If you are reading this page, you are already using a web browser.
 
 

What is it?

A web browser is a piece of software (a "program") which interprets internet text so you can read it. In the same way "Word" is a piece of software, which can interpret wordprocessed documents.
 
 

Internet text is often called HTML. This stands for Hyper Text Markup Language. If you want a look ask your browser to show you the "source". HTML tells your browser a lot of things; for example the colour of the letters.
 
 

Which browser?

There is a choice of browsers to choose from. Many people use Internet Explorer, because this usually comes "free" with the Windows operating system.

But you do not have to use Internet Explorer if you do not want to.

The most popular alternative was Netscape from AOL. The latest "full", i.e. finished, version from Netscape is Netscape 8. Netscape has developed this browser with the help of the "Open Source Community", and an almost identical version of the browser is available from Mozilla. (The latter does not require activation.)
AOL have announced that they will no longer market Netscape, having integrated Internet Explorer in their own package.
The continued development of this project is called Seamonkey.
The Mozilla team have announced that instead of continuing a "bloated" browser with lots of features they will instead develop individual programs, for example for email and browsing. Thus, the alternative browser is called Firebird - now renamed Firefox, and the emailer is referred to as Thunderbird.

If you would like to go for a "slimmed down" browser, there's Dillo, Midori or Qupzilla .




There are many other alternatives. Some will provide you with themed browsers, though you can also go for more unusual options, like Lynx or Links, which are text based browsers.

You can find out about all of these, and download them, from web sites such as Tucows or Download.
 
 
 
 

BROWSER		Advantages	Drawbacks
	Chrome	Chrome is the newer browser from Google. Many claim it is very fast.	No menu, so very "heavy" on mouse use.
	Vivaldi	Lots of features	Based on Chrome engine
	Internet Explorer Edge	Dominant position Most people are using it Integrated in Windows Being replaced by Edge	Security problems A huge program - complicated to use.
	Firefox Thunderbird	Open source Cross platform More secure than Internet Explorer	Web browser without too many features: need to install extension to get functionality Need to install separate email program and configure this separately

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