Web Browsers 

How did you find this post? How did you make an online order? How did you do anything online prior to apps? The answer is web browsers. In 1990 the WorldWideWeb (something different from the World Wide Web) was created and then renamed Nexus to differentiate it from the World Wide Web. As opposed to today, the only way to access the web was through Nexus until something called Mosaic arrived in 1993. Mosaic’s popularity immediately ballooned, but then Netscape Navigator arrived in 1994 and promptly upended them. 

As you’ll see, this is how advancements in the technology arena work. It doesn’t take long for one type of technology to become nearly obsolete after the development of a subsequent iteration. Internet Explorer, a browser still in operation today, was Microsoft’s first browser, and the famed Apple then released Safari in 2003. Arguably the most popular browser on the market - Google Chrome - arrived in 2008, and Microsoft Edge came out swinging in 2015, its eyes firmly entrenched on besting Google. 

Most browsers are composed of an address bar, forward and back buttons, exit, minimize and maximize buttons, distinct tabs and the reload page button. The browser is the contact between you and the web server you’re requesting information from. If you’re searching something in Google for example, and click on a link, the web server locates the link and then sends the requested information to the browser. At a technical level, the browser performs a Domain Name System (DNS) search to find the IP address. All URLs have an IP address and the DNS serves as a translator. So, if we want to arrive at Google, we simply type “google.com” instead of “74.125.134.102.” That would get old rather quickly, don’t you agree?

As with all products, every web browser wants to be the dominant player in the web browsing industry. Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator battled it out in the 90s, and the same occurred with Safari in 2003. Firefox had a nice run from 2004 to 2007, but Google Chrome has been a dominant force since 2008. While Chrome leads the way with desktop and laptop computers, Safari is still a leader with mobile browsing. Preferences in terms of which browser folks prefer depends a lot on demographics (age, country, etc). Many schools, and certainly companies, will restrict browsing to certain browsers, while some devices will only be able to access certain browsers. 

There are then what’s known as “underdog browsers.” These are browsers that are not nearly as popular as the top dogs but can still boast some loyal users. UC Browser is one, serving an impressive 500 million folks but a browser that still many have not heard of. As we mentioned earlier, Google Chrome is the most popular worldwide, with Mozilla Firefox occupying second place. Opera is making headway and has been referred to as the “most innovative browser.” From there you’ve got Microsoft Edge, Safari, Vivaldi, Brave, Tor, and others. For the most part, whatever browser you use will end up getting you to your desired destination. We recommend trying them all out, as they all have individual quirks that will be more appealing to some over others.