What is a web browser?
A web browser is software which allows you to view pages on the World Wide Web. A web page
may contain text and/or pictures and other media and it is the browser's job to display
this information or launch external applications if it encounters data types which it is
not equipped to display. There are many web browsers available - Netscape Navigator,
Microsoft's Internet Explorer, NCSA Mosaic, Lynx, to name a few.
What web browser is most often used?
The simplest answer is that Netscape Communication's browser probably retains a large
share of the user market, and with good reason: it is very excellent and continues to be
radically innovative. However, the Microsoft Internet Explorer has dramatically improved
over the past year and a half and offers great features as well. Both products are
excellent and allow you to view and experience highly interactive websites.
What is an "URL"?
URL stands for Universal Resource Locator. It's an addressing system created for the Web
that is rapidly being adapted for other Internet information systems. URLs are addresses
like those of web pages which begin "http://..." For example, Southland
Internet's URL is http://www.southland.net
How do I find a particular web page I've heard about?
Just manually enter the URL which leads to the page. If someone told you about a web page
they suggested that you look at, then they most likely gave you the URL for that page,
which is an address that begins with "http://..."
How can I go back later to a page I have found?
All modern web browsers allow you to very easily keep a list of pages that you wish to be
able to visit easily - these would typically be your favorite links or else links that you
intend to explore later. In Netscape this feature is called "bookmarks". In
Microsoft's IE, it's called "favorites". If you are viewing a page that you
would like to visit again then simply select "Add Bookmark" or "Add to
Favorites".
When I enter a web address, do I always need to type "http://"?
It may be unnecessary to type "http://" each time you enter an URL - this
depends on the version of your browser. With newer versions of Netscape and IE, for
example, requesting "www.southland.net" gets the same result as requesting
"http://www.southland.net".
How can I search for things on the Web?
There are many search engines for the Web. No two of them behave the exact same way.
Generally the idea is that you enter keywords into the search engine and it locates pages
which match those words. Some engine catalogue the text of pages, while some use only the
titles or names of active links. It is a good idea to use several search engines to
maximize your results. A "mega-site" of search engines can be found at http://home.netscape.com/escapes/search/
How can I find the really cool sites on the Web?
Generally you will find plenty of cool sites just by surfing around. One trick is to start
at places where people have already collected "cool sites" - Of course, cool
sites are strictly the opinion of the person who maintains such a page. If you find
someone with whom you agree, much like a movie reviewer whose opinion you trust, it's
worth checking them out on a regular basis.
Cool Site of the Day
http://cool.infi.net
Netscape's Cool Links
http://home.netscape.com/home/whats-cool.html
What is HTML?
HTML stands for "HyperText Markup Language", and is the "programming"
format for most of the pages on the Web. See our section on Learning
HTML if you're interested in creating your own webpage.
Where can I learn more about the WWW?