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Introduction to the World Wide Web:
What is the WWW? | How it works | Browser software | Web Browser Tips: customizing, bookmarks, printing & saving, troubleshooting | Communication | Supplemental Links

What is a Web Browser?

To access the millions of Web pages on the Internet, we use a software application called a Web browser. Web browsers are computer applications that let help us browse the Web. Browsers interpret the HTML codes in Web pages so we can view them in a readable form. They also help us navigate through the Web.

Two popular browsers are Netscape's Navigator™ and Microsoft's Internet Explorer™.


What is a URL?

Like sending a package by postal mail, all we need to know in order to visit a Web page is its address. These unique addresses are called Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) because they are a uniform way to locate resources on the Web. For example, the URL for Master Internet VolunteerSM Program starting page is

http://www.ext.nodak.edu/miv/index.html

Although URLs can look a little scary at first, there is a method to all the slashes, squigglys, and dots. For example,

Part of URL What it means
http:// Protocol
(http stands for Hypertext Transport Protocol. http means the type of file is a Web page)
www.ext. nodak.edu Name of computer where the page is located
/miv/ Location on the computer. (Some URLs will have the tilde [~] sign in them.)
index.html Name of the actual Web page you see in your browser. (Web pages end with a .html or .htm extension.)


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The Master Internet Volunteer Program was developed by the University of Minnesota Extension Service and was adapted for use in North Dakota with permission. Copyright  © 2000  North Dakota State University. All rights reserved.

North Dakota State University Extension Service