A web browser is a software that gives us access to the World Wide Web. The World Wide Web is a space that stores all the files and information that we access through the internet using our phones and computers. Some people confuse web browsers with search engines. Search engines are websites that let users search through the content available on the World Wide Web. It’s important to recognize this difference in order to get a good understanding of web browsers.
By using browsers in conjunction with search engines we can search for anything we want on the internet. With a web browser, you can browse through as many websites as you want. Below is a list of the most used web browsers in 2022 to help you identify which one’s best for you.
Google Chrome
With a market share of over 60%, Google Chrome comes out at the top of the most used and famous web browsers. It was initially released for Microsoft Windows in 2008 and grew more popular because of its fast browsing speed and other user-friendly features.
Since Google is a cross-platform browser and also allows for easy integration of personal google accounts it became the go-to browser for many internet users. Another great feature that Chrome came up with was the use of an omnibar. The omnibar basically combines your normal URL bar and search bar and makes it easier for you to navigate the web. Chrome also has a large library of extensions which can help customise your browser and give you your desired browsing experience.
Mozilla Firefox
Firefox was one of the most popular browsers in the United States before losing its position to Chrome. It is also the successor to Netscape Navigator which was one of the first commercially successful web browsers. Firefox was launched in 2004 and was the first browser to introduce location-aware browsing. Firefox still has a community of loyal followers despite its popularity fading away. One reason that this browser has stayed around for this long could be the fact that it runs on open-source software. This allows developers and web professionals to test and make changes to their websites in terms of security and UI improvements. Firefox also has an ‘awesome bar’ which is similar to the ‘omnibar’ but it also remembers the websites you’ve visited and guess where you might be going next.
Safari
What Internet Explorer is to Windows computers, Safari is to Macs. It comes already installed on all brand-new Mac computers. This browser was developed by Apple and released in 2003 and has had a lot of growth over the years. Most people don’t own Macs but many have iPhones and iPads so most of Safari’s usage comes from mobile devices. This has made Safari the most used mobile web browser in the US. Safari is known for its simple and straightforward approach. By removing the unnecessary stuff that some other browsers have, Safari loads pages pretty quickly and is perfect for users who don’t want a lot from their browser. However, it lacks most of the customisation options that the other browsers provide.
Microsoft Edge (Formerly known as Internet Explorer)
Internet Explorer used to be the most commonly used browser in the world but it lost its position after the rise of Firefox and Chrome. Internet Explorer was slow to load pages and had certain bugs so Microsoft had to come up with a solution to keep up with the competition.
In 2015, they released Microsoft Edge for Windows 10 and Xbox One but later decided to rebuild the browser on the Chromium browser platform to deliver better compatibility for everyone. The rebuilt Edge browser was released in 2020. This change was a success for Microsoft and in 2022 Edge became the second most popular desktop browser in the world. It has also had many good features such as Read Aloud, ad-blockers and a good selection of extensions.
Opera
Opera is one of those flashier browsers. It starts off with a splash screen giving you the option to use its built-in VPN, turn on its built-in ad blocker, enable in-browser messaging and so much more. If you are a gamer then you would benefit more from using Opera GX which is designed for gamers and has features such as Twitch integration and Razor Chroma support. Since Opera is Chromium-based as well it has fast performance and works with extensions from the Chrome library.
Opera also has a feature called Flow which allows you to share content between devices (PC to phone for example). One of the great features that Opera has is Opera Turbo. This compresses internet data such as images so things load faster if you have a bad connection. Unfortunately, this feature is no longer available on computer browsers so you can only use it on your phone or tablet.
Tor
The Tor browser makes your web traffic anonymous by using the Tor network. This makes it easy for you to protect your identity on the internet. If you are doing some investigative work or don’t want your ISP or the government to know what websites you are visiting, this is the perfect browser.
You should keep in mind that Tor browser is slower compared to the other mainstream browsers and it is illegal to use in some countries. Tor browser also lets you access it. onion websites which are only available on the Tor network. If you are in a country that limits your reach on the internet or controls the narrative of the news then these websites will allow you to read a more truthful version of the news anonymously.
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