• What is a web browser. What is an Internet browser: general concepts and operation of modern browsers for novice users and webmasters

    What? Do you really not know what it is? But if you are reading this article, then you are using a browser right now. Yes, yes, this is exactly the program with which you or any other user can view the contents of websites.

    More precise definition I took from Wikipedia. Actually, here it is: “Internet browser, browser, browser (from the English Web browser) - software for browsing websites, that is, for requesting web pages (mainly from the Web), processing them, displaying and moving from one page to another. Many modern browsers can also download files from FTP servers."

    If there were no browsers in the world, then we simply would not be able to use the Internet as such. Therefore, as of the current moment, a huge number of all kinds of browsers have been created in the world, but only a few of them are most popular. You will learn about them from this article, but a little later. In the meantime, I'll tell you a little about how the birth of browsers took place.

    The history of the birth of the browser

    NCSA Mosaic is considered the world's first browser with a graphical user interface, released in the spring of 1993. It was designed for the Windows operating system. Its developers were Eric Bina and Mark Anderssen. Since the NCSA Mosaic had an open source, another successful Netscape Navigator browser was built on its basis, which had much more simple interface and was spared from the shortcomings with which Mosaic was endowed. Commercial success for Netscape Navigator came very quickly, so on the same platform, Microsoft specialists created Internet Explorer. Since Microsoft almost immediately began adding Internet Explorer to the Windows operating system, it literally conquered the browser market in a short time, becoming almost a monopolist.

    As Netscape's popularity and revenues plummeted, the company was sold to AOL, which released the browser code under a free license as the Mozilla Public License. However, Netscape 6 was written with new code and had a lot of features and benefits that other browsers didn't have. After some time, the browser gets a name and starts to attract new users.

    But what about Microsoft? Since the company almost monopolized the market, it decided to practically not bother with updating Internet Explorer, so competitors got a head start and gradually began to win back the market.

    It is worth noting that back in 1995, another, now very popular, was released. Opera browser. But Opera was originally different in that it was released as shareware. In those times paid browsers were commonplace, and today they are completely free, if only users downloaded them.

    Later than all this, so to speak, the battle was joined by Google. She “came to her senses” rather late, showing her Chrome browser only in 2008. This, however, did not prevent the Internet giant from imposing a fight on competitors. Moreover, according to the latest data, Chrome is the most popular browser in the world, and the company was able to achieve this in just a few years. Since Chrome is open source, other browsers such as the same Yandex Browser are often created on its basis.

    Browser types

    Now it's time to talk about each of the reviewers separately.

    Internet Explorer

    It is worth starting, without a doubt, with Internet Explorer, because it was once the most popular browser in the world. It was released by Microsoft in 1995. The peak of popularity came in 2002, when the Internet began to enter the masses. In recent years, it has been losing market share very quickly.

    Experts often complain that Internet Explorer is poorly protected from outside influences, that is, from Trojans and viruses. Moreover, the government of some European countries advised their residents to stop using Internet Explorer. But despite all the problems, IE is still successful in some countries. For example, in Korea a few years ago, its share reached 99% of the entire market.

    Microsoft continues to update the browser. Released to date Internet version Explorer 11.

    Opera

    Launched in 1995, a browser developed by the Norwegian company Telenor. For some reason, it was Opera that Russian users fell in love with, although in the rest of the world it occupies only the fifth place in popularity.

    Until 2009, it was in pursuit of IE, then overtook it and became more popular. It is also noteworthy that it is a huge success Opera version Mini for mobile devices. This browser embeds in multiple gaming platforms.

    Mozilla Firefox

    The third most popular browser in the world and the first among free software. According to 2013 data, its market share reaches almost 20%. Especially popular in Germany, Poland and Russia. According to numerous reviews of experts, this is the only browser where there are practically no errors when testing applications.

    Firefox's logo is the red panda, one of the cutest animals on the planet.

    Mozilla has so-called Easter eggs built into it. For example, when you enter the words about:robots in the address bar, you can see the message of robots to people.

    Google Chrome

    As mentioned above, Chrome entered the market only in 2008. Was designed Google and is considered. As for the latter, many experts still doubt, but if you believe your own feelings, then this is true.

    Interestingly, Google CEO Eric Schmidt for a long time believed that the company did not need its own browser, but then changed his mind with the help of the founders of the company. This is how Chrome was born.

    This browser is gradually conquering the market. Already now he is the most popular columnist on the planet, he is the first in Russia. In the future, its share will only grow, according to analysts.

    safari

    Browser from Apple. Originally focused on computers Apple, but then a version for the Windows operating system appeared. It enjoys good success in the world (the market share is more than 8%), but in Russia only every third Internet user uses it.

    People who are just joining the vast world of the Internet will recognize many unfamiliar expressions and words, and perhaps the most important of them is the Browser. What does Browser mean?? I recommend that you get acquainted with a few more popular articles, for example, how to understand the word Carte Blanche, what is the Establishment, what does Iskander mean? This term was borrowed from in English "Browser", and means " program that allows you to get information from the Internet". Usually beginners are trying to figure out which browser is the best, and in general, a lot of questions arise along the way, the answers to which we will try to give in this short article.
    I will not tell you about rare browsers that are mainly used by geeks and coders, let's talk about the most popular and fastest.

    Browser(Web browser, Web browser) is a special program whose only purpose is to view websites


    The browser executes " http" request to a remote server, and receives information from it, which is then processed and issued to the user in an already structured form, very convenient for human perception.

    talking in simple terms, the browser is the program with which you are now reading these lines, in fact browser, is an intermediary between the world wide web and man. It is this small application that provides users with access to this global network.

    I hope you understand what I'm talking about? you turn on your computer or smartphone, and in order to get the information you need, run the program (browser). Then a window opens for you, which allows you to get into this huge and hidden from prying eyes internet world.

    What is the best browser?

    Next, I will tell you my top best Internet browsers.

    Google Chrome - This is the fastest browser created by Google, while it was based on Chromium browser. Powered by the fast Webkit engine. In my opinion, this is the best program to date, but it has some drawbacks, one of which is the lack of familiar add-ons from Firefox.

    Mozilla Firefox - it's completely free program developed by Mozilla Corporation, in my opinion, an almost perfect browser with a lot of all sorts of add-ons, but inferior in speed to Google Chrome.

    Internet Explorer- This is a buggy and inadequate browser, its popularity is due to the fact that it is preinstalled in Windows by default. Slow and cumbersome, my verdict - in the furnace.

    Opera- this is a browser that died in Bose, but the Norwegian developers rushed in time and transferred the platform to a new engine that uses the same Google Grome. So if you can't stand Google Corporation for their spying and the fact that they constantly monitor your every move on the Internet, then Opera is a great choice. Moreover, there is encryption, which will protect your data from bad people.

    Apple Safari- this browser is the brainchild of Apple Corporation, and is included by default with iOS and Mac OS X, respectively. Also, its own version of the Safari browser was created for Windows. What to say about this program? It works, not very buggy, so it has the right to exist.

    So, from the above, we can conclude that the best browser is Google Chrome, but Firefox, without a doubt, should also be installed on your computer, all the others are not needed, and you should not use them, because there is no need.

    Browser (web-browser, graphical browser) is a program with which an Internet user can visit and view websites on computers and gadgets. In fact, it is a translator of CSS style markup, Java scripts and HTML language, processes http requests users, receives data from the server and gives them the requested pages. Simply put, a browser is a program through which you downloaded our site and are reading this article.

    Today, there are several popular versions of browsers that differ to some extent from each other, which is why inexperienced webmasters encounter difficulties when laying out web resources. However, qualified webmasters know how to solve such problems, so almost every advanced site looks great on any browser.

    But before we talk about the functions and versions of modern web browsers, let's briefly recall the history of their appearance.

    The first browser to receive GUI to display not only texts, tables and lists, but also pictures, became Mosaic, created in 1993 by NCSA for Windows. In principle, it can be considered a "pioneer" among all modern browsers. Then Mosaic was extremely popular, but 4 years after the creation, due to the loss of the market, the project was closed.

    Leading NSCA employees went to work for Netscape, which began developing a new, more functional and modern graphical browser called Netscape Navigator. They wanted their browser to be simpler and easier to use, and more efficient in maintaining standards. And they managed to do it. It is worth noting that the Mosaic code served as the basis for creating the masterpiece Netscape at that time.

    Such a success could not go unnoticed, and soon the company Microsoft, already well-known at that time, “hurried in advance”. They understood that a large fish was swimming away from them. However, soon the geniuses of Microsoft reworked the source code of the first browser, creating their own - Internet Explorer.

    It was IE, being integrated with Windows and available to users completely free of charge, that pushed the market leaders into the background. It has become an integral part of the Windows update, and people have no choice. But no one was indignant, because few people knew about alternative options.

    Thanks to the monopoly, Internet Explorer quickly captured 95% of the market and forced Netscape out of business, but only for a short time. Soon, a code called the Mozilla Public License appeared in the public domain, on the basis of which a completely new Mozilla browser Firefox, which has become one of the market leaders today. Due to the lack of competition, the Microsoft project did not develop in any way, since at first the users did not know about more best alternatives, which became Mozilla Firefox.

    The same Opera appeared already in the distant 95 of the last century, but it was popular only in the CIS countries. And all because in free access it appeared on the foreign market already in 2005.

    What functions does the browser perform?

    In order for a computer or any other device, having connected to the Internet, to be able to download data from it, software designed for this is required, capable of requesting information, processing it and loading it on the screen. For this, a browser was created that opens web pages consisting of code. It receives the code from the server where the site is stored and processes it to give you a readable and watchable picture on the monitor.

    To view the site's encoding, right-click on its page and select "View Code". normal operation and the loading of web resource pages largely depends on the correct source code.

    Another one handy feature browsers - storing user passwords for various sites, so that when you re-visit and log into your account, you do not have to re-enter your login and password. If you have previously visited a site and forgot what it is called, the saved history of visiting Internet resources will help you find the source you need. But the history can be very large and it will be quite difficult to find a site among the abundance of visited pages.

    To avoid such situations, browsers have the ability to create bookmarks that are displayed under the address bar. With their help, you can store the sites you need and quickly access them with one click of the mouse.

    In addition to downloading and opening websites, browsers are designed to download files different format: movies, audio recordings, games, text documents etc. All modern browsers have the ability to download add-ons:

    1. Extensions. These are add-ons that, for example, block advertising banners on sites, check links for viruses, etc.
    2. Informers. The same extensions, only they notify the user: about the weather, about new messages in the mail, etc.
    3. Themes. Change the visual design of background images and other browser elements.

    Browsers do not affect the functioning of each other in any way, so they can be installed at least all at once on one device. However, the user must select a default application that will be the main one in the OS, and when clicking on the links, they will open through it.

    7 popular browsers

    The oldest of modern browsers, included in the Windows operating system. In the last century, it accounted for almost the entire market share. But the protracted and unconditional leadership led to a regression of the web browser, which was quickly taken advantage of by its competitors. IE 6 to 8 inclusive is a horror for webmasters. They do not meet any modern requirements for creating websites. The latest 11th version is available exclusively for Windows 7 and 8. Only Internet Explorer 9 deserves attention - a more or less stable, fast and well-protected version. Although it does not compare with other advanced counterparts.

    One of the newest popular browsers. In 2015, with the release of Windows 10, Microsoft introduced its new and modern Edge browser. Unlike IE, it is constantly being updated and has become standard browser for Windows 10 replacing the completely outdated Internet Explorer.

    The current leader, developed by the most powerful company in the world - Google search engine. The WebKit engine is used to display web resource pages. Chrome reached the top at an unthinkable pace, as it appeared only in 2008 - much later than its competitors. Now it occupies about 50% of the entire market. The browser pleases users with its speed, reliable protection, simple and stylish design.

    It ranks third in popularity. However, it is the first browser to break Microsoft's monopoly in the 20th century. Unlike its counterparts, Mozilla is focused on using add-ons. Among the shortcomings, it can be noted that when installing plugins, the browser becomes heavy and loads pages much longer.

    5 Opera

    One of the most popular Runet browsers, but noticeably lagging behind in the world market. Opera pleases with an abundance of interesting and unique features, such as built-in instant messengers and mail client, VPN, and many other features that are not inherent in competitors who had to come up with special add-ons. Web browser developers offer users cool mobile versions leading positions in their field.

    6. Yandex.Browser

    Development from Yandex, appeared in 2012. The first versions of the application were frustrating with a number of shortcomings. However, in new versions they have been fixed, and now a modern multifunctional web browser is more than a worthy competitor to Chrome. Its main difference: speed of work (turbo mode), reading articles without loading graphics, built-in protected technology protect.

    From the name you can guess that this is the brainchild of Apple. It is found in iOS and Mac OS. At the moment, this browser cannot be downloaded for Windows - Apple has removed this feature from its website.

    Conclusion

    We have listed the most popular modern browsers. But there are other smaller browsers on the market:

    • Chromium;
    • Nichrome;
    • Comodo Dragon;
    • [email protected];
    • CoolNovo (Chrome Plus);
    • S.R.Ware Iron.

    Previously, Internet Explorer rested on its laurels, because Microsoft literally forced Windows users to use their browser, while there were worthy counterparts. However, the bright mind and interesting innovations of talented developers from various companies that make it easier for users to use the Internet have taken the upper hand, and today the monopoly's share in the world market is drastically reduced. To date, the most successful is Google Chrome, but competition breeds progress, and no one knows who tomorrow will be able to offer us a cooler browser.

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    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.

    What is a browser and what is it for

    Browser - software that allows you to query and display the content of websites, manage virtual applications, upload 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 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 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, due to the fact that programming code The browser remained closed for a long time (until 1993), 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, among which:

    Google Chrome

    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:

    • 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 prefetching and a powerful V8 JavaScript engine, Chrome has one of the best page loading speeds.
    • Stability. How Chrome Works is built on the principles of multiprocessing, so that the problem in the work of one tab does not affect the functioning of the others.

    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. Also, they are not satisfied with the fact that the current version of the browser can be installed on mobile device only if the latter has access to the Internet. Chrome has standalone downloaders, but on home page projects are not presented.

    Mozilla Firefox

    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 included in the number of preset 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:

    • Regular updates.
    • Prompt elimination of discovered vulnerabilities.
    • Ability to manage cookies.
    • Relevant features for an advanced user (including the "Incognito" mode and a flexible system for loading graphics).
    • 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 corporations. For them, Google's "live" search address bar and support for DRM plugins looks like a service push, which is unacceptable for open source software.

    Opera

    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. Thus, SSL 3 and TLS protocols, known for their high reliability, are used to encrypt when a user visits secure pages. 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:

    • 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 [email protected]- a program that works directly with removable media. In fact, this allows you to have all your settings, bookmarks, chat logs and other data at hand, wherever you are.

    safari

    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:

    • Recognition of non-standard fonts used by sites and their loading.
    • Support for various encryption protocols.
    • Private browsing is an alternative to incognito mode.
    • Integration multimedia technologies QuickTime.

    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.

    Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge

    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 supplier 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 World Wide Web Consortium (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.

    How are browsers evaluated?

    Market software offers dozens of free or shareware web browsers, the abundance of which makes an inexperienced user's head spin. 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:

    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 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.

    Safety

    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:

    • Exposure to vulnerabilities.
    • The frequency 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 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.

    Functionality

    For the largest web browsers, this item is not particularly relevant. As soon as one developer introduces some new function into his browser, another almost immediately presents the same or 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, 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.

    User friendliness

    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:

    • It does not drag unnecessary “garbage” into the system in the form of applications and extensions that the user will not use. A good example of this is "Amigo" from mail.ru, which, as soon as the user loses vigilance, installs "Mail.ru Agent" on the computer.
    • Does not "hang" the system, taking the lion's share of RAM with 1-2 open tabs than in Lately"sin" Google and Firefox.
    • It has an intuitive interface and gives the user maximum freedom in terms of settings, which definitely does not apply to Opera and IE.

    Browser Basics

    However, for successful web surfing, the "best" browser alone will not be enough. Advanced features and handy add-ons don't make any sense if you don't know how to use them the right way. Therefore, we will consider the main features of browsers that everyone should be able to use.

    Navigation

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

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

    Tabs and windows

    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:

    • To add a new tab, just click on the "+" icon in the tab bar,
    • To close the extra ones, use the mouse wheel on the tab itself.
    • If you accidentally closed the tab you were looking for, 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 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:

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

    Plugins and extensions

    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 the Google app 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 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".

    Bookmarks

    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 important pages goes over 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.

    Why you need to update your browser

    To an advanced user, such a question will seem strange. However, many beginners in all seriousness do not understand why update it.

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  • If you are interested in answers to questions such as: What is a browser? Which browser to choose? Which browser is the fastest? Where is the browser? etc., then this article is designed specifically for you, you will find answers to your questions.

    If you don't know the answers to the above questions, that's fine. Now we will understand this, for convenience it will take place in the form of a “question-answer”.

    What is a browser? A browser is a program that is designed to view web pages. Let me now explain this definition in more detail:

    The browser is what you are currently looking at, that is, this article is displayed in your browser window. The procedure is as follows: you connect, click on the shortcut of the program (this program is a browser), and everything you do next: ask questions to Yandex, go to sites, download something, etc., you do all this in a program that called a browser.

    Which browser to choose?

    - there is a huge variety of browsers, but the most popular are only five, let me list them:

    1) Internet Explorer (IE) - is installed on the computer along with the operating Windows system which made him popular. Unfortunately, this is where all its advantages end, although the new versions of this browser have introduced many various improvements and improvements, its main problem remains relevant, namely, IE supports the HTML and CSS specifications the worst. Webmasters have to debug code individually under IE, and often sites in this browser are displayed differently (not like in other browsers).

    2) Google Chrome is a young browser (“born” in 2008) and has already won the hearts of millions of users. His strengths: speed, simplicity and security. I especially want to highlight the ease of use: nothing superfluous, the interface is intuitive, any beginner will master working with this browser in a couple of minutes.

    3) Mozilla Firefox- distinctive feature is the flexibility in settings, for this browser there are many extensions with which the user can customize the functionality of the browser to his taste.

    4) Opera - has many options and settings, this is its plus, no matter how paradoxical it may sound, but it is also its minus. Since it can be quite difficult for a beginner to understand all these settings and options.

    5) Safari is Apple's browser, which is installed on OS Mac OS X. Exists Safari browser designed specifically for Windows. Quite an interesting browser, it uses a large number of advanced features, and it has its own unique style. I advise you to try this browser, if only for the sake of interest, maybe it will become your favorite browser.

    The choice of browser depends on which additional functions and settings you need. Install all five browsers, use each of them for at least a couple of days, after that you can easily choose the browser that you like best. I have all the browsers listed above installed, but I usually use the Google Chrome browser, and it suits me perfectly.

    Which browser is the fastest?

    I call this question rhetorical! :-)

    Why ask you? Yes, because you still will not find the truth. How do you know which one is faster, will you measure yourself? And how interesting is it to know by eye or with a stopwatch? Of course not, so you will read about it somewhere, and are you sure that this information can be one hundred percent trustworthy?

    Let's discuss who you can trust:

    1) Browser makers? At first glance, this is very logical, who better than them to know how fast their browser is. Naturally, each manufacturer will say that their browser is the fastest. And they will not just talk, but will cite various facts, show tables, diagrams, be sure to mention all kinds of innovations, etc. and so on. They usually tell the truth, they are unlikely to cheat, but this does not mean that their competitors have a slower browser.

    2) All kinds of tests? This is closer to the truth, in order to find out who is faster they need to be compared. But here, too, not everything is so simple, firstly, the test results are relevant until one of the “experimental” is updated. If the browser has been updated, then some changes have been made in it, so it could become even faster. And secondly, we must take into account the fact that the same browser installed on different computers, which in turn have different software and hardware, will work at different speeds.

    3) People's opinion? To some extent, it is possible, for example, a global vote was made and the question sounded accordingly: “which browser do you consider the fastest” (let’s say several million people took part in the vote), and specific browser received the most votes. But even this will not be proof, it will only speak about the popularity of the browser, since they usually vote for what they use.

    Where is the browser?- I don’t even know why this information might be needed, and what will you do with the browser when you find it? Seriously, this information can come in handy, for example, when you accidentally delete the shortcut with which you launched the browser. In order to launch the browser, you will need to create a new shortcut, and for this you need to know where the browser is located.

    By default, all programs are installed in the folder Program Files, the browser is no exception. Accordingly, the path will be like this:

    Your system drive:\Program Files\your browser name\

    For example: "C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe"

    or like this - "C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe"

    "iexplore.exe" and "firefox.exe" are executable files, with the help of them the browser is launched.

    Things are a little different with Google Chrome, I don’t think you can find it in Program Files, look for it in this location:

    “C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe”

    Username - Replace with your account name.

    P.S. New Google versions Chrome is installed in the Program Files directory.