One of the most important pieces of software for computer users today is a web browser. Without this application, computer users would not be able to view the data retrieved on the Internet. The browser is the tool that gives us an easy-to-navigate visual display of the information available on the internet. Web designers create web pages with a language called HTML, (Hyper Text Markup Language) which the web browsers can read and display to us in an easy-to-navigate format. There are many web browsers on the market, many that serve a certain niche customer base, but the current top three web browsers are: Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome.
Internet Explorer has been around longer than the other top web browsers. It is produced by Microsoft and comes already installed on most Windows-based computers, which also adds to its popularity. It is polished and functions well for most computer users. It is a full-featured web browser that has made huge strides over the past few years in security; however many people worry that it is not as secure as the other top browser choices.
Firefox is the second most used web browser, but in many European countries it is actually the most popular. It was created by the Mozilla Corporation. It is completely open source, which has allowed many companies to develop add-ons to enhance the browsing experience of internet users. Firefox is also well known for having brought tabbed browsing to the public.
The third most popular web browser is Google Chrome. This is a relatively new entry into the market. It is, of course, owned by the Google Corporation. It has many unique features that set it apart from the other browsers, and has brought integrated searching to a whole new level. Google Chrome is certainly a product to watch in coming years.