Web browser

A "browser" is a tool which lets Internet users visit their favourite websites. It is a kind of software with a graphical interface which includes navigation buttons, an address bar, and a status bar (generally below the window). Most of its surface is used to display Web pages.

Most of its interface is used to display Web pages. Scrollbars, located to the right of and below the website-displaying browser window, allow all of the site's content to be viewed in cases where it is too large to be shown in the display area all at once. The website's title, if it has been specified by the site's creator, is shown in the title bar, above the browser window.

When the mouse cursor passes over a hypertext link, it generally turns into a hand-shaped icon to show that the link is clickable. The address of this link's target is then shown in the status bar. It may be useful to get into the habit of checking the status bar before clicking on links in order to find out where the site's webmaster wants you to be taken.

The navigation arrows let you browse the history of the various links you have visited. The reload button lets you refresh the display of the current page, and the stop button lets you halt the downloading of the page.

Finally, the house-shaped button lets you go to your start page, i.e. the page loaded when the browser is opened. It is recommended to set the start page of your browser to the site you visit most often, or one which includes information that you want to see when you first log in.

How to browse the Internet

For the most part, there are three ways to browse:

1. If you know the address of the site you wish to visit, all you need to do is type the address into the browser's address bar and approve it by pressing the Enter key or by clicking on the browser's "go" or "enter" button.
2. If you are looking for information without knowing beforehand which site you might find it on, you will need to use a search engine, which lets you find information you are searching for with the help of keywords.
3. If you wish to surf the Internet without any real goal in mind, all you need to do is start from a Web page and follow links as you browse.