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| FAQs
: What is a web browser? |
You get access to the WWW through an application called
a 'browser', like Netscape or Mosaic. To 'browse'
is to search the WWW for information.
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When you sit
down and look at web pages, you are using a web browser.
This is the piece of software that communicates with
web servers for you via the HTTP protocol, translates
HTMLpages and image data into a nicely formatted on-screen
display, and presents this information to your eyeballs
-- or to your other senses, in the case of browsers
for the vision-impaired and other alternative interface
technologies. Web browsers also appear in simpler
devices such as Internet-connected cell phones, like
many Nokia models, and PDAs such as the Palm Pilot.
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The most common
web browser, by a large margin, is Microsoft Internet
Explorer, followed by the open-source Mozilla browserand
its derivatives, including Netscape 6.0 and later.
Apple's new Safari browser is gaining popularity on
Macintoshes running MacOS X, and the Operashareware
browser has a loyal following among those who are
willing to pay for the fastest browser possible, especially
on older computers. The Lynx browser is the most frequently
used text-only browser and has been adapted to serve
the needs of the vision-impaired.
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