What is a Browser?

The words and phrases used in today’s high-tech world are confusing. Apps, plug-ins, downloads, uploads, links, and servers—even for those who work in a technical field, terms like those are hard to understand. Computer programs are extremely useful, so implementing them makes your job much easier. However, learning all the lingo that goes with them adds a difficulty factor. Let’s say you want to improve your business’s efficiency with fleet repair software. One of the first things you should understand is what browsers are and how they make your job easier.

What is a Browser?

Essentially, a browser is like a window that lets you look out onto any street you want to. According to Webster’s Dictionary, it is the program on your computer that pulls up whatever information you tell it to. You can use browsers to look up an image, view a video, or find an informative article (about browsers, for instance).

Wikipedia points out that although browsers are mostly used for the Internet, they are also useful for accessing information in private networks.

How do Browsers Work?

When you open a browser on your computer, a screen pops up. Usually, the computer is programmed to go to a designated home page. Maybe yours goes to a favorite news website or search engine. It doesn’t matter what site opens up. What does matter is that it opens up in your browser.

Usually, there are tabs at the top of the browser, one for each site that is open. Below the tabs, there is an address field. If you type a web address into that field, then hit the “enter” key, a new website will display on the browser page. Most web addresses start with “www.” or “http://” or even “https://”. Many times, you can leave that part out and the browser will still pull up the web site. For example, typing in “fullbay.com” will still get you to the site.

Some people confuse search engines with browsers. Although they are both computer programs, they have different jobs. Search engines look for items you tell them to. For example, if you’re interested in finding the best fleet management software, type those words into the search field. You’ll get a page that displays a list of articles and websites that have to do with fleet management software.

Browsers, on the other hand, are navigation tools the search engines use. You can’t ask a browser to find the nearest coffee shop. You can use it to go to a search engine, and then search for a coffee shop from there.

Which Browser is the Best?

Most computers and laptops come with a browser already loaded onto them. PCs usually have Internet Explorer or Microsoft Edge. Apple products typically have Safari. While those are good browsers, there are actually many browsers in addition to those three.

TechRadar recently published a list of the top 7 web browsers. Mozilla’s Firefox topped the list because of its speed and privacy tools, and because it doesn’t drain your computer’s resources. Other browsers that made the list include:

• Chrome, which is Google’s browser and is very fast
• Opera, which is fast and comes with an ad blocker
• Vivaldi, which is customizable and has a built-in note-taker
• Tor, which is more like a security system built around a browser

The nice thing about browsers is that they mostly work the same. Once you’ve used one, it’s easy to learn to use a different one. Plus, most of them work well with cloud-based software. That means if you start using fleet repair software to streamline your business, any browser should work fine.