A web browser is a piece of software that requests, decodes and then presents the files that constitute internet pages. “Without doubt Microsoft’s Internet Explorer and Mozilla’s Firefox are by far the frequently used browsers, but there are most certainly at least 50 to 70 others that are readily available for public use, and nearly all of them have their loyal followers and supporters” (Ackoff, 1989, p. 3).
On the other hand, two other main players in the web browser business are Google’s Chrome and Opera, which have superseded many versions. Different browsers give the impression to have diverse degrees of utility reliant on the materials to be gained access to and the use to be made of the material by the recipient.
The progressive growth of the internet in the 1990s and 2000s shows that present browsers with small market stocks have increased their market share as compared to previous times. For example, 90% market segment in 1997 represented approximately 60 million users, but by the end the 2007 fiscal year, 9% market segment represented over 90 million users. (Bellinger, Durval & Mills, 2009, p.1)
Microsoft’s Internet Explorer has gone through evolution since 1995 when it first appeared for use up to date. Mozilla which appeared in market much later as compared to Internet Explorer in 1998 also has evolved albeit at a faster rate. Apart from the two that are widely used, there is Opera and Phoenix which developed later, but their progress has not been so fast.
Different web browsers are compatible to different operating system which in some way affects the processing speed of browsers. There are settings that can make different browsers (especially earlier versions) to be compatible with different Operating Systems (Ackoff, 1989).
Mozilla’s Firefox and Microsoft’s Internet Explorer are more compatible with many both earlier and later versions of the Operating System while on the other hand Opera and Phoenix are not compatible with earlier versions since they do not have in-built settings of compatibility (Blair, 2011).
Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox are the browsers that I often use. They are easy to access and their speed is relatively high. The news sites that I visit most are nation.co.ke and eaststandard.net since I like remaining updated with world events taking place in the news. These are news sites which have clear pictures.
Using the above browsers is easy since they do not need authority to get access the sites (Prince, 2008). Microsoft’s Internet Explorer which is inbuilt in new laptops and computers further makes it affordable to more people since no expenses are incurred of buying it (Ackoff, 1989).
Internet Explorer and Mozilla they are user-friendly because they have dialogue boxes which appear on the screen during browsing. Such dialogue boxes help one to avoid suspicious sites and viruses.
They offer different internet suggestions which would be helpful to the user depending on the sites that are commonly accessed by the user. Moreover, browsing is much faster and direct as opposed to Opera and Phoenix which are relatively harder to use while browsing (Bellinger, Durval & Mills, 2009).
With recent development of mobile internet, it is of concern that there could be web browsers that are compatible with mobile settings. However, research (Blair, 2011) shows that results are unknown when these web browsers can be installed in mobile phones for full time use.
The explanation for this is that some the software required is bulky in size (in terms of their storage requirement in Mega Bundles (MB)) which may exceed most phone memories. As a response to this challenge, Opera has developed its browser to be able to fit most mobile phone settings which is called Opera mini which makes phone browsing fast and reliable (Gadomski, 1999).
“Browsing features like Bookmark, Download and Password Management as well as Spell checking, Search engine, toolbar, and Per-site security configuration have been used to make browsing easier and friendlier” (Gadomski, 1999, p.48). All these features are accessible when one is using Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox but Opera and Phoenix have limited access to such features.
As technology continues to develop more and more so is web browsing development, and the corollary of these developments is that there has been an increase in features, utilities and tools that are user friendly and more affordable for users.
References
Ackoff, R.L. (1989). From data to wisdom. Journal of Applies Systems Analysis, 16(2), 3-9.
Bellinger, G.H., Durval, C.K., & Mills, A.J. (2009). Data, Information, Knowledge, and Wisdom. Retrieved from http://www.systems-thinking.org/dikw/dikw.htm
Blair, A.H. (2011). Information Overload, Then and Now. The Chronicle Review. Retrieved from https://www.chronicle.com/article/Information-Overload-Then-and/125479/?sid=cr&utm_medium=en&utm_source=cr
Gadomski, A.M. (1999). Information, Preferences and Knowledge: An Interesting Evolution in Thought. Yeppoon, Qld: Capricorn Press.
Prince, B.Y. (2008). Test Finds Google Chrome, Apple Safari Weakest in Browser Password Management. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.