The Evolution of Browsers:AJourney from Mosaic to Edge

A browser is a program that lets you see and interact with information on the internet. This includes web pages, movies, and photos. Before the internet, the term browser referred to interfaces that let you read text files online. Web browsers are now widely used to access the internet and are considered essential for daily use.

A web browser is a client application that requests resources from web servers using HTTP. Most browsers also support email and FTP, but these are not necessary. Essentially, a web browser connects you to everything on the web, allowing you to watch videos, play games, shop online, and upload pictures.

The First Web Browser

While working at CERN in Switzerland, a British scientist named Tim Berners-Lee invented computer software called Enquire in the early 1980s. He made it easier for CERN’s diverse workforce to share information. Before Enquire, finding information on different computers was very difficult.

Enquire created easy-to-find files and connected them with hypertext. The software was only used at CERN, so not many people could use it. After Berners-Lee left CERN, the concept disappeared, but it was revived in 1989 when he returned. This time, Berners-Lee created something very helpful with the help of others.

Berners-Lee created the World Wide Web with the help of advances in computer science. It stored information on servers and was accessible through web browsers using URLs. This made it easy for people to access information from anywhere.

The use of hypertext was a big breakthrough, allowing users to navigate to other server-stored content. In 1990, Berners-Lee and his coworker Robert Cailliau developed the first web browser, WorldWideWeb, marking the beginning of a new era.

Early Web Browsers

Tim Berners-Lee’s browser, created in 1990, changed the game. However, it used the uncommon NeXT operating system, so it didn’t make the internet more accessible. Later versions of the browser made it more approachable and led to widespread downloads and the first internet boom. Here are some early web browsers and their contributions to modern web browsers.

Erwise, created in 1991, was the first browser to use a graphical interface. This allowed it to display both text and images, a big deal at the time. Users could also search for words on a page, a new feature for web browsers. Erwise could handle different fonts, underline URLs, and open multiple windows at once, all of which were innovative at the time. Despite financial challenges in Finland, Erwise paved the way for future browsers.

ViolaWWW started in 1992 but didn’t succeed because it only worked on Macs, not PCs. It was the first browser to let developers put scripts in web pages, which was important for the future of web browsers and led to Java-script. Java-script made online pages more functional and interactive, and helped the web grow in the late 1990s. This made more people interested in the internet and led to it being used by many more people.

Between 1990 and 1993, the web browser changed a lot. When Berners-Lee made the World Wide Web, people saw the potential of web browsers, but they weren’t popular yet. Then Mosaic came out. Mosaic was like the earlier web browsers, but it had some special things that made it different and popular. One special thing was the IMG element, which let people put images in web pages. This made web pages look like other media that people were used to. Mosaic also had new features like video, bookmarks, forms, audio, and history files. It was easy for anyone to download.

Netscape

In 1994, Marc Andreesen and Jim Clark started a business to create a better browser than Mosaic. They called their first browser Mosaic Netscape 0.9, but it was not related to the original Mosaic. They later changed the name to Netscape. They used technologies like Java-script and partial-screen loading to make the browser fast and popular. These technologies allowed users to start reading a page before it fully loaded, which was a new and helpful idea at the time.

Opera

In 1994, Opera was created by Telenor, a large telecom company in Norway. The first public release, Version 2.0, is still used today, even though Version 62 was recently made available. The World Wide Web Consortium (WWWC) was also founded in 1994 by Tim Burners-Lee, who left CERN to join MIT. The WWWC is an international organization focused on creating open web standards. Many of the ideas from WWWC are still relevant in today’s IT industry, inspiring new methods and perspectives in politics, science, education, and culture.

Internet Explorer

Many people in the computer and internet industries saw Netscape’s first success as proof that things had changed. The big players in the industry were scared, including Microsoft, a company based in Seattle. By the late 1990s, Microsoft had made its own browser, Internet Explorer, but it was seen as not very good. Netscape could be used on any device, like a Windows PC or a Mac, because it worked on different platforms.

People thought this would make operating systems less important. Browsers that could work on any device would be used to run computers, making the software industry more open and easier to get into. But Microsoft saw this change, driven by companies like Netscape, as a threat because it had made its money selling its own operating system, Windows.

Maxthon

Between the era of Internet Explorer 6 and Chrome, a burst of creativity in web browsers emerged as separate teams worked on developing new features. This period saw the rise of browsers using the Internet Explorer engine, such as Maxthon, which became a major contender. Maxthon distinguished itself by introducing innovations like multi-tab browsing, mouse gestures, adblock capabilities, and other advanced features.

These improvements transformed the browsing experience for users by providing greater convenience and control over their online activities. The introduction of multi-tab browsing by Maxthon allowed users to efficiently manage multiple open tabs within a single window, leading to improved productivity and organization while surfing the web.

Furthermore, Maxthon implemented mouse gestures to facilitate effortless navigation of web pages through basic mouse movements. Additionally, the adblock feature empowered users to eliminate bothersome ads and pop-ups, resulting in a more streamlined and uninterrupted browsing experience. These advancements showcased Maxthon’s dedication to delivering advanced solutions that tackled key concerns for internet users at that time.

In general, Maxthon made a substantial contribution to shaping user standards and propelling ongoing innovation in the web browser sector, leaving a lasting impression on browsing experiences during that pivotal era and solidifying its position as a prominent figure in web browser history.

NetCaptor

NetCaptor, developed from 1997 to 2005, was a customized shell for Internet Explorer that utilized the Trident layout engine while introducing its own enhancements. Its notable feature was tab-based browsing, a pioneering concept at the time that allowed users to switch between multiple web pages within a single window.

Additionally, NetCaptor offered an expanded feature set for users seeking greater control and customization options. Initially adware shareware, the developer later provided a free registration key to the public, increasing its popularity.

With its unique approach and additional features, NetCaptor aimed to provide an alternative and improved browsing experience compared to traditional Internet Explorer. Despite no longer being actively developed, NetCaptor remains significant in web browser history for modernizing the browsing experience during its time and gaining a dedicated user base.

Browser Wars

During the Browser Wars, Microsoft aimed to defeat Netscape and change the browser industry. In 1996, Netscape had over 80% of the market, but by 1998, it dropped to 40% and was replaced by Internet Explorer in 1999. This led to Netscape being sold to AOL in 2000. Microsoft invested heavily in its product and quickly gained an advantage over Netscape. It also bundled Internet Explorer with Windows, giving it a competitive edge and helping it dominate the browser market.

Modern Browsers

In 2003, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer had a market share of over 92 percent, a big change from 1995. It took less than 10 years for it to completely dominate the browser market. But soon, competition from other sources will change the history of web browsers again.

Mozilla

The Mozilla Foundation was created to protect the original Netscape code and provide people with an open-source, independent browser after Netscape joined AOL in the early 2000s. In the beginning, Mozilla did not greatly decrease Internet Explorer’s market dominance. However, throughout the 2000s, Mozilla gained over 30% of the market as Internet Explorer began to fall behind again. By 2009, Mozilla had reached its peak in growth and stopped competing with Internet Explorer as a new player entered the market to change things significantly.

Safari

In the early 2000s, Apple made Safari for Mac computers, likely because Microsoft added a browser to its operating system. It was popular with Apple users for a bit, but didn’t have a big effect on the overall market. Safari is still used in some areas today.

Chrome

In the late 1990s, Microsoft became the top browser company, causing competitors like Netscape to fail. However, Internet Explorer became worse over time. This created an opportunity for a new company to take over the browser market. Google, as a rising star on the internet, was the perfect candidate for this.

Programmers who started with Mozilla developed Google’s browser, Chrome, which came out in 2008. By 2012, Chrome became the most popular browser, surpassing Internet Explorer. This was due to its speed, cross-platform functionality, and unique tab and bookmark features. Chrome has kept its top spot in the market and is expected to maintain its position in 2020 with over 60% market share.

Microsoft Edge

Internet Explorer became less popular in the late 2000s because it was slow and old. Microsoft had to watch the browser industry from far away. It wanted to fix the problem, but found that Internet Explorer was seen as a bad browser. So, Microsoft had to change the name and released Edge as the new browser. Edge has received many good reviews, but it might be too late for Microsoft. Even though it came out in 2015, Edge is still not one of the top five browsers used today.

The evolution of the web browser from its modest origins in 1990 as a small research project has been remarkable. In today’s modern world, it holds a crucial place and we can hardly fathom life without it. Predicting the future of web browsing presents an even more daunting task.

These are the references for the information about web browsers:

1. TechTarget’s WhatIs.com explains what a browser is. Retrieved from https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/browser on September 3, 2019.

2. InternetAdvisor.com provides a history of internet browsers. Retrieved from https://www.internetadvisor.com/the-story-of-the-web-a-history-of-internet-browsers/post-navigation-1 by Internet Advisor on August 8, 2022.

3. Vestra Inet’s website gives a brief timeline of the history of web browsers. Retrieved from https://vestrainet.com/the-brief-timeline-the-history-of-web-browsers.html on July 22, 2019.