Web browser

A Web browser is a piece of software that enables a user to retrieve and render HTML documents from Internet server?s around the world. This network of documents is known as the World Wide Web.

Communication between the web server and the browser uses primarily the HTTP protocol. Most browsers also support other protocols, such as FTP, Gopher, and HTTPS, a [secure sockets layer]? encrypted version of HTTP.

Some of the more popular browsers include additional components to support Usenet news and e-mail via the NNTP, IMAP and POP protocols.

Examples of web browsers:

• Internet Explorer
• Netscape Navigator and its open-source variant, Mozilla
  • Galeon?
  • K-Meleon?
• Opera
• Konqueror
• iCab?
• OmniWeb?

Text-based web browsers:

• Lynx
• w3m?

Early browsers which are no longer developed:

• Mosaic?
• Cello?

See also History of the Internet.

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External links

• Browser timeline
  • http://www.zdnet.com/devhead/resources/tag_library/history/browsers.html (1993-1999)