does not pull them, you will need to pick up
Yandex is a fast and convenient web browser that has many additional applications(traffic, weather, music, mail, etc.). It has a nice interface, easy to manage, supports extensions from other browsers (Opera, Chrome). When creating, the greatest attention was paid to safety. The program quickly detects and blocks suspicious sites. There is a turbo mode for loading, a smart line with useful information.
Cons - periodically there are problems with the transfer of history, the lack of benefit for people who do not use Yandex services.
When considering what browsers are, one of the the best programs- Google Chrome. It has a high connection speed with pages, a simple but understandable design, a lot of applications. Here, for the first time, the search bar and address entry for the site are combined. Today, many developers have adopted this idea. It is based on the WebKit engine that was used to create Safari. Security was a key focus during development. Users are protected from phishing, viruses and other online dangers.
Pros - a separate service panel, fast with other devices, availability, high download speed, monitoring of used resources, the ability to.
Cons - high requirements for RAM (from 2 GB or more), fast discharge of laptops, lack of Russian in many applications.
This web explorer is deservedly in the top three, thanks to many useful extensions, automatic ad blocking and other "chips". Here you can quickly create screenshots, there is a built-in reader and a level of security is guaranteed. The control panel is convenient and functional, with support for WASM and WebVR. All updates are installed in automatic mode. You can change the menu settings as you like.
Pros - convenience for web developers, the ability to customize the appearance "for yourself", a convenient reader for documents, reliability.
Cons - slower speed compared to competitors, periodic failures in opening pages, large RAM requirements.
It's no secret that the browser is primarily a surfing tool. In this regard, the Opera does a good job. It has been on the market for a long time (since 1994), uses the same technology as Chrome. Users have access to a turbo mode for faster downloads, a built-in VPN, a convenient access panel, and even voice control. You can watch video content in pop-up windows.
Pros - built-in VPN, widget support, big choice hot combinations, versatility.
Cons - less reliability, high system requirements, periodic problems when interacting with WML.
The Internet Explorer browser was once the leader, but today it has lost its position. This program is built into Windows and is installed by default. After the update, the speed of work has increased, the interface has been simplified, the necessary programs are supported for the correct display of information. In version 11, a privacy mode appeared,
Pros - does not require installation, there is a SmartScreen filter, combining the address bar with search, speeding up pages.
Cons - small functionality, poor choice of extensions, simple design.
Other developments can be added to the list already considered - Uran, Mawthon, Safari, etc.
Many users are more interested in the question of what is an Internet browser in the phone. In terms of functionality and purpose, this is the same program as for a PC. The difference is that the application is written for the OS for phones - Android, iOS, and so on. Therefore, working in the browser is only available from a mobile device.
The list of the best browsers for smartphones has a different look:
Today, every user knows the benefits of a browser and why it is needed in the phone. This is not surprising, because surfing from a PC is gradually moving to mobile devices. This fact is confirmed by the activity of manufacturers who are increasingly focused on creating programs for smartphones. Users can only choose or iPhone. As for the above list, it can be supplemented with other programs - UC Browser, Maxthon5 Browser, etc.
Now you know what browsers are, what it is in simple words, and how it is used. The difficulty is that in the variety of programs it is difficult to navigate and choose a worthwhile option. In order not to make a mistake with the choice, it is recommended to follow the following criteria:
When choosing a web explorer, you need to consider that the browser is primarily an assistant when working on the Web. That is why reliability, safety and speed of work remain the main criteria.
When working with a file, you see a link and click it to view the information. Immediately after that, the browser that is set by default opens. In the Windows operating system, this is almost always Internet Explorer, but the user can make changes and install the web explorer that suits him best. The question arises why it is needed. The option is set in order not to make a choice each time to launch any page or file for viewing using such software.
Let's see how to set the default browser for different options:
After completing the above steps, the browser of interest will always open by default.
Now consider the location of the browser, where it is located in a computer or phone. Applied to a PC already after loading the operating system Windows browser IE can be seen on the desktop. Alternative options - go to the Start menu and find the program in the program list. Alternatively, find it on your desktop. In the phone, the browser after installation will be available from the desktop or the applications section.
For dummies, it is very important not only to find and install a browser, but also to figure out how to use it. Each web explorer has an individual appearance and features. Let's take a quick look at each option:
It is important to consider that developers are constantly optimizing their products and releasing new versions of browsers. As a result, much can change, but the principle of management itself remains constant. At the same time, everything is done so that every beginner can quickly figure it out and start surfing the Web.
Have a great day!
If the vast majority of older people are only superficially familiar with the Internet, for the younger generation, daily “web surfing” is as essential as brushing your teeth or eating food. However, even among those who access the network every day, few know what it is and what opportunities it has. Therefore, let's figure it out.
Browser - software that allows you to query and display the content of websites, manage virtual applications, download files from your computer, and perform many other tasks. The functionality of web browsers is constantly growing, which is facilitated by healthy competition between developers and active implementation. information systems and technologies in various fields of activity. Browsers are distributed for the most part for free, but some of them regularly offer the user to make a voluntary donation for their development.
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 information technologies hard to overestimate. The basis for the world's first browser was the NeXTSTEP platform, which is also used in the development of Mac OS X.
However, because the browser code for a long time(until 1993) remained closed, the first browser released to the masses is considered to be NCSA Mosaic. It was he who served as the basis for Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer, it was with him that the legendary “browser war” began.
Unlike Netscape, Microsoft almost initially distributed its product for free, which allowed it to monopolize the market by 1999, occupying more than 95% of its volume. For users, this turned out to be that many sites and web documents were optimized for one specific browser (IE) and did not open in others. The developer himself, feeling the advantage, stopped paying due attention to the development of his product. This is what Netscape took advantage of. Leaving the market, she released the source code of her web browser under the MLP license, thereby inflicting a "stab in the back" on Microsoft and laying the foundation for many modern projects, including:
Today, Chrome is used by over 300 million daily users, which automatically makes it the most popular browser in the world. Based on Chromium and Blink, it suits both the casual and advanced PC user. The strengths of the browser include:
Of the minuses of the project, users highlight a large number of options for collecting information about the client's web surfing and an artificially limited choice of parameters during installation. They are also dissatisfied with the fact that Current version browser can be set to mobile device only if the latter has access to the Internet. Chrome has standalone downloaders, but on home page projects are not presented.
This browser runs on the Gecko engine (which since 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 among the pre-installed files. The web browser is being developed by Mozilla Corporation, which originally called 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.
Firefox benefits include:
Among the shortcomings, users highlight Firefox's close cooperation with Google and Adobe corporations. For them, a "live" Google search in the address bar and support for DRM plugins looks like an imposition of services, which is unacceptable for open source software.
Opera is one of the few browsers that has 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 the strengths of Opera is working with JavaScript. Its download speed is about 2 times higher than that of other browsers.
Developers pay special attention to network security. So, to encrypt when a user visits protected pages, they use SSL protocols 3 and TLS, known for their high reliability. The database of saved passwords is encrypted using the 3DES algorithm, cutting off access to those who do not have the encryption key. Also, in recent releases, mechanisms were presented to combat hidden mining, which is especially important against the backdrop of growing interest in cryptocurrencies.
Among the disadvantages of Opera, users distinguish:
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 hand, wherever you are.
This web browser is a kind of alternative to Internet Explorer for all Apple electronic products. Developed on the basis of the freely distributed code of the WebKit engine, it has been part of iOS and macOS for many years. Since version 3.0, it has been introduced Windows support. However, it ended with version 5.1.7. Safari has never been officially released for other operating systems.
The strengths of the browser include:
In Europe, Apple products occupies an increasing market share every year, in connection with which the number of Safari users is steadily growing. In the second half of 2017, the browser ranked second in popularity. In Russia, however, he has not yet been able to achieve such success. Here, the browser has so far been able to climb only 4 lines.
Speaking of web browsers, it would be a mistake not to mention Internet Explorer (for Windows 10 - Microsoft Edge), which today has become a stable provider of local memes for the Internet community. Having once won the "browser war", the developers were superficial about updating and protecting their product, which is why a couple of years later the progressive community practically abandoned it, preferring the more convenient and functional Firefox and Google Chrome.
Faced with harsh reality, Microsoft was forced to rethink its priorities, and starting with the ninth version, the browser began to fully support the SVG and CSS3 standards. Moreover, today the company's developers work closely with the Consortium World Wide Web» (W3C) and actively participate in the creation of its standards. The number of implemented developments includes Pointer events, which allows you to determine the type of user interaction with the device.
However, none of these steps, nor the rebranding and name change from Internet Explorer to Microsoft Edge, helped restore the browser's reputation completely. For the most part, users still find IE to be slow and poorly protected. This is confirmed by the fact that the browser is mainly used by employees of state institutions, on whom it is imposed despite the available alternatives.
The software market offers dozens of free or shareware web browsers, the abundance of which makes an inexperienced user dizzy. It is not easy to choose the best among them, because. some are not secure enough, others drag any software “garbage” into the system, others are not optimized and often “hardly hang” the system. Therefore, if you cannot boast of knowledge of modern standards, we suggest that you be guided by the following criteria when choosing a browser:
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 in this, since the program code of the engine is open. Here are just some web browsers, allegedly being at the stage of active development, for some reason use solutions from 2015 or even 2012 (which are now hopelessly outdated). Why this indicator is critical, the user will learn on personal experience, when it tries to install some application, and eventually sees the following message:
And if the browser is also with modern standards (for example, with network protocol HTTP/2) is not friendly, you can forget about fast page loading, request prioritization, support for push notifications, and many other features and capabilities.
Do you want to check your web browser for up-to-dateness? To do this, it is enough to find out its version and the string user agent. Information on the first item is located in the "Help" - "About" section, on the second - with the help of numerous online services.
Almost every program has 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 at once, such as:
Obviously, the most popular browsers, such as Chrome or Mozilla, will have an order of magnitude more problems than the same Safari or Yandex Browser. This is due precisely to their popularity, because the actions of hackers are most often aimed at a mass audience. It is simply not interesting or profitable for "evil geniuses" to look for vulnerabilities in unclaimed software.
For the largest web browsers, this item is not particularly relevant. It is worth one developer to implement some kind of new feature, as the other almost immediately presents the same or similar analogue in meaning. 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, users are most concerned about the national search engine Sputnik, for which a unique search engine is being developed that provides information from only a limited number of sites.
This indicator is one of the key arguments in the ongoing debate about “the best browser”. Evaluation criteria here are different for everyone. For some, it’s enough for the browser to just work, for others the ability to adapt the interface for themselves is critical, and for others, download speed and RAM consumption are above all else. However, several generalized parameters can be distinguished. So a good browser:
However, for successful web surfing, the "best" browser alone will not be enough. There's no point in advanced features and handy add-ons if you don't know how to work with them the right way. Therefore, we will consider the main features of browsers that everyone should be able to use.
Although the interface different browsers looks different, all of them have common elements, including:
Navigating between pages (especially if there are more than 2) using the "Forward" and "Back" buttons is not always convenient. Therefore, more often users prefer to open new pages in new tabs. All tabs are placed within the same window, and therefore switching between them occurs with one click of the mouse.
Good to know:
Downloading multimedia, software, text and other files to a computer is one of the most requested features of modern browsers. To save the 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. After you click on "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 find the item "File saving path" or a similar wording.
However, do not forget that files saved from the Internet often contain malicious codes and other dangers. Therefore, never settle for a jump if:
Working with any program, the user always seeks 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 submit their application. Here you can find browser themes, ad blockers, blocking bypass services, systems for downloading from YouTube, VKontakte and other media resources in one click, and much more. The product will be distributed for free or paid, depends only on its author.
Where to look for a list of plugins available for installation depends on which browsers 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 the “Additional tools” item in the drop-down table, and then “Extensions”. Or open a shop Google Apps, alternately going to: "Settings" - "Advanced" - "Accessibility".
Found an interesting resource a few days ago, but forgot to bookmark it? It doesn't matter, the browser (unless the settings provide otherwise) stores the entire history of your web surfing for the last few months. It also has 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. IN different browsers this service can be called by many different names, but the essence always boils down to "history" or "browsing log".
There is more and more information on the web every day. When there are only 2 or 3 sites of interest to you, it can be convenient to store their addresses in memory or on paper. But what to do when the number of important pages exceeds a hundred? That's right, bookmark them. This function today 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 your bookmark list and give it a name that will make it easy to find it later. If the list is too large, group sites into sites in folders that you also create yourself.
To an advanced user, such a question will seem strange. However, many beginners in all seriousness do not understand why update it.
Complain about content
The first word that any newcomer hears when entering the Internet is a browser. What is a browser? What are they, how to choose the best? There are a lot of questions, but often there are no answers to them on the network or they have to be collected in parts. I am going to write a full article on this topic so that any beginner reading it will understand everything from A to Z. For example, you will need to explain the basics of surfing the Internet to your grandmother, who is far from a computer like the Earth is from Jupiter. It's not a problem! Just open my article to her and let her be enlightened! ;)
So, here is a small plan of our today's lesson - lectures - notes, as you like.
We will move according to this plan so as not to miss anything. After this lesson, you should not have blank spots in this topic. To begin with, I will give a couple of definitions and descriptions of the term "Browser", since everyone tends to give it its own interpretation, but it can often be erroneous or incomplete. If you give several explanations at once, you can get a complete picture. Then I will tell a brief history development of browsers in order to understand how it all began and where it is going. Only knowing history, even if it is brief, can one understand the current state of affairs. This rule works everywhere: in the political sphere, in the computer sphere, in the legal sphere, and in whatever else. Next will be ALL modern browsers that have some weight in the market. After all, why do you need to know about some exotic program that a bunch of geeks use? I think there is no need. All right, we're starting.
1) Browser, Web browser, is a special program designed to view websites. This happens with the help of http requests to the server and receiving data from it, which are processed according to special approved standards and thus a web page is formed.
2) More plain language Browser is the program that you have open in this moment and with the help of which you have the opportunity to read my article now. That is, the browser is a conductor between the World Wide Web and the user. It is he who allows you to access the entire set of information available on the Internet.
Now it is clear. We turn on the computer, connect to the Internet, but get any data from it without special program it is forbidden. There must be software that can request information, receive it, process it and display it on the user's screen. This is exactly what the browser does.
The very first browser with a graphical interface is Mosaic from NCSA. But despite being a pioneer in the browser field, Mosaic's development was discontinued in 1997 due to market loss. Now I will explain how it all happened. The fact is that some employees from the NCSA migrated to Netscape and began developing a new, more advanced browser - Netscape Navigator. It should have better standards support and be much more user-friendly. They succeeded and their product was a success.
The notorious Microsoft company drew attention to this. It is logical, because such a huge piece of the pie practically floated away from their hands. But the situation quickly changed, and in a completely opposite direction, when Microsoft, based on the open source code of the first graphical browser Mosaic, quickly assembled its own browser - Interner Explorer. They included it as a mandatory update for their Windows 95 operating system and it was all set. Now each user was practically deprived of the right to choose, including because of his illiteracy in this matter. That's the whole secret of the stunning success of IE - monopoly. The brainchild of Moykrosoft quickly captured the niche and had about 95% of the market. In this regard, Netscape was forced to close its project. But here they took a rather correct step, namely, they published the code under the MPL free license (which stands for Mozilla public License). It was a great contribution to the fight against monopoly.
It was on the basis of this code that subsequently appeared a completely new project Mozilla Firefox, which was forced to develop faster than IE in order to win back the market. And the Microsoft project, meanwhile, was abandoned and practically not improved. They did not need it, because users had practically no choice, or rather, the vast majority did not know about the alternatives in the person of the same Mozilla. In the same 1995, another browser appeared - Opera, which, due to its free (until 2005, was distributed shareware) was gaining popularity in the CIS countries. IE continued its development only to the 7th version.
Thus, we smoothly approached the next point.
Google Chrome
. This is a browser that is being developed by the giant Google based on their own free browser Chromium. It uses the WebKit engine (Webkit) to display the resulting web pages. The first public available beta version of Chrome for the operating system Microsoft Windows was released on September 2, 2008. A little later, on December 11, 2008, a stable version was released. According to StatCounter, the browser is currently in first place in terms of popularity in the world, and its market share in May 2012 was 32.43%. As for the RuNet, LiveInternet reports that in May 2012 Chrome takes the first place - its share is about 20.6%. As of January 2014 - 32%.
Distributed free of charge under a public license. Included in the set Mozilla programs Application Suite operated by Mozilla Corporation. According to Statcounter, Firefox is the third most popular in the world, but the second among free software, thus in May 2012, its market share was 25.55%. It is also worth noting that this browser has a particular success, for example, in Germany and Poland. There he occupies 55% and 47% of the market, respectively. As for Russia, here Firefox ranks third in popularity with a share of 23.73% of users by July 2012. And in January 2014 it was only 14%.
Internet Explorer. A series of browsers developed by Microsoft since 1995. It is included in the set of operating systems of the Windows family. IE, according to the LiveInternet service, in Russia by March 2012 is already in third place with 15.6% of users. As mentioned above, the first place Google browser Chrome. It is worth taking into account that Internet Explorer is installed in almost all large and medium-sized companies as the only browser for the purposes of the security policy of organizations. In fact, alternative browsers are no worse in this regard, it’s just that the stereotype “since IE is being developed by Microsoft, then this is a serious product” has firmly settled into the minds of management, which does not want to hear that the situation is actually completely different. Often on working computers, versions 5 and 6 of IE are installed, which has unpatched vulnerabilities three or four years ago.
Opera. Web browser and software package to work on the Internet. Produced by Opera Software. It was developed in 1994 by a group of enthusiasts from the small Norwegian company Telenor. Since 1995, it has been a product of Opera Software, which was founded by the authors of the first version. It is known that the total market share of Opera and Opera Mobile in April 2012 is about 2.3%. In Russia, the percentage of browser users is much higher than in the general world. So, as of March 2012, Opera, together with the mobile version of Opera Mini, ranked first in Russia with 32.1% of users. But by 2013 everything had changed. The quality of the mobile version of the browser fell, and the appearance of the desktop version of Opera 18, where bookmarks turned into something very inconvenient, Opera began to lose its fans dramatically. As of January 2014 - 9%.
Apple Safari. The browser that was developed Apple Corporation. Part of the operating Mac systems OS X and iOS, of course. It is also distributed absolutely free for Windows operating systems. It ranks 4th in terms of the number of users (share as of November 2011 - 6.66%). In the Russian-speaking segment of the Internet, its share is 8% as of January 2014.
The general graph of the popularity of browsers on the global Internet: 
As you can see, the graph confirms everything I wrote. IE from the very beginning was almost a monopoly in this area. But gradually its share was reduced due to the low quality of work. It crashed constantly, didn't support tabs for a very long time (each page opened in a new window, but freezing 1 window caused everyone to crash). Since its inception, FireFox has been ardently loved by active users who saw this browser as the main competitor to Internet Explorer. But with the advent of Chrome, everything began to change dramatically and at the moment the browser from Google completely dominates this market.
That's all, other browsers, in my purely personal opinion, are not worthy of attention. I'm not the ultimate truth, I'm just expressing my thoughts.
Outcome. Today I told you about all the popular browsers, now you know what a browser is, as well as their history. I hope this article was useful for you!
I recently wrote an article about fast browser(), in which he shared the results of his personal research on this issue. And, after that, in communication with one of my friends, I discovered that not all people know what a browser is. So I decided to make an article and tell in it more about the following:
To begin with, all the files that we encounter are a certain code consisting of ones and zeros. And, in order for the information encrypted in this code to be used, a program is needed that will decrypt this code.
Each type of file uses its own code and, accordingly, needs its own program. For example, works with archives, a program works with an image.
A browser is also a program that works with certain types of files. These are web page files created in htm, html, php and other formats.
To better understand, do an experiment. Open any site, right-click on the screen and select "page source code" from the drop-down menu.
You will see an interesting thing - hundreds of lines in the form of incomprehensible commands and operators, recognizable fragments of human text will flash between them. This is how a computer sees our sites, but people are not able to perceive such a format for presenting information - we need a “translation”.
This translation is done by a web browser, it reads all commands and operators and, depending on their meaning, breaks the text into paragraphs, changes the size and position of pictures, highlights links, overlays a background and plays a video.
The next time you hear a question about a browser, you can safely say - this is a translator from the language of web pages to human.
Despite the huge variety of Internet browsers (their number is measured in hundreds), less than a dozen have had real popularity for many years. All the rest are of little interest.
Internet Explorer- both the most common and most criticized browser. The secret of its popularity lies in the fact that it is installed by default on any computer running the Windows operating system. But, among advanced users, it is believed that only amateurs use it. The reason is its low speed and poor functionality. Despite the fact that it is constantly updated, and the latest modifications look quite tolerable, the prejudice about its low quality will remain for a long time.
- is one of the most popular browsers due to its good speed, user-friendly interface, flexible setting and a huge number of additions. It has been on the market for a very long time and has gained credibility from the very first versions.
Google Chrome- out of the four leaders, this is the youngest representative. It was developed by Google and, immediately after its appearance, captivated many people with its high speed. The speed in it is achieved through a minimalistic interface. There is nothing superfluous in the browser - only the most necessary + what you add yourself (the choice of add-ons is also very large).
Opera- unlike Chrome, it got its fame not for speed, but for high functionality and convenience, although its speed is at its best. When other browsers required the installation of add-ons for any tasks, Opera made do with the basic version. Now this feature has become not so relevant, since all browsers “out of the box” have the most requested functions.
Yandex browser- the most popular among fresh programs in this area. It was created by Yandex on the basis of Chrome. I can’t say something very positive about it yet, the functionality and settings are similar to its progenitor, but in terms of speed it is inferior to the brainchild of Google. Perhaps, over time, it will still prove itself, since Yandex has taken up this promotion very actively.
The choice of browsers is large, but they all have the same principle - they have a base of commands that they are able to understand and transform into a human form.
In general, this base is the same and coincides with international standards. But, as the Internet develops, new features and capabilities appear, older versions may not understand everything that is now. Therefore, some sites in different browsers may look a little different.
Modern browsers are designed not only to display sites, they can perform a lot of additional features. Weather, traffic jams, exchange rates and more can be turned on and off with add-ons and plugins. All this adds a bit of comfort to our journey through the internet.
Now, as for the choice. My observations have shown that the difference in speed between the most popular browsers is small. Therefore, the whole choice comes down to the choice of design and convenience for a particular user. Someone will be comfortable with the Firefox menu, someone strives for the minimalist design of Google Chrome, someone is attracted by the beauty of Opera - any modern browser will serve faithfully to its owner.
Over the years of its development, all developers have taken the best from competitors, so now, browsers have become more similar to each other.
Several browsers can be installed on the computer at the same time and all of them will work properly even if you run them at the same time. But, there is one moment. When you click on a link outside the browser (via some third party software) or if you open HTML file saved on your computer, your operating system should determine which of the browsers the page should open - it cannot open simultaneously in all programs - this is determined by the default browser setting.
The default browser is the program that is assigned as the main among other web browsers, all Internet files are opened through it, unless a different one is manually set to use.
Usually, when installing each new browser, it offers to make itself the default program. Later, you can change the setting through the “Start” menu -> “Control Panel” -> “Programs” -> “Default Programs” -> “Set Default Programs” and there, in the list, select the web browser that you want to make the main one.
I could not help but mention one feature that deserves attention and can help many people solve the problem of accessing blocked sites.
At Opera browser There is special function"Turbo", it is designed to load sites faster with slow Internet, but this mode has one more useful feature. To speed up loading, the browser downloads pages not directly from the hosting of the site, but through its own proxy servers, on which the data is pre-compressed.
Such data loading, through an intermediary, allows you to view even those sites that are not directly accessible. For example, Rospotrebnadzor, as part of the fight against piracy, closes some sites - all browsers with normal modes do not allow them to be opened, and the “turbo” mode in Opera allows them to be used as if nothing had happened.
That's all for today - good luck!
