browser

browser A computer program which requests files from a WEB SERVER. The files are marked up using the HYPERTEXT MARKUP LANGUAGE and are formatted by the browser. HYPERLINKS in the text of the file, when clicked, will enable the user of the browser to display the file that the link refers to. There are a large number of browsers in existence, although the vast majority of users employ either INTERNET EXPLORER or NETSCAPE NAVIGATOR. As well as displaying text, a browser also displays graphics, although this can take some time to download since graphics occupy a large amount of memory; to counteract this browsers can be configured not to display graphics. There are also some browsers which are not designed for the processing of graphics which are very fast, the best known being LYNX. In the early days of the WORLD WIDE WEB, browsers such as MOSAIC just displayed text; however, there are now a large number of PLUG-INS which enable a browser to process a wide variety of media including VIDEO CLIPS, AUDIO CLIPS, and ELECTRONIC PAPER formats. Programs known as EXECUTABLE CONTENT can now be embedded in WEB PAGES using technologies such as JAVA and ACTIVE X. These programs interact with the browser to produce effects such as animations, provide forms, or interact with BACK END PROCESSes such as database updating.