Browser - what is it in simple words and which one is the best. What browsers do and how they work - in simple and understandable words Using a web browser

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 browser, Netscape Navigator, was built on its basis, which had a much simpler interface and was free from the shortcomings that Mosaic was endowed with. 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 short term literally conquered the browser market, 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 Internet update 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 browser, Opera, was released. But Opera was originally different in that it was released as shareware. In those days, paid browsers were commonplace, but today they are completely free, as long as users download 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. 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 the version of Opera Mini for mobile devices is a huge success. This browser is built into several 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 expert reviews, 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. It was developed by Google and is considered . As for the latter, many experts still doubt, but if you believe your own feelings, then this is true.

It's interesting that Executive Director Google 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 there was a version for the operating Windows systems. It enjoys good success in the world (the market share is more than 8%), but in Russia only every third Internet user uses it.

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Each person has a unique taste, preferences, and requirements. If one thing gets to a hundred people for testing, then everyone will announce a different result. Some opinions will be similar, others will differ, and this is natural. In area software everything exactly the same. A browser is a program that a person uses to surf the Internet. We launch it every day, so it is important to choose a convenient browser that will meet all the requirements.
Using the browser, you can search for any information, listen to music, watch movies, and play your favorite games. Any rating will be controversial, but let's try to rank the best browsers. In the article, we will analyze the criteria for choosing a good browser for Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 10. We will study in detail the advantages and disadvantages of each of them. Based on our rating, you will be able to choose a good browser for yourself.

Google Chrome 1st place

This is the most popular browser of all that exist today. The program can be called the best and fastest on the Windows operating system. Its opening took place in 2008. Chrome was based on the popular Safari browser at the time, based on the WebKit engine. It was formally crossed with the V8 javascript engine. Subsequently, this hybrid was renamed Chromium. Such well-known companies as Google, Opera Software, as well as Yandex and several other major developers participated in further development. Google was the first to create its own version of the browser on Chromium. A year later, it was installed on 3.6% of computers worldwide. He began to quickly gain popularity, today he is the undisputed leader and occupies 42.21%. It is worth noting that most of them are smartphones in which the browser comes pre-installed.

Advantages:

1. High speed. Chrome is significantly superior to competitors in terms of browser speed, as well as the processing of displayed resources. In addition, there is a handy page preloading feature, which further increases the speed of work.
2. Security. The company has implemented reliable technologies that ensure the safety of using the browser. They continue to develop actively. The browser has a database of phishing and malicious resources, which is regularly updated. The browser works according to a unique scheme in such a way that not a single process is involved, but several at once, but with lower privileges. Downloading files with resolution .bat, .exe or .dll requires additional confirmation, which reduces the chances of downloading a virus.
3. There is an "Incognito" mode. This is a very convenient feature when you need to view a large number of sites, but at the same time leave no traces of their visit on your computer.
4. Thoughtful interface. It is quite simple and contains everything you need, without unnecessary elements. Chrome is the first browser where the ability to quickly access appeared. On the panel you can see the most visited resources. Another feature is sharing address bar and search engine. Later, this feature was implemented in other browsers.
5. Stable work. Recently there have been no such cases when in the work Google Chrome crashes were observed or it slowed down a lot. This can only happen if there are viruses in the system. In many ways, the security and stability of work is increased by using several processes that are separated from each other. If one of them stops its work, the rest continue to function.
6. There is a task manager menu "Additional Tools". Almost no one knows about this chip. Thanks to a handy tool, you can track how many resources are occupied by an entire tab or a separate plugin. You can find and fix the source of the problem if the application starts to slow down.
7. Large selection of extensions, many of which are free to download. There are also many plugins and themes. The browser can be configured depending on personal preferences, which is very convenient.
8. I have an opportunity automatic translation pages. For this, Google Translate is used.
9. The program is updated in automatic mode without disturbing the user.
10. Search queries can be specified by voice; for this, the service " OK Google».

Disadvantages:

1. Starting with version 42.0, support for NPAPI plugins was stopped, including the rather popular Flash Player.
2. The application needs at least 2 GB to run smoothly. random access memory.
3. Most of the extensions, as well as plugins, are made in a foreign language.
4. A significant load on the hardware contributes to the short battery life of laptops and smartphones.

I have been using Chrome for a long time, and as my main browser. For all the time of work, he did not cause serious complaints. Its integration into the system of other Google services is very convenient. One Account can combine your computer and mobile device, there is the possibility of continuous synchronization.
I do not like the fact that all user data is stored on American servers (most likely now the data is stored on Russian servers). It stores mail, personal contacts and search information. True, we should not exclude the possibility that other browsers do the same. You need to take precautions as much as possible, then you will have nothing to fear. If you do not want to disclose your own data, but still continue to use Chrome, then use SlimJet or SRWare Iron, we will talk about them below.

Yandex.Browser 2nd place

The browser has the shortest history, it was opened in 2012. It is very popular in Russia. The browser supports integration with Yandex services which are very convenient to use. The default search engine is Yandex. The interface turned out to be quite original, although it was created on Chromium engine. The quick launch bar immediately catches your eye. It is made in tile style.

The user can place up to 20 tiles. The browser uses "Smart Line", which not only transfers the entered phrase to the search engine, but also automatically selects the required site if the name matches. Unfortunately, so far this function only works with large resources. Mouse manipulation is supported, with which you can control web browsing with simple movements.

Advantages:


Disadvantages:

1. Not everyone will like the original interface.
2. Binding to various Yandex. Without them, the program is deprived of many opportunities.
3. Rarely, but still there are problems with transferring settings and history.

Not everyone will like the new interface, because it is radically different from competitors. It will take some time to get used to such features.

Mozilla Firefox 3rd place

Now Mozilla is the most popular foreign browser, and in Russia it ranks third. Over the past few years, he began to lose ground, but only slightly. The first version of the program appeared in 2004, since then there have been many changes. The application engine is Gecko - it is freely available and continues to be improved by developers. Formally, this is the first browser that had a huge base of extensions even before the advent of Chrome. He was among the first to implement the maximum privacy mode that Google invented.

Advantages:

1. A simple and very user-friendly interface, in which there are no unnecessary details.
2. A convenient settings system that allows you to radically change the browser, customizing it to your liking.
3. A large number of various plugins. You can choose them for every taste, because at the moment there are more than 100,000 of them.
4. Cross-platform. The browser can be downloaded for any operating system that is used on modern technology.
5. Reliability. I got into such situations when the user caught a banner that blocked the work of all browsers, but Firefox continued to function.
6. The maximum level of security and privacy of personal data.
7. Comfortable bookmarks bar.
8. The program may refuse to track information about you by various sites. You can set up private browsing. In addition, there is the Master Passwords feature, which additionally protects your records on certain resources.
9. Updates take place in background without the need for user intervention.

Disadvantages:

1. Compared to Chrome, the interface slows down a bit and takes longer to respond to user manipulations.
2. Performance is average;
3. The lack of support for scripts on some resources, as a result of which the content may not function correctly.
4. The application requires a large amount of RAM to run.

Opera 4th place

This is the oldest browser, which was opened back in 1994. I started using it about 15 years ago, and now I use it as needed. Until 2013, Opera had its own engine, but now Webkit + V8 is used. Exactly the same technology is used in Google Chrome. In 2010 the company opened mobile version programs. Now it is the fourth most popular browser in Russia, and it ranks sixth in the world.

Advantages:

1. Excellent speed and page display. The features of the browser include the turbo mode, which significantly increases the speed of loading pages through the use of cloud technologies. At the same time, traffic is significantly saved, which is very important when using the mobile version.
2. There is a convenient express panel with saved bookmarks. This is a modified tool. speed dial, which we saw in previous versions of the browser.
3. Opera Link technology, which is needed to synchronize various devices.
4. Lots of hotkeys for easy control.
5. Internet browser Opera Unite.

Disadvantages:

1. A large amount of RAM is required for efficient operation. If you open several tabs at the same time, then Opera will start to slow down. Even the reliable Chrome engine does not improve the situation.
2. On many sites, incorrect work of scripts and various forms is observed. There are a lot of complaints when working with WML.
3. Stability is not a strong point of the browser. The company could not get rid of periodic failures and freezes.
   4. Own system of bookmarks, which was nicknamed "Piggy Bank". This is quite an interesting solution, but poorly implemented.

I use Opera only as an additional browser. The "Turbo" function is useful when working with a modem, because in this case, a high speed of displaying pages and saving on consumed traffic are combined. With Unite technology, you can turn your browser into a real server. On it, you can arrange access to a variety of files, exchange SMS notifications and photographs. The files are stored on the PC and become available only when the program is launched. It's a great replacement for Chrome if you don't want to use it for whatever reason.

K-Meleon 5th place

This application has been developed since 2000. In fact, it is a relative Mozilla Firefox, they use the same engine. You ask why he entered the rating, if they practically do not differ? The fact is that they have strong differences. For example, today K-Meleon is the easiest browser for Windows systems. Such results were achieved due to the peculiarities of its development. Initially, the program was only supposed to demonstrate the capabilities of the new engine. As a result, the company was able to achieve economical consumption of PC resources.

Advantages:

1. Small requirements for PC resources, including a low amount of RAM.
2. The use of the native Windows interface, which significantly saves time and resources spent on the interface.
3. High speed.
4. Good personalization options, and for this you do not need to use third-party extensions. Everything is set up with macros. It will be difficult for a beginner to master, but in your free time you can figure it out.
5. There is a wide range of builds. You can choose an extension with the desired set of functions.
6. You can create multiple profiles for different users.

Disadvantages:

1. Pretty clumsy interface. If you compare it with the leaders of the Top 5, then this browser has too simple design.
2. Rarely, there are problems with displaying the Cyrillic alphabet, but in latest updates the situation was corrected.

This is best option for weak PCs. The browser will function normally on an old laptop running the Windows XP operating system. You will be able to enjoy comfortable Internet surfing. And on modern hardware, it will work even better. Many professionals use it, considering it the best browser. This should not be surprising, because in some respects K-Meleon outperforms its competitors.

Internet Explorer

This is a free browser that is included with the integrated Windows software. Microsoft has been involved in development since 1995 and to this day. Therefore, the browser was one of the most popular in Russia, but then Chrome appeared. Now he has greatly lost his position and takes 5th place in popularity. The reason can be considered the completion of its development. Along with Windows 10 came the development of the company - Spartan.
In its entire history of the browser, it has never been considered the best, everyone knew about the large number of vulnerabilities that various viruses used. For a very long time, it has been a vulnerable point of every computer running the Windows operating system. The situation changed for the better with the release of Internet Explorer 10, it is included in the Windows 8 package. All the holes were finalized in it and, subject to certain rules, the browser was considered safe.
Version 11 came along with Windows update 8.1, it is the latest in the line. In terms of speed, it can be compared with competitors, but still slightly inferior to them. Now there is a privacy mode, a preliminary rating, and caching is also supported, it allows you to increase the speed of the browser. Despite the successful innovations, the browser is only losing its position. In my work, I use Internet Explorer only to enter the web interface of my home router and other things. network equipment. There is a simple explanation for this, this is the browser developers use, so the markup is designed for it. To view Internet resources, it is better to use a different browser.

Now there are many browsers that we did not mention in our review. We have presented our selection of the best browsers, but everyone may have a different opinion. The review presents only those browsers that I had to deal with. They are completely free to download and use without any restrictions. The current version can be found on the official website. If you can suggest worthy browsers that should be in the Top 5, then indicate your options in the comments.

Since you are reading this article, then you, like many others, are interested in the question, what is a browser? No matter how strange it may sound, but you actually already know the answer to it, you just probably don’t guess yet. I'll try to explain. In short, then browser is a program for browsing the Internet. That is, in order to read the information on this page, at least you had to launch the browser by clicking on its shortcut on the desktop or elsewhere on your computer, type in the search engine (Yandex, Google and others) the query " what is a browser” or any other similar one, find my site in the search results and go to it. See how many independent actions you have already taken? Would you be able to do all this without having the slightest idea what a browser is and how to use it? Of course not.

All of your steps led you to what you were looking for, in this case, this page on my site that you are currently viewing. Now let's go back to the definition of a browser: a web browser. And, if I understand correctly, that's what you're doing right now. You see, you are already using the browser for its intended purpose. Naturally, it has other functions, the main of which we will now analyze.

Basic browser features

My regular browser is Firefox, but I often use others at work. I will give you the main features of the Internet browser using, you guessed it, Firefox as an example, but they are practically no different from the features of other browsers. And so, let's go.

You start the browser by clicking on its shortcut with the mouse and you get to your home page. In my case, it is the Yandex search engine (yandex.ru). This page always opens when the browser starts. It can also be reached at any time by simply clicking on the house icon in the upper right corner (circled in red in the figure) or by pressing the Alt and Home keys at the same time. I think it's understandable.

As a home page, it is recommended to set the one that you visit most often, from which you would like to start your daily work on the Internet. It's very easy to change it. To do this, just click on the inscription "Firefox" in the upper left corner and enter the Settings, as shown in the figure below.

A window will appear in front of you, in which in the "Home Page" field you need to enter the address of the required site, for example http://www.yandex.ru or http://vk.com. You can enter the address of absolutely any site. How to change the home page and what it is, figured out. Let's move on.

Since we are talking about site addresses, let's stop at them. Each site is unique. You will never find sites with completely identical addresses. Let's draw an analogy with real life. It is unlikely that there will be families living in different apartments or houses located at the same address.

The site address very often begins with "www", but this part can be omitted. Further, through the dot is the name of the site, for example, the same favorite "yandex". We put one more point and write the end of the address: ru, com, net. org and others. In our case, we received the address of the Yandex search engine "www.yandex.ru". To get to the site at its address, just enter it in address bar your browser.

For faster access to your favorite sites were invented bookmarks. It is enough to click on the star icon to the right of the address bar or press the key combination Ctrl + D, as a window appears in which you need to enter the name of the bookmark, select the folder you need for it and click "done". You can bookmark absolutely any sites you like, for convenience they can also be divided into folders. To view bookmarks, you need to click on the corresponding icon in the upper right corner in the case of Firefox, or in a slightly different way depending on the browser.

For easier site navigation, there are tabs. If you want to have several Internet pages open at the same time, be sure to use the tabs. To open a new tab, click on the plus sign (circled in red).

Most often the Internet is used for information search. It is naturally impossible to do this without a browser. Since you are reading this article now, you most likely already know how to search for information on the Internet. I recommend using search engines such as yandex.ru and google.ru for these purposes. In the request, specify exactly what you want to find. For example, if you live in Moscow and want to buy a car, write to search line car sales in moscow.

Browser types

There are a lot of browsers, but only a few of them have gained popularity. Let's talk about them.

- one of the oldest browsers that have survived to this day. IE is part of Windows, which is probably why it has gained popularity in the world. Perhaps this is its main advantage. Despite the fact that Microsoft specialists are involved in its development, Internet Explorer lags behind other browsers in many ways, it often displays sites incorrectly, does not support many modern standards, and its speed is not happy, although it has noticeably increased in new versions of the program.

Opera is a very old browser, it has a lot of various settings, functions and extensions, it is very fast. This browser, in my opinion, will be somewhat difficult for beginners, but if you understand it, then it can be safely made the main one for work and entertainment. Personally, I did not use it much, but I noticed several negative points. Firstly, it renders some sites a bit incorrectly, most often the problem is an increase in font size. I think this error will be fixed in new versions. Secondly, when I first launched Opera, for some reason, it did not import bookmarks, passwords, history, and other data from my other browsers. I still found this function, but the path to the profile with data had to be specified manually. In my opinion, this is somewhat inconvenient. Maybe I did something wrong, I do not deny this moment, but the fact remains. Yandex Browser, for example, coped with this task in no time. Thirdly, there was a case when I opened just one page, while neither the browser nor the computer was restarted by anything, after which Opera hung for about half a minute, or maybe more. Of course, these are all coincidences, and this can happen with any browser, I'm just sharing my impressions of using them. In general, the browser is very good, it supports all, or almost all, modern standards and technologies.

- first appeared in 2002, is regularly updated, supports all modern standards, displays sites as correctly as possible, has many additional extensions and plug-ins that are easy to install and update. Firefox also has disadvantages: sometimes the browser freezes for a while, sometimes even for several minutes, after which its work may stop altogether, referring to some kind of error. It also happens that the browser, saying plain language, buggy. For example, now on some sites you have to manually enter logins and passwords each time, despite the fact that they are saved in the browser and should be displayed automatically. I also noticed such a glitch as the periodic loss of spell check: sometimes it disappears by itself and then appears itself, while I do nothing. It is worth noting that Firefox has very good support, so all problems are often solved in new versions or in other ways, which can be found on the program forum.

- appeared relatively recently, in 2008, but has already managed to gain popularity around the world. Google Chrome can be summed up in three words: fast, simple, and convenient. Despite its visual simplicity, the browser has all the necessary features and supports all modern standards. It will be mastered in a matter of minutes even by a beginner. The proof of the convenience of Google Chrome is the fact that many of the technical details first used in it were subsequently borrowed from it by other browsers. For example, tabs in browsers for a long time were located under the address bar, above which there was also a menu in the form of drop-down lists, as a result of which the browser header turned out to be rather cumbersome. If my memory serves me, then for the first time in Chrome, the tabs moved under the address bar, and the menu was completely different.

- is the youngest browser on this list and in the world as a whole, at the time of writing, its age is only a month, but despite this, it is actively gaining popularity, as a rule, among the Russian-speaking population. In my opinion, he has a great future, especially in Russia and the CIS. But if Yandex makes more efforts, then the browser may go far beyond the borders of our country, although it is hard to believe in this, we'll wait and see. It combines all the advantages modern browsers and also has its own individual characteristics. For example, only in this browser I saw that the titles of Internet pages are displayed not only in the tab, but also in the address bar. In my own way appearance and the Yandex Browser interface is very much like Google Chrome, they are also made on the same engine. The browser works very smoothly, quickly and without brakes, at least that's how it proved to be in my case. Separately, it is worth mentioning the Yandex Browser security system, which was developed by Kaspersky Lab, as well as Turbo technology, which speeds up the loading of sites, which was created by Opera and will appear in the next versions of the program. I myself have not tested and verified these developments, since I have neither the opportunity nor the desire.

Apple's browser could also be included in the list, but, as far as I know, its development and support for Windows has recently ceased. Let me just say that the browser is really made very high quality and beautiful, like any other product from Apple. If you wish, you can download Safari and use it, you are unlikely to be disappointed.

Which browser is better?

Each Internet user must choose a browser for himself. Neither I nor any other person can fully objectively answer the question of which browser is better. This is most likely a matter of taste. For example, I do not really like working on Opera, but this does not mean that this browser is worse than others. Many of my friends use it.

As you know, My choice currently Mozilla Firefox. Since I use it more often than others, I have given more specific examples of problems and errors with this browser, but this does not mean that others do not have them. At times, absolutely every browser is buggy, like any other program. Some, of course, have fewer glitches, some more, but everyone has them. Any browser can freeze and crash, you can't get away from it.

For beginners, I would recommend browsers such as Google Chrome and Yandex Browser. I'll explain why. They are the easiest to learn, everything is as simple as possible, there is nothing superfluous, sheer minimalism. You will not need to scour the wilds of the menu to find this or that function, everything is on the surface. But despite their outward simplicity, both of these browsers are very powerful and support all modern standards. The initial functionality in them without installing any additional extensions is also quite large. For example, only these two browsers are initially able to translate sites from foreign languages. For others, this feature becomes available only after installing additional plugins.

Perhaps, objectively, well, or almost objectively, I can only speak about Internet Explorer. It is this browser that most often incorrectly displays sites, I also heard that its security system is lame. Despite being the oldest browser on this list, IE has only recently had to catch up with its younger competitors, and it's far from being the best at it.

When choosing a browser, you can also look at popularity ratings, but I do not advise you to rely on them. Each person must choose for himself what he likes. For example, there are still a lot of users in the world who prefer IE, but, in my opinion, this is only because it is installed on a computer with Windows. Most people do not like to change anything and look for the best, but use what they already have. I used to use Internet Explorer too, but that was a long time ago. At that time I was not such an active Internet user as I am now, I did not know all the subtleties, I thought that sites should be displayed exactly as in Explorer, I simply did not know better. If something moved down on any site or was too large or, conversely, small, I thought that the error lay in the site itself, but as it turned out, I was wrong. In the original version of this article, I gave a rating of the popularity of browsers in Russia and in the world as a whole, but then I realized that this is not necessary, since it is constantly changing and it definitely won’t help to make the right choice.

When choosing a browser, you need to pay attention to several highlights:

• Convenience - with this item, each user must decide for himself. To do this, download a browser, work on it for a few hours, and if you feel any inconvenience or something you don't like, download and test the next one. And so on, until you understand which browser is most convenient for you. In principle, the list is small, so it will not take long to test.
• Functionality- by and large, all of the above browsers have sufficient functionality for almost any Internet user. If this or that function is missing, you can always download and install an add-on or plugin.
• Speed ​​- I personally did not check the speed of a particular browser with any services, let alone stopwatches. I can say that latest versions each of them work pretty fast. Somewhere I saw the results of a study, according to which Chrome loads web pages the fastest, and displays the visible part of the page on the Firefox screen. How true this is, I don't know. I do not think that Yandex Browser or Opera are far behind them in this indicator.
• Correct display of sites- it would seem, well, why not update the developers of their browsers and make them correctly display the sites. Imagine how cool it would be if in all browsers each site looked exactly the same, how many problems would be less for layout designers (specialists who “pull” the design onto the site), but no, developers cannot yet bring their browsers up to perfection, sorry. I want to note right away that such browsers as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Yandex Browser display sites as correctly as possible. Opera also supports almost all modern standards, but still there are times when it does not correctly display this or that style. Recently, it was because of her that I had to redo the font sizes on one of my sites, as she increased them very much. Also go, for example, to Yandex Market and see how it is displayed in Opera and in any other browser listed above, I'm sure you will see the differences. I don’t really want to talk about Internet Explorer, but still I will say: this is one of the most backward browsers in terms of the correct display of sites. He is very bad friends with shadows and other effects. Very often it is under IE that they write separate file styles so that it somehow copes with its task.
• Security - to be honest, I did not check this item in any special ways. I know that Chrome and Firefox have everything with this, it seems to be in order, you can also place big bets on Yandex Browser thanks to cooperation with Kaspersky Lab, I can’t say anything specific about Opera, I heard about IE that the security system is so-so. In any case, install antivirus programs on your computers, and everything will be in order.

In the matter of choosing a browser, in no case completely do not trust anyone's opinion. What others think comfortable and ideal, you may absolutely not like and vice versa. The most important thing in the browser for ordinary Internet users, in my opinion, convenience. If you are satisfied with the work of the browser, its interface is pleasant and it is simply convenient to use it, then you are unlikely to pay special attention to other points. But in any case, try to evaluate the browser on the other points listed above, and then do final choice. Especially now, I hope you understand what a browser is, why it is needed and how to use it correctly. Personally, I would advise you to look at Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox, Yandex Browser also showed itself well, but, I repeat once again, this is just my subjective opinion.

If you have any questions, problems with the choice or operation of a particular browser, you are welcome in the comments.

If the vast majority of older people are only superficially familiar with the Internet, for the younger generation, daily “surfing the web” 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 the browser code remained closed for a long time (until 1993), NCSA Mosaic is considered to be the first browser released to the masses. 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 resulted in many sites and web documents being optimized for one specific browser (IE) and not opening 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, including:

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. Chrome's work 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 a 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 is gradually being replaced by the next-generation Quantum engine since version 57.0) and is the second most popular free software in the world. Officially released for Windows, Android, macOS, and GNU. In Linux distributions, it is included among the pre-installed 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, "live" Google search in the address bar and support for DRM plugins looks like a service imposition, 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 its work 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 from 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. Starting with version 3.0, Windows support was introduced. 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 of 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?

The software market offers dozens of free or shareware web browsers, the abundance of which makes an inexperienced user dizzy. 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 from personal experience when he tries to install some application, and in the end he will see the following message:

And if the browser is also not friendly with modern standards (for example, with the HTTP / 2 network protocol), you can forget about fast page loading, prioritization for requests, support for push notifications, and many other functions and features.

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.

Security

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. It is worth one developer to implement some kind of new feature, as the other almost immediately presents the same or similar analogue in meaning. A striking example to 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 "freeze" the system, taking away the lion's share of RAM at 1-2 open tabs than Google and Firefox have been “sinning” lately.
• 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 a shop Google Apps, alternately 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. AT 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 of important pages exceeds a hundred? That's right, bookmark them. This feature is now implemented in all popular browsers.

Click on a 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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