Types of Web Browser

Web Development
#1

The functions of all web browsers are the same. Thus, more than the different types there are different web browsers which have been used over the years.

Discussed below are different web browser examples and their specific features:

1. WorldWideWeb

  • The first web browser ever
  • Launched in 1990
  • It was later named “Nexus” to avoid any confusion with the World Wide Web
  • Had the very basic features and less interactive in terms of graphical interface
  • Did not have the feature of bookmark

2. Mosaic

  • It was launched in 1993
  • The second web browser which was launched
  • Had a better graphical interface. Images, text and graphics could all be integrated
  • It was developed at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications
  • The team which was responsible for creating Mosaic was lead by Marc Andreessen
  • It was named “the world’s first popular browser”

3. Netscape Navigator

  • It was released in 1994
  • In the 1990s, it was the dominant browser in terms of usage share
  • More versions of this browser were launched by Netscape
  • It had an advanced licensing scheme and allowed free usage for non-commercial purposes

4. Internet Explorer

  • It was launched in 1995 by Microsoft
  • By 2003, it has attained almost 95% of usage share and had become the most popular browsers of all
  • Close to 10 versions of Internet Explorer were released by Microsoft and were updated gradually
  • It was included in the Microsoft Windows operating system
  • In 2015, it was replaced with “Microsoft Edge”, as it became the default browser on Windows 10

5. Firefox

  • It was introduced in 2002 and was developed by Mozilla Foundation
  • Firefox overtook the usage share from Internet Explorer and became the dominant browser during 2003-04
  • Location-aware browsing was made available with Firefox
  • This browser was also made available for mobile phones, tablets, etc.

6. Google Chrome

  • It was launched in 2008 by Google
  • It is a cross-platform web browser
  • Multiple features from old browsers were amalgamated to form better and newer features
  • To save computers from malware, Google developed the ad-blocking feature to keep the user data safe and secure
  • Incognito mode is provided where private searching is available where no cookies or history is saved
  • Till date, it has the best user interface