Exploring popular browsers

Navigating through the World Wide Web requires the use of a web browser. A decade ago or in the distant past the way computing field advances, seeing a web page in one web browser did not necessarily look the same in another browser. This was because the developers of the web browsers pushed their way of showing the web content was better than other browsers in the market. This led to what is now referred to as the Browser Wars.

Competition is not new to browsers or other computer technologies. Every year it is not perhaps difficult to find a competing technology product. Competing technical products for the user’s attention or market share results in multiple standards for delivering the services that the technical products provide. This is exactly what happened in the browser wars.

Beside the content looking different in different browsers, the feature each browser supports is also unique to the browser. Some browsers, for instance, give option of showing Tabs – this essentially lets you see multiple websites in one browser window. On other hand, Internet Explorer version 6 and earlier versions don’t provide this capability. See figure 1.

Figure 1 Firefox versus Internet Explorer

Each tab showing a separate webpage in Mozzila Firefox. This essentially minimizes windows thus making it very convenient to move between opened pages.

Versus

In Internet explorer, seeing each web page requires a new browser window. This is why two windows are opened to see the two web pages.

As mentioned earlier, each browser offers tools or features that are specific to just that browser. In Internet Explorer, for instance, you have the option to convert the current web page into Microsoft Word or other Office tools or other web development tools. See figure 2. Clicking on this icon will instantly convert the web page into Microsoft Word. The converted page is shown as a web page in Word. The converted version is closely or loosely resembles the original web page, depending on the styling (or formatting) controls specified on the original page.

Figure 2 editing with Microsoft Word option

Table 1 shows information on where to find popular browsers.

Posted on: 6:58:45 PM EDT July 10 2007

1. An argument has two sides but no ends.

2. What works against hereditary? Insanity - because it passes from children to parents.

3. Teacher: everything I say to you Matthew goes in one ear and out of the other. What do you have to say to that?
Matthew: (without hesitation) should there be something to prevent from happening that?