by Mia Hill

Created on: August 13, 2007   Last Updated: April 29, 2010

People speak human languages (i.e. English, French); computers speak machine languages (i.e. Hypertext Markup (HTML), Standard General Markup (SGML)). The browser, on the other hand, is multilingual; it understands and communicates in both human and machine languages. The browser can speak more than one human language, as well as several machine languages, all at the same time. For example, if the user types text in English on a Web page; the browser can convert the text into French using SGML; then display the text in French on the computer screen, using HTML. The browser, acting as a translator between people and computers, makes it possible for people to interface with the World Wide Web (WWW) through computers.

Protocol is the set of rules that govern the transmission of information over the Internet; it is the grammar of the machine languages. HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is the protocol the Web browser uses to locate the website that the Internet user requests. It indicates to the computer which port, in the WWW to take; in order to locate the website.

The operation of the browser begins with the user typing in the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) address of the website; the user wish to view. This URL address consists of the HPPT; followed by the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the website required. Every server on the Internet has a unique IP Address.

The Web browser then requests that the Domain Name Server (DNS) locate the required website. The browser accepts from the DNS (or host server), via the file transfer protocol (FTP), the website information; and then transfers this information to the user's computer. Next the browser evaluates the system requirements, of the user's computer, to determine if it is compliant with the information from host server. The browser then uses HTML to displays the Web page (images and/or text) onto the screen for the Internet user to view.

Not all browsers are created equal, different browsers produce differ results. Most of the browsers, on the market today, are available free of charge. You should go onto the Internet, download and test several of them, then select the one that best meets your needs.

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