What to surf on? Choose the web browser that suits you

The web browser is a helper that we all now take for granted as an indispensable part of our computers, but also of smartphones and tablets. Over a good cup of coffee we can calmly discuss the pros and cons of Chrome, Edge, Opera or Safari. But did you know that there are a few more browsers out there? And what did the early days of internet browsers actually look like?

TIP: If you like history, also read our new article When did the internet start in the Czech Republic.

How it all began

A web browser is, put simply, a software application used to access information on the World Wide Web. The roots of internet browsers go back to the 1980s, when Tim Berners-Lee developed not only the first web server but also the first browser, initially called WorldWideWeb and later renamed Nexus. In 1993, the Mosaic browser (later Netscape) from the workshop of Marc Andreessen appeared, and in 1994 IBM presented its Web Explorer. A year later, Microsoft and its legendary Internet Explorer finally came into play, and Opera appeared on the market. For a long time, the already mentioned Netscape Navigator ruled the browser field, reaching an 86% market share in 1996, but Internet Explorer soon started to take ever bigger bites out of the pie. It also existed in a version for Apple's Macintosh. When the twentieth century turned into the twenty-first, Firefox from Mozilla began to gain popularity. Owners of Apple computers were in for a revolution somewhat later, in the form of Safari, the default browser in the Mac OS X operating system, while users of computers running Linux distributions mainly used Lynx. In 2008, Google's Chrome arrived. There are, however, many more browsers, and now we will look at at least the basic groups of them. 

Mozilla Firefox – a crafty, powerful fox

If in the past you turned your back on Firefox because of its almost non-existent innovation, consider giving the Mozilla fox another chance. The browser has undergone major changes and improvements recently. Its advantages include huge flexibility and broad support for all kinds of extensions, as well as low demands on performance and memory. Firefox's creators promise maximum security, and because the whole project is non-profit, you don't need to worry that anyone behind the browser would be interested in selling your personal data to third parties. It's true that it doesn't reach dizzying speeds, but for everyday home browsing it works perfectly.

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Google Chrome – an ambitious heartthrob

The clear benefit – but in some cases also the drawback – of Google Chrome is its huge variability and customisability. Every day, new extensions for every occasion appear in the Chrome Web Store (we have written about the best of them). Chrome works across platforms, is almost perfectly stable in most circumstances and can work really fast. It can provide users with maximum security and offers the option of working in private browsing mode. The downsides? It's extremely memory-hungry.

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Opera – the forgotten whiz

Opera is unjustly overlooked, and it is a surprisingly powerful and versatile browser. It holds a sad 1% of the market, which, given its qualities, is a huge pity. A great advantage of Opera is the option to install its Turbo feature (which we definitely recommend). Turbo in Opera takes care of minimising processes that are not absolutely necessary, which results in a noticeable speed-up of your browser. Opera also offers an integrated ad blocker, which can easily and quickly be switched off, or a battery-saving mode.

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Microsoft Edge – a worthy successor to Explorer

Prejudices aside, Microsoft Edge is more than just the default browser of newer versions of the Windows operating system. It has very little in common with its notoriously famous predecessor, Internet Explorer. Edge is fast. Really fast. It integrates with the virtual assistant Cortana (in some regions), is powerful and secure, and also offers a built-in reading mode. The downside? You can't download it without Windows 10.

Vivaldi – a fully customisable artist

You may never have heard of the Vivaldi browser. It is aimed more at advanced users who know what they want. You can customise it in many ways, from top to bottom, it allows you to save web pages to a side panel, and it offers plenty of additional services. 

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Tor – maximum privacy, maximum anonymity

You may have heard of the Tor browser in connection with shady activity on the dark web. The truth is that Tor's mission is, above all, to preserve maximum privacy and also the safety of its user. Your activity carried out through Tor is practically impossible to trace, and there is no unwanted storage of any data either. Tor offers a range of powerful and useful tools for browsing the internet as safely as possible, and a pleasant bonus is that it can be run from a USB flash drive without having to be installed on the computer.

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 Whichever browser you choose, make sure you also have a fast and stable internet connection. Also connect to our UVT internet. You can also reach us on 227 023 023.

Updated 5 March 2024