Browser, short for web browser, is a software application used to enable computers users to locate and access web

pages. Or you can simply say, A Web browser acts as an interface between the user and Web server.

A Web browser acts as an interface between the user and Web server.

Software application that resides on a computer and is used to locate and display Web pages.
Web user access information from web servers, through a client program called browser. A web browser (or web clients)is a software application for retrieving, presenting, and traversing information resources on the World Wide Web. An information resource is identified by a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) and may be a web page, image, video, or other piece of content. Hyperlinks present in resources enable users to easily navigate their browsers to related resources. What is a browser ?

Some browsers can be also used to save information resources to file systems. Web browsers are fully customizable. You have option of changing the size of the text and style of the font that is displayed. The browser carries out the following tasks on behalf of the user: Contacts a Web server Sends a request for information Receives the information and Displays the information on the local system

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The history of the Web browser dates back in to the late 1980s, when a variety of technologies laid the foundation for the first Web browser, WorldWideWeb, by Tim Berners-Lee in 1991. Microsoft responded with its browser Internet Explorer in 1995 (also heavily influenced by Mosaic), initiating the industry's first browser war. Opera first appeared in 1996; although it have only 2% browser usage share as of April 2010, it has a substantial share of the fastgrowing mobile phone Web browser market, being preinstalled on over 40 million phones. In 1998, Netscape launched Mozilla . Its an competitive browser using the open source software model. History

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Sales 4.28

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Android Other I.E. Chrome

Firefox
Safari Opera

The browser main functionality is to present the web resource you choose, by requesting it from the server and displaying it on the browser window. The resource format is usually HTML but also PDF, image and more. The location of the resource is specified by the user using a URI (Uniform resource Identifier). The prefix of the URI determines how the URI will be interpreted. The most commonly used kind of URI starts with http: and identifies a resource to be retrieved over the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). Many browsers also support a variety of other prefixes, such as https: for HTTPS, ftp: for the File Transfer Protocol, and file:for local files.

Features Bookmarking options

A refresh and stop buttons for refreshing and stopping the loading of current documents
Home button that gets you to your home page

All major web browsers allow the user to open multiple information resources at the same time, either in different browser windows or in different tabs of the same window.
Major browsers also include pop-up blockers to prevent unwanted windows from "popping up" without the user's consent Furthermore, most browsers can be extended via plug-ins, downloadable components that provide additional features.

Components of a Web Browser The user interface - this includes the address bar, back/forward button , bookmarking menu etc. Every part of the browser display except the main window where you see the requested page. The browser engine - the interface for querying and manipulating the rendering engine. The rendering engine - responsible for displaying the requested content. For example if the requested content is HTML, it is responsible for parsing the HTML. Networking - used for network calls, like HTTP requests. It has platform independent interface and underneath implementations for each platform. UI backend - used for drawing basic widgets like combo boxes and windows. It exposes a generic interfaace that is not platform specific. Data storage - This is a persistence layer. The browser needs to save all sorts of data on the hard disk, for examples, cookies.

User Interface Most major web browsers have these user interface elements in common: Back and forward buttons to go back to the previous resource and forward again. A refresh or reload button to reload the current resource. A stop button to cancel loading the resource. A home button to return to the user's home page An address bar to input the Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) of the desired resource and display it. A search bar to input terms into a search engine A status bar to display progress in loading the resource and also the URI of links when the cursor hovers over them, and page zooming capability.

Windows Internet Explorer (formerly Microsoft Internet Explorer; abbreviated to MSIE or, more commonly, IE), is a series of graphical web browsers developed. Internet Explorer

The Firefox Web Browser is the faster, more secure, and fully customizable way to surf the web. Mozilla is a global community dedicated to building free, open source products like the award winning Firefox web browser and Thunderbird email software. Mozilla Firefox

Netscape Official site...includes downloads and technical information. Download nearly any version of Netscape Navigators for Windows, Mac, Linux, and OS/2 available on the Internet from one simple and comprehensive archive.

Opera gives you the full Web experience everywhere Opera is extensible in a third way via plug-ins, relatively small programs that add specific functions to the browser. Opera Mini, offered free of charge, is designed primarily for mobile phones, Opera

Its a browser. Its a platform. Its an open invitation to innovate. Whether on a Mac, PC, IPhone, or iPod touch, Safari continuously redefines the browser, providing the most enjoyable way to experience the Internet. Safari

Searching is fast and easy with Google's web browser. Google Chrome is a browser that combines a minimal design with sophisticated technology to make the web faster, safer, and easier. Google Chrome

Plug-ins & Extensions Plug-in(also called add in or add-on) is a set of software components that adds specific capabilities to a larger software application. Web Browsers typically use plug-ins to expand the range of formats they can display (E.g. acrobat documents, adobe flash content). It enable 3rd party developers to create capabilities to extend an application. It reduce the size of applications & separate source code from an application because of incompatible software licenses. Extensions differ slightly from plug-ins

The same distinction between plug-ins and extensions is in use by other web browsers, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer, where a typical extension might be a new toolbar, and a plug-in might embed a video player on the page. Since plug-ins and extensions both increase the utility of the original application, Mozilla uses the term "add-on" as an inclusive category of augmentation modules that consists of plug-ins, themes, and search engines. A helper application is an external viewer program launched to display content retrieved using a web browser. Some common examples include Windows Media Player and QuickTime Player for playing streaming content

Targeted attacks on Web applications and Web browsers are increasingly becoming the focal point for cyber criminals. Most browsers support HTTP Secure and offer quick and easy ways to delete the web cache, cookies, and browsing history. Traditional attack activity : motivated by curiosity and a desire to show off technical virtuosity. Current threats are motivated by profit: identity theft, extortion, and fraud, for financial gain.