Running head: The History of 5 Popular Web Browsers

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The History of 5 Popular Web Browsers
Yamaguchi, Maki A. (14001584900)
COMP121/F2 AMA EAST RIZAL
14
th
July 2014
The History of 5 Popular Web Browsers 2
Google Chrome
The Google Chrome Web browser is based on the open source Chromium project. Google
released Chrome in 2008 and issues several updates a year. It is available for Windows, Mac OS
X, Linux, Android and iOS operating systems. The Google Chrome browser takes a sandboxing-
based approach to Web security. Each open website runs as its own process, which helps prevent
malicious code on one page from affecting others (or the computer operating system at large).
The browser also supports Web standards such as HTML5 and cascading style sheets (CSS).

About Google Chrome
When Google launched the Chrome browser in 2008, it was dramatically different from the big
two of the time: Internet Explorer (IE) and Firefox. Both of these browser giants packed the tops
of their windows with buttons and menus for searching subjects, reloading pages, managing
bookmarks, printing pages and other actions you might want to take while you're on the Web.
You could even add more features to these browsers to customize your browsing experience.
With the Chrome browser, Google took a completely different approach to the browsing
experience. Google's vision for Chrome has been to turn the Web browser from a passive means
of viewing and listening to information to an interactive portal optimized for Web apps. To
accomplish that, Google needed to make Chrome more streamlined, with less emphasis on the
browser itself and more emphasis on the power of the Web.

Features
Google Chrome aims to be secure, fast, simple and stable. There are extensive differences from
its peers in Chrome's minimalistic user interface, which is atypical of modern web browsers. For
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example, Chrome does not render RSS feeds. One of Chrome's strengths is its application
performance and JavaScript processing speed, both of which were independently verified by
multiple websites to be the swiftest among the major browsers of its time. Many of Chrome's
unique features had been previously announced by other browser developers, but Google was the
first to implement and publicly release them. For example, a prominent graphical user interface
(GUI) innovation, the merging of the address bar and search bar (the Omnibox), was first
announced by Mozilla in May 2008 as a planned feature for Firefox. Both Internet Explorer 9
and Safari (version 6) have since merged the search and address bar. Chrome allows users to
synchronize their bookmarks, history, and settings across all devices with the browser installed
by sending and receiving data through a chosen Google Account, which in turn updates all
signed-in instances of Chrome. This can be authenticated either through Google credentials, or a
sync passphrase. Chrome periodically retrieves updates of two blacklists (one for phishing and
one for malware), and warns users when they attempt to visit a site Chrome sees as potentially
harmful. This service is also made available for use by others via a free public API called
"Google Safe Browsing API".
Google introduced download scanning protection in Chrome 17. Chrome tries to prevent
malware with Sandboxing. The Sandbox monitors each and every webpage tab separately. When
the user opens a malicious website, Chrome contains the malware in an area called a sandbox.
The other tabs that the user has open are unaffected. When the user closes the bad page, the
malware goes with it leaving other tabs and the computer unaffected. Chrome also automatically
updates to the latest security features to maximize user protection from malware.
The private browsing feature called Incognito mode prevents the browser from permanently
storing any history information or cookies from the websites visited. Incognito mode is similar to
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the private browsing feature in other web browsers. Chrome was the second browser to
implement this feature, after Safari. Chrome includes a process management utility called Task
Manager which lets users see what sites and plugins are using the most memory, downloading
the most bytes and overusing the CPU and provides the ability to terminate them. Chrome
Version 23 ensures its users an improved battery life for the systems supporting Chrome's GPU
accelerated video decoding.
Chrome allows users to make local desktop shortcuts that open web applications in the browser.
The browser, when opened in this way, contains none of the regular interface except for the title
bar, so as not to "interrupt anything the user is trying to do". This allows web applications to run
alongside local software (similar to Mozilla Prism and Fluid).

Devices
Google Chrome for Android 4.0 devices was launched on February 7, 2012, available for a
limited number of countries from Google Play. Notable features include synchronization with
desktop Chrome to provide the same bookmarks and view the same browser tabs, page pre-
rendering, hardware acceleration. Starting from version 25, the Chrome version for Android is
aligned with the desktop version, and usually new stable releases are available at the same time
between the Android and the desktop version. Google released a separate Chrome for Android
beta channel on January 10, 2013, with version 25. Currently, a separate beta version of Chrome
is available in the Google Play store and it can run side-by-side with the stable release.
Google announced Chrome OS on July 7, 2009. Google Chrome is the basis of Google's Chrome
OS operating system that ships on specific hardware from Google's manufacturing partners. The
user interface has a minimalist design resembling the Google Chrome browser. Chrome OS is
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aimed at users who spend most of their computer time on the Web; the only applications on the
devices are a browser incorporating a media player and a file manager.
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Mozilla Firefox
In October, 1994, Netscape released the the first beta version of their browser, Mozilla 0.96b,
over the Internet. On December 15, the final version was released, Mozilla 1.0, making it the
first commercial web browser. An open source version of the Netscape browser was released in
2002 was also named Mozilla in tribute to this early version, and then released as the quickly
popular FireFox in November, 2004.

History
The Firefox project began as an experimental branch of the Mozilla project by Dave Hyatt, Joe
Hewitt and Blake Ross. They believed the commercial requirements of Netscape's sponsorship
and developer-driven feature creep compromised the utility of the Mozilla browser. To combat
what they saw as the Mozilla Suite's software bloat, they created a stand-alone browser, with
which they intended to replace the Mozilla Suite. On April 3, 2003, the Mozilla Organization
announced that they planned to change their focus from the Mozilla Suite to Firefox and
Thunderbird. The Firefox project has undergone several name changes. Originally titled Phoenix,
it was renamed due to trademark issues with Phoenix Technologies. The replacement name,
Firebird, provoked an intense response from the Firebird database software project. The Firefox
project went through many versions before version 1.0 was released on November 9, 2004.

Features
Features include tabbed browsing, spell checking, incremental find, live bookmarking, Smart
Bookmarks, a download manager, private browsing, location-aware browsing (also known as
"geolocation") based on a Google service and an integrated search system that uses Google by
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default in most localizations. Functions can be added through extensions, created by third-party
developers, of which there is a wide selection, a feature that has attracted many of Firefox's
users. Additionally, Firefox provides an environment for web developers in which they can use
built-in tools, such as the Error Console or the DOM Inspector, or extensions, such as Firebug.
Firefox supports most basic Web standards including HTML, XML, XHTML, CSS, JavaScript,
DOM, MathML, SVG, XSLT and XPath. Firefox's standards support and growing popularity
have been credited as one reason Internet Explorer 7 was to be released with improved standards
support. Since Firefox is open source and Mozilla actively develops a platform independent
abstraction for its graphical front end, it can also be compiled and run on a variety of other
architectures and operating systems. Thus, Firefox is also available for many other systems. This
includes OS/2, AIX, and FreeBSD. Builds for Windows XP Professional x64 Edition are also
available. Mozilla Firefox is also the browser of choice for a good number of smaller operating
systems, such as SkyOS and ZETA. Private Browsing, also known popularly as "Porn Mode",
was introduced in Firefox 3.5, which released on June 30, 2009. This feature lets users browse
the Internet without leaving any traces in the browsing history. Firefox users can add features
and change functionality in Firefox by installing extensions. Extension functionality is varied;
such as those enabling mouse gestures, those that block advertisements, and those that enhance
tabbed browsing.

Devices
Firefox for mobile, codenamed Fennec, is a web browser for smaller non-PC devices, mobile
phones and PDAs. It was first released for the Nokia Maemo operating system, specifically the
Nokia N900, on January 28, 2010. Version 4 for Android and Maemo was released on March 29,
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2011. The browser's version number was bumped from version 2 to version 4 to synchronize
with all future desktop releases of Firefox since the rendering engines used in both browsers are
the same. Version 7 was the last release for Maemo on the N900. The user interface is
completely redesigned and optimized for small screens, the controls are hidden away so that only
the web content is shown on screen, and it uses touchscreen interaction methods. It includes the
Awesomebar, tabbed browsing, Add-on support, password manager, location-aware browsing,
and the ability to synchronize with the user's computer Firefox browser using Firefox Sync.

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Opera
In 1994, the Opera browser was developed by a team of researchers at a telecommunication
company called Telenor in Oslo, Norway. The following year, two members of the team, Jon
Stephenson von Tetzchner and Geir Ivarsy, left Telenor to establish Opera Software to develop
the browser commercially. Opera 2.1 was first made available on the Internet in the summer of
1996.

History
Opera began in 1994 as a research project at Telenor, the largest Norwegian telecommunications
company. In 1995, it branched out into a separate company named Opera Software ASA. Opera
was first released publicly with version 2.0 in 1996, which only ran on Microsoft Windows. In
an attempt to capitalize on the emerging market for Internet-connected handheld devices, a
project to port Opera to mobile device platforms was started in 1998.
On 12 February 2013, Opera announced it would drop its own Presto engine in favour of WebKit
as implemented by Google's Chrome browser, using code from the Chromium project. Opera
Software also planned to contribute code to WebKit. On 3 April 2013, Google announced that it
would fork components from WebKit to form a new rendering engine known as Blink; the same
day, Opera confirmed that it would follow Google in implementing Blink.

Features
Opera includes built-in tabbed browsing, a bookmarks bar, add-ons, and a download manager.
Opera has "Speed Dial", which allows the user to add an unlimited number of pages shown in
thumbnail form in a page displayed when a new tab is opened. Speed Dial allows the user to
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more easily navigate to the selected web pages. Opera was one of the first browsers to support
Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). With the adoption of the Blink layout engine, web standards
support of Opera should be similar to Google Chrome. It is possible to control some aspects of
the browser using the keyboard shortcuts. Page zooming allows text, images and other content
such as Adobe Flash Player, Java platform and Scalable Vector Graphics to be increased or
decreased in size to help those with impaired vision.
One security feature is the option to delete private data, such as HTTP cookies, browsing history,
items in cache and passwords with the click of a button. This lets users erase personal data after
browsing from a shared computer. When visiting a site, Opera displays a security badge in the
address bar which shows details about the website, including security certificates. The browser
checks the website that is being visited against blacklists for phishing and malware, and warns if
it matches any of these lists. To catch security flaws and other software bugs before they are
exploited or become a serious problem, the Opera Software company maintains a public web
form where users can submit bug reports.

Devices
Opera Mini is a microbrowser designed primarily for mobile phones, but also for smartphones
and personal digital assistants. Versions up to 4 used the Java ME platform, requiring the mobile
device to be capable of running Java ME applications. The microbrowser began as a pilot project
in 2005. Opera Mini requests web pages through the Opera Software company's servers, which
process and compress them before relaying the pages back to the mobile phone. This
compression process reduces data transferred by up to 90% (depending upon content), increasing
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loading speed, and the pre-processing smooths compatibility with web pages not designed for
mobile phones.
Opera browser for Android is a browser for mobile phones and tablets which have the Android
operating system. It uses the Blink engine. Opera for Android was released on 21 May 2013.
Opera Coast is an Opera edition for iPhone and iPad and was released on 9 September 2013.
Opera TV browser is a browser for TV-sets and television set-top boxes.

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Safari
Safari is a Web browser created by Apple to compete with Microsoft's Internet Explorer. Apple's
Safari browser has been used since 2003 on Macintosh systems and has been available for
Microsoft Windows systems since 2007.

Early Development
After years of using Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer for Macintosh computers, Apple
developed a Web browser just for Macintosh computers. Safari 1.0 was initially included as an
optional Web browser on Macintosh computers, because of a licensing-agreement with
Microsoft to package Internet Explorer with new Macintosh computers. Starting in 2005, Safari
became the exclusive Web browser installed on new Macintosh computers. In 2007, Apple
announced that it had developed a Safari browser that was compatible with Microsoft Windows.
After a series of tests, Safari was labeled the fastest web-browser for initial data loads in
Microsoft Windows, although it equaled Microsoft's Internet Explorer in loading cache memory.

Notable Features
Apple's Safari browser was the first to utilize private browsing, which is sometimes derisively
dubbed as "porn mode." The feature allows for browsing without personal information and
browsing history being recorded. According to Apple's Web site, the Safari browser is the
world's fastest web-browser and the first to utilize HTML 5 audio and video, which allows
creators to integrate audio and video directly into traditional HTML formatting, reducing
development time and load time.

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Design
Apple's Safari browser is designed for minimal clutter around the web-page viewing area. The
frame is one pixel wide and the status bar only appears on the browser when it is needed. The
Safari browser does not use a status bar, but instead incorporates a "gear" design within the
browser to show progress. According to Apple, Safari's unique design is to focus the user's
attention on the Web pages being viewed and not the clutter of the browser.

Safari Mobile
In 2007, Apple revolutionized mobile internet browsing with the introduction of Safari mobile,
used on the Apple iPhone. The mobile browser was the first to display mobile Web pages
identical to those displayed on a desktop computer, without sacrificing usability. Previous mobile
Web browsers had been unable to capture Web pages in the same format, often resorting to
limited Web viewing or incorrect formatting.

Problems
A hole in Apple's Safari caused the Macintosh operating system to be the first to fail a "hacking
test" at a convention in 2008 in Vancouver, B.C. The test was between Microsoft's Vista
operating system, Apple's Mac OS X and Ubunto 7.1. Despite Apple releasing an update to the
browser to patch it, the software was again the first to be hacked in 2009 at the same convention.

Latest version
Safari's current version, 4.0, is available for Mac OSX or Windows. One of its features is "Top
Sites," which shows thumbnails of up to 24 of the user's most visited Web sites.
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Internet Explorer
Internet Explorer is the most common and widely-used Internet browser. It first launched on the
Windows 95 platform and has been a staple of modern browsing ever since. It has had a long,
often conflict-ridden existence, but maintains a consistent 80% market share of browser usage
worldwide. The popularity of the Internet Explorer browser is generally attributed to its
unmatched compatibility with modern websites and apps, as well as its pre-installed presence on
the Windows platform.

History
Internet Explorer first came on the scene as an add-on in the Microsoft Windows 95 Plus
expansion pack. Although the Internet was just starting to have household penetration at that
point, the Internet Explorer browser helped get people interested in the Internet as a service, and
people quickly came to associate the Internet Explorer browser with the actual internet. As the
browser technology improved, Internet Explorer developed a stranglehold on the Internet
browser market, and reach a peak of 93% usage in 2002. However, after the advent of the Opera,
Firefox, and most recently, Chrome browsers, the IE base has been quickly finding other options.
However, usage of the most current version of Internet Explorer still has a market penetration of
about 80%, making it still the most widely-used browser currently available.

Types
There have been seven "full" versions of Internet Explorer, and an eighth version is currently in
beta testing.
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The first version of Internet Explorer was laid out in a format similar to other Microsoft
applications like Paint and Word. It was included on the Windows 95 Plus expansion pack and
only had a simple address bar,refresh button, and simple copy and paste functions. The 1.5
update allowed table rendering.
The second version of Internet Explorer was created for Windows 95, as well as NT versions 3.5
and 4.0. This versions was largely the same in form as the previous iteration, but included
support for SSL and cookies. Patches released in the 2.0i version gave support for double-byte
characters.
Internet Explorer 3 is generally regarded as the first "modern" internet browser, and had CSS,
Java, and ActiveX support. Internet Explorer 3 was often bundled with Windows Mail software,
and created a more streamlined Internet experience.
The fourth iteration of the Internet explorer series was the first to be based on a platform other
than Windows 95, and was directly integrated into the framework of Windows 98. This iteration
was the first to use Microsoft-branded Active Desktop Upgrades.
Internet Explorer 5 was one of the longest-lasting releases, and was originally released with the
Windows 98 second edition. It went on to enjoy standard releases on Windows Me as well as
Windows 2000. It featured several technological upgrades that brought the IE franchise into the
"modern" era with better support for the Adobe suite as well as flash-based programming.
Internet Explorer 5 was also the subject of a monopoly lawsuit, United States vs. Microsoft,
where the State alleged that Microsoft was locking out other companies by bundling Internet
Explorer with its Windows platform and not allowing any other companies to compete. A
settlement was reached in 2001.
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Windows 6 was announced a few months prior to the release of Windows XP, and was touted as
being a broadband-optimized browser. The style of the browser was altered significantly to
match the "Luna" style of the XP OS, and there were also quite a few changes under the hood,
including increased CSS support. However, Internet Explorer 6 was often labeled as the least
secure browser available, and many criticized it for it's lack of security patches.
Internet Explorer 7 is the most recent iteration of the browser, and has several cosmetic features
including a multi-engine search bar, an anti-phishing filter, and a feed reader. It is optimized for
Windows Vista, but is available for up-to-date versions of XP.

Significance
Internet Explorer is culturally significant because it has become a worldwide symbol of the
Internet. Because the market share of Internet Explorer has always been quite high, it is the
internet browser that most people are most familiar with. Most alternative browsers take stylistic
and functional cues from the browser. Not only is it the most popular browser, but it is also the
longest-lasting and most compatible.

Features
There are several key features that make Internet Explorer distinctive in the ever-widening
browser landscape. The first is compatibility. When you are running a PC with Windows,
Internet Explorer manages media as well as other content through internal pre-existing programs.
This cuts down on the need to install extra plug-ins or applications. Internet Explorer is also the
most compatible across the Internet. Most sites are designed to be inherently compatible with the
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browser, and even rival browsers have created Internet Explorer emulators to make sure that they
stay competitive.

Warning
Although Internet Explorer has many great features, it should be noted that it is generally the
least secure. Frequent Internet Explorer users should supplement their usual anti-virus software
with extra firewall support to try and combat this issue. Although Microsoft has stated that
Internet Explorer's security problems are a "known issue," they have never tackled the issue
head-on and have instead added extra OS security in place of browser security.
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References
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opera_(web_browser)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Chrome
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefox
Crawford, Stephanie How the Google Chrome Browser Works
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/google-chrome-browser.htm
Rouse, Margaret Google Chrome browser
http://searchconsumerization.techtarget.com/definition/Google-Chrome-browser
Stewart, William Web Browser History
http://www.livinginternet.com/w/wi_browse.htm
Grabkowski, Leonardo R. The History of the Safari Browser
http://www.ehow.com/about_5139105_history-safari-browser.html
Kondolojy, Amanda About Internet Explorer
http://www.ehow.com/about_4608129_internet-explorer.html