Bookmark (computers)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In computing, the term bookmark (or bookmarking) is generally used to refer to either:
- A stored web address or file name for quick access, used by web browsers; or
- A location in a document, used by word processors.
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[edit] Internet bookmarks
Bookmarks are Web page locations (URLs) that can be retrieved. As a feature of all modern Internet web browsers, their primary purpose is to easily catalog and access web pages that a user has visited or will visit, by name rather than by address (URL).[1] Saved links are called Favorites in Internet Explorer. By virtue of the browser's large market share, the term Favorite has become synonymous with Bookmark.
Bookmarks have been incorporated since the Mosaic browser[2] in 1993. They are normally visible in a browser menu, and stored on the user's computer. A folder metaphor may be used for organization. In addition to bookmarking methods within most browsers, many external applications exist for bookmark management.
With the advent of social bookmarking, shared bookmarks have become a means for users sharing similar interests to pool web resources, or to store their bookmarks in such a way that they are not tied to one specific computer or browser. Web-based bookmarking services let users save bookmarks on a remote web server, accessible from anywhere.
Other recent developments are the use of macro programs that handle the complete login sequence, such as Roboform, ScrapBook or iMacros.
Bookmark lists were called Hotlists in the 1993 Mosaic[3] web browser and in previous versions of Opera, (see this image for an example); this term has faded from common use.
Live bookmarks were introduced in Mozilla Firefox in 2004[4]. These resemble standard bookmarks, but contain a list of links to recent articles supplied by a news site or weblog, which is regularly updated via Web(RSS, etc) feeds.
[edit] Storage
Each browser has a built-in tool for managing the list of bookmarks. The list storage method varies, depending on the browser, its version, and the operating system on which it runs.
In Netscape-derived browsers, bookmarks are stored in the single HTML-coded file bookmarks.html. This approach permits publication and printing of a categorized and indented catalog, and works across platforms. Bookmark names need not be unique. Editing this file outside of its native browser requires editing HTML.
In Internet Explorer, Favorites (also "Internet Shortcuts") are stored as individual files named with the original link name, and the filename extension .URL, for example Home Page.URL. They are collected in a directory named Favorites, which may have subdirectories. Bookmark names must be unique within a folder. Each file contains the original URL, and Microsoft-specific metadata. Browsers have varying abilities to import and export bookmarks to favorites and vice versa.[1][2]
