The Top 4 Internet Browsers

In the beginning, there was the personal computer, a big beige box that sat on a desk but could do nothing without an operating system to run the software applications that actually do the tasks users need. It was Bill Gates' invention of the operating system "Microsoft" and Steve Jobs' invention of the operating system "Apple" that enabled computers to move from huge scientific labs to people's desktops. The original personal computers were just that, "personal". Each personal computer was used by just one person; and sharing information quickly and easily was not possible. Computers were used mostly for word processing and financial applications such as spreadsheets.

There was such a thing as "the Internet", but before 1995, sending data electronically was confined mostly to government agencies such as the United States Department of Defense. The USDoD developed the first networked computer system, known as ARPAnet for use by the Advanced Research Projects Agency. From the 1960s to the late 1980s, the internet was just used by large businesses and government agencies because there were still problems with compatibility between systems.

In the early 1990s, a physicist named Dr. Tim Berners-Lee developed the software for what he called the "World Wide Web". Dr. Berners-Lee envisioned a way for people to share information with other people and other computers. So began the development of internet browsers, software applications that allow users to browse or "surf" the World Wide Web (often shortened to just "the Web") quickly, easily, and seamlessly. Netscape was the first commercially available internet browser, but Microsoft, which launched Internet Explorer, quickly overtook it. Internet Explorer (or "IE") quickly became the standard for personal computers using the Microsoft operating systems, which in turn were the worldwide computing standard. Microsoft's Internet Explorer is now in its eighth development cycle.

Meanwhile, over at Apple Computers, an internet browser application using a different type of coding was developed for use on Apple computers. The latest development, called "Safari", is on version 4. For over ten years, there were just two major players in the internet browser market; and people were either "Microsoft" people or "Apple" people.

In recent years, with the growth of open source coding, other companies have developed internet browsers with different features and benefits for users. There are now four major internet browsers, each of which is being marketed to a different demographic.

Internet Explorer 8 is available only for computers that run the Microsoft operating system (www.microsoft.com), now called "Windows". Although is it usually available pre-loaded with all personal computer purchases-either consumer or business-Internet Explorer is presently being marketing primarily to large businesses or commercial "enterprises". Although the market share of all current versions of Internet Explorer amounts to approximately 54 per cent, Microsoft has consistently lost market share to the other three internet browsers.

Safari 4, from Apple Computer (www.apple.com) can be used on both Apple "Macs" and Microsoft "PCs", as well as other mobile devices from Apple. As with all internet browsers, it is being marketed as a "better alternative" to Internet Explorer.

The next largest internet browser in number of users is Firefox (www.mozilla.com), which is readying its release of version 3.5. Mozilla uses engineers from around the world and is the only major internet browser created by a non-profit organization. Firefox works on both Macs and PCs, and uses an open source development process that allows third-party developers to expand applications for users of the browser.

The newest internet browser was developed by Google (www.google.com) and is called "Chrome". It works on PCs and a Mac version will be coming soon. Chrome is also open source and developed by a global community of engineers. It is available in over 50 languages.

Each of the four major browsers claims it is the "best"; it is up to the end user to decide which is best depending on what is needed and desired.