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A web browser is software that enables you to find and view information
published on the World Wide Web. Netscape Navigator is a web browser
that is available as part of the Netscape Communicator package of
Internet access tools or as a stand-alone application.
If you're reading this page on your computer screen, then you are
already using a browser. This tutorial introduces the Navigator browser
and explains how it works.
The Basics
In this section, we will explore the Navigator window and its tools, and
demonstrate basic browsing techniques, such as opening web sites using
URLs and links. We'll show you how to keep track of where you've been
using the history list, bookmarks, and your home page. And we'll show
you how to find the information you need using search engines and
directories, as well as Smart Browsing. You'll learn how to save and use
information you find on the web, and how to investigate whether a web
page is secure.
How Web Browsers Work
Most of the information on the web is
organized into linked pages located on different computers that are
connected to the Internet. These networked computers that store and
deliver information are called servers.
When you type in a URL or click a link, Navigator sends a request for
that page over the Internet. This computer network uses the URL to find
the server that has the page and ask it for a copy. That server receives
the request, finds the page, then sends a copy of the page over the
Internetand back to your computer. When the data arrives at your
computer, Navigator shows the page and any images associated with it in
your browser window. Most of the time, this happens in just a few
moments.
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FYI |
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Netscape Communicator is a software package that includes Navigator, a browser; Messenger, an email and newsgroup program; and
Composer, a web page publishing program. In each part of this tutorial,
we'll refer to the component we're using; in this case, we're using
Navigator, which is the program you use to navigate the web.
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