Web Browsers
What is a Web browser?
A Web browser is a software program used to view pages from the World Wide Web, which is a major part of the Internet. Many Web browsers are available for free from their manufacturers.
The following are examples of browsers:
How do I know which Web browser I'm using?
To find out which Web browser you are using, open the Help menu and then select the Aboutoption (for example, About Internet Explorer). The name and version number of your browser, as well as some information about the program's authors.
What is a "home page," and how do I choose one?
Your home page is the page that your Web browser displays each time you go online. For example, if you launch Internet Explorer, the Web page that first appears onscreen is your home page. You can change your home page as often as you like.
To change your home page location, open the Tools menu in your browser and then select Options. Your current home page location is displayed. Use the available buttons to select a new home page location.
What is a link? What is a hyperlink?
"Link" is short for hyperlink; they are the same thing. A link is a reference on one Web page that points to another Web page. A link can be a word or phrase of text, a button, or a graphic. When you click something on one Web page and are taken to a different page, you've clicked a link.
How do I see the list of sites my browser has visited?
To see the list of Web pages sites you have visited, open the History menu in your browser. (In Internet Explorer, click the History button.)
What is a Web browser's cache?
A Web browser's cache is a collection of recently or frequently accessed files that your browser has downloaded while visiting Web pages. The code that creates the layout for each Web page--all the pictures and images, videos, sounds, and so on--includes files that have to be downloaded to your computer from the Web. Caching keeps some of these files on your computer so they don't have to be downloaded again. This speeds up your Web browsing experience, because accessing files on your computer is hundreds of times faster than accessing them from the Web.
Here's a comparison that might be helpful: If you want to write something down, it is much faster and more efficient to keep pens on your desk than it is to get up, walk to the supply closet, write down what you need to, and then walk back to your desk. This is how caching speeds up Web browsing--it keeps the "pens" (files from Web sites) on your desk, and saves your computer from having to make that lengthy trip to the World Wide Web.
What is a "cookie"?
A cookie is a text-only bit of information that gets entered into the memory of your Web browser by the Web site that you are visiting. The Web site sets this information so it can remember you the next time you visit. Without cookies, Web sites would lose all knowledge of your visit.
Cookies add convenience to Web browsing. For example, cookies make it so that you don't have to enter your username and/or password every time you visit a favorite site. When you shop online, cookies remember the items that you have added to your shopping cart.