In this guide we will study the two main browsers, their menus and functions.

BROWSERS

The Web Browser is a programme that allows us to interact with many different parts of the Internet. You can see (and sometimes even create) HTML websites for the WWW. The browser we use determines the way the information will appear.

There are different browsers available and they are permanently competing in the market. The most used (nowadays) with millons of users and over 80% of the market is Microsoft Internet Explorer. Netscape Navigator which forms part of the Netscape Communicator suite is another popular software. the following one is the which is trying to get the market. Both browsers are excellent and work in a very similar way. It is convenient to try both and then choose the one we like the best. In our example we will be refering to the Netscape Navigator 4 (part of Communicator) and to Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.

In order to get freshest or more specific information for the browser you are using, look in the online manual in the Help menu or visit the website of the company that makes it.

When you open the browser, it will automatically load the established home page. These browsers are preset open the home page of the company that made them (Netscape or Microsoft) but this can be changed in the following way:

Netscape Navigator:

1- Edit menu- Preferences
2- Navigator
3- Home page - click on 'Use current page' or specify it
4- Ok

Internet Explorer:

1- View menu- Internet options
2- General - click on 'Use current' or specify it
3- Ok

Both Navigator and Explorer have their own icon in the upper right corner of the window. When this icon moves, it means that it is transferring data.

They also have a menu bar, a tool bar/navigation bar, an address and a status bar. Navigator has a personal bar and a components bar (Communicator). The Explorer has a links bar.

NETSCAPE NAVIGATOR

Menu bar (Access to all Communicator commands)

File: allows us to open, manipulate, save and close files. Send e-mail, news and more.
Edit: allows us to undo, cut, copy, paste, look for text or graphics. Set Communicator preferences.
View: allows us to choose different options for presenting page content. Eg: refresh, load images and see an HTML page.
Go: allows us to navigate within the pages. Shows us which pages have been visited and allows us to visit them again.
Communicator: allows us to access to the components, messenger, address book, bookmarks, history and more.
Help: access to the help pages for Communicator, Netscape (FAQ's), support and more.

Navigation toolbar (Contains the most common commands)

Back: goes back to the previous page in the history list. When it is kept pressed it shows the list of addresses you can return to.
Forward: goes to the next page in the history list (it can only be used once the back botton has been used). When it is kept pressed it shows the list of sites you can forward to.
Reload: loads the current document again.
Home: opens the home page preset for our browser.
Images: opens the graphics of the current page although we had preset that we only wanted to see the text. This button is only visible if we have deactivated the option 'Automatically load images' from menu Edit - Preferences - Advanced
Search: shows a page that contains a service directory to find information on the internet.
Guide: access to links with pages that give tips and tools to find information on the Internet.
Print: Prints the current document.
Security: shows us information about the general security of our connection and allows us to configure it.
Stop: stops the data transmision when one clicks on it. Another way of doing this is by going to the menu Go - Stop loading
Netscape Icon: when the shooting stars are on it shows us that a document is being transmitted. When you click on it, it takes you to the Netscape home page.

Location Toolbar (Contains URL and bookmarks information)

Bookmarks: has links to favorite sites.
Bookmark Icon: represents the current URL in order to add it to your bookmarks, open the site in another navigator window, create a shortcut on your desktop, create a button in the personal toolbar and many things more.
Address toolbar: shows the current URL and allows us to go to another URL by typing it and pressing enter. If you are in a Netscape server page, the field will say Netsite:. If you are writing an address, the field will say Go to:
Arrow (button): Shows the URL of the last 14 pages whose addresses we've written and visited, and allows us to select and visit them again.

Personal Toolbar (Contains a personalizable button line)

Search: access to:

People: (provides links to e-mail directories)
Yellow Pages: (provides links to yellow pages directories to look for jobs

Intenet news: links to:

News (Some of the best newest sites)
Interesting (popular and innovating web sites)

The personal bar opens pages of the Netscape site or others we may assign to it, it isn't part of the browser. It can be used to learn about Navigator, Netscape or the Internet. In order to use it we need to be connected to the Internet. We can also change the personal bar by putting on it buttons that we like.

Component Bar (Access Communicator components)

• Navigator (browser)

• Messenger (for e-mail)

• Discussions (for Newsgroups)

• Composer (to process and create web pages)

MICROSOFT INTERNET EXPLORER

Menu Bar (Access to every Explorer command)

File: allows us to open, manipulate, print, save and close files. Send e-mail, news and more.
Edit: allows us to undo, cut, copy, paste, search for text or graphics.
View: allows us to refresh, access options, load images and see an HTML page.
Go: shows the visited pages and allows us to visit them again.
Favorites: keeps links to favorites sites.
Help: access to the Explorer help pages, support and more.
Microsoft Icon: when it moves it indicates that a file is being transmitted. If you click on it you will access the Microsoft Home Page

Navigation Bar (Contains buttons for the most used commands)

Back: goes back to the previous page in the history.
Forward: goes to the next page in history (goes to the page we came back from using the back button).
Stop: interrupts the data transfer.
Refresh: reloads the current document.
Home: opens the preset home page for our browser.
Search: opens a column in the left side of our screen. Allows us to access to several search engines. The results of the seach appear on the right side of the screen. You can deactivate the button to see the whole web page.
Favorites: opens the same column than the search button and shows the favorites list. This list contains links to your favorite sites.
History: opens the same coloumn than the Search button and shows the history list. This list shows the sites we have visited.
Channnels: opens the same coloumn than the Search button and shows the channels we have selected (if any).
Full Screen: it allows us to enlarge the web page to the whole screen without showing the navigation bar (it only shows some buttons).
Mail: it allows us to read and send mail via Outlook Express and read news.
Print: prints the current document.
Edit: opens a HTML editor.

Address Bar

Address Bar: shows current URL and allows us to go to another URL by typing it in and pressing enter.
Arrow (button): Shows the URL of the last 14 pages whose addresses we've written and visited, and allows us to select and visit them again.

Links Bar

Microsoft: opens Microsoft's home page.
Product Updates: opens Microsoft's products page.
Services: provides links to popular and innovating sites of the Internet, search engines and more.
Todays Links: provides links to some of the best newest sites of the Internet (preset by microsoft.com).
Web Tutorial: opens a page with links to learn to use the WWW.

The Links bar opens Microsoft Web Sites, it isn't part of the browser. You can use it to learn about Explorer, Microsoft and the Internet. In order to use ir you have to be connected to the Internet.