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I. Puputan Browser War
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Some observers of information technology (IT) holds that the browser (should) have ended. Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) remains the jawara in tarung against the Netscape browser for years. Based on statistical data in June 2001 issued by WebSideStory / StatMarket, revealed that in the IE browser is still well over 86% of the user's browser, while Netscape seterunya only able to carry on the of 13.5%. Other browsers, such as Mozilla and Opera, gets the rest of the 0.5%, all power has been the efforts made by Netscape for the browser kedigdayaan assembly against Microsoft.
Remember the case of a monopoly for the first time announced by Attorney General Janet Reno in October 1997. Reno, based on the Netscape, Microsoft claims to have been infringement of the Law on Anti-monopoly "Sherman Act in 1890" because that eliminate IE 3.0 was released in August 1996 and mengikatnya (bundled) in the Windows 95 operating system.
Based on the court and review the evidence that a lot, finally in July 2001 the Supreme Court (MA) United States ordered Microsoft to remove the ties between IE and all Microsoft operating systems, without exception. Hence, computer users can now select, install and delete the browser of your choice. In addition, Microsoft is also required to remove the policy on the PC must install the IE icon in the Start Menu when installing the Windows operating system. In addition must comply with the decisions in MA, in October 2001 Microsoft is also revising policies that forbid the user during this non-IE browser to visit the popular sites managed by the Microsoft Network (MSN).
One site that is managed by MSN Hotmail.com, web site mail service free of Microsoft acquired in January 1998. With these revisions, the non-IE browser users that this will automatically be redirected to the download for IE when the site-site MSN, now will no longer have the distinction. Just imagine, active user Hotmail.com e-mail according to Microsoft is more than 100 million members per month in May 2001, an increase many times fold from the current 9 million members acquired.
Sayang sayang thousand, MA United States decision is very late! Free IE 3.0 and also tied to the Windows 95 is slowly but surely, menggerus the user's Netscape browser. IE 3.0 is actually adopted the technology of Netscape 2.0 was released in March 1996, plus the ability of Visual Basic Script (vbs). Netscape 2.0 browser is the first technology that mengusung frames, Java, Javascript, Plug-ins and encryption technology, Secure Socket Layer (SSL). Even at the launch of Microsoft IE 3.0 explicitly states that 79% of browser users who have been previously surveyed independently, prefer to use the IE 3.0 beta 2 rather than Netscape released the beta in July 1996.
Gerusan is more severe when Microsoft in October 1997 release of IE 4.0 is closely tied to the Windows 98 desktop with Active Desktop technology. IE 4.0, with the ability and a very improved from the preceding IE 3.0, plus the ActiveX technology, a weapon that will end Pamungkas Dynasty Netscape. Netscape stabbed by IE, which is notabene own brother kandungnya (Read: "cikal future-and Web Browser").
Even Netscape blowing step to eliminate all browsernya, including eliminate the source code, since January of 1998 can not do much. In fact, before IE 3.0 was released, Netscape has 80% over the user's browser in the world. For further version for the version remains, indicating that the browser war prolonged. Of course war is not balanced. Up to now, IE has reached version 6.0 which was launched in August 2001. Meanwhile, Netscape has released the last version 6.2.1 in December 2001.
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II. Cikal-designate and the Web Browser
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"Web is a creation of social rather than technical. Mendisain My social web for the sake of helping people to be able to cooperate, and not just for technical kutak-katik," so be by Tim Berners-Lee, a web designer first, such as written in his book Weaving The Web in 1999. Clearly, that was the first time web designed in 1990 by Berners-Lee, there is no purpose at all to commercialize the web. Even if the web has become a commodity diperebutkan by many parties, it seems legitimate-legal course, considering one of the popular Internet application is a web.
Even Microsoft and Netscape each have tried to create a standardization of the de facto web. Fortunately, Berners-Lee with colleagues to establish the World Wide Web Consortium (www.w3c.org) in October 1994. W3C successfully prevent the commercial take-over the web. Nowadays, various standardization of the web, such as the version of Hyper-Text Markup Language (HTML) and the Platform for Internet Content Selection (PICS), Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) and extended Markup Language (XML) was designed by W3C-up independently, without any pressure from anywhere.
Kisahnya when started in March 1989, Berners-Lee, a graduate of the University of Oxford berkebangsaan English, submit a proposal based on a hypertext system which allows researchers to share information physics can be efficiently and effectively. These proposals are given the title "hypertext and CERN." CERN is the name of the Berners-Lee worked at that time, the brevity of the Conseil Europeen pour la Recherche Nucleaire, a field research laboratory particle physics in Geneva, Switzerland. At the year 1990, a prototype web successfully executed in a computer device next. When the web is the line-mode user interface which is called as www. Essence a basic web was born!
Then in May 1991, www interface is installed in the engine start CERN and can be accessed through the network. Then for the first time, exactly in August 1991, information on the web is distributed through Usenet newsgroups alt.hypertext at CERN and through a newsletter in December 1991. At the time that the web and start www widely known, although still using line-mode browser interface. To move from one page to another page, the user must type the command.
One observer of the web and www is Marc Andreesen, a student University of Illinois, which is lead by the especial delight of the hardware and software in the campus laboratory, National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA). Andreesen and colleagues with a browser based on data from CERN. In February 1993 was born the browser graphical user interface (GUI) that first. Information about the browser is named mosaic is immediately disseminated through newsgroups. Mosaic merevolusi concept of a browser. Mosaic new 1.0 officially released in November 1993, by combining a variety of Internet applications such as www, news, WAIS, e-mail and, of course, image display capabilities!
Even moving a hyperlink to a page that has been shaped blue any posts that you can click on the mouse. Mosaic is in the field of commercial progress. In April 1994, Jim Clark, founder of Silicon Graphics, along with the mosaic up Andreseen Communication Corporation, which later changed its name to Netscape Corporation. For further mosaic NCSA developed by a team minus Andreseen, while developing Netscape Netscape Corporation. At that time, the source code license mosaic, which are code SpyGlass, can participate in is owned by other parties.
In December 1994, was born the first commercial browser, Netscape 1.0 from Netscape Corporation. Because Netscape is aware that the birth of the education, Netscape Corporation decided to distribute the browser they are commercial free for the special education. This strategy is a key role in the acquisition market to Netscape's 80% in the era.
Microsoft are asleep at that time fast asleep. IE 1.0 was released in August 1995 a new, in the form of Windows 95 Plus pack a commercial release, aka not free. IE 1.0 is based on the mosaic with the source code license SpyGlass. Bill Gates as lightning when tersambar realize that such a rapid development of the Internet and in such important, as important as personal computer (PC) and the operating system. Those middle avid Internet. When the browser is Netscape.
In a flash, Bill Gates to start Microsoft and mobilization develop serious IE. Finally, IE 3.0 was released in August 1996 to face-to-face with Netscape. Bill Gates does not want half-hearted, from the IE 3.0, all the IE browser digratiskan at all, and tied in the Windows operating system. Things have finally trigger the browser war, anti-monopoly of Microsoft and Netscape failure Dynasty (Read: "War Puputan Browser").
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III. Some Browser Alternative
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The note following this review will try a little about some of the alternative browsers, other than IE and Netscape. Opera browser is output Opera Software, Mozilla Mozilla Organization output, output NCSA mosaic and the output Amaya World Wide Web Consortium. 3 shows the reasons for the browser is because each has its own uniqueness. Please see the description below.
Opera Browser
Opera is a browser that sought by Internet users. According to the statement of Opera Software in October 2001, since Opera 5.0 was launched in December 2000, more than 5 million people have download and install Opera. This is not a mere fabrication. Evidenced with the statistical data issued by the StatMarket / WebSideStory at the end of November 2001 which revealed that the Opera browser users reach of 0.67%, up from the 0.3% in January in the same year. Raihan Opera even more dramatic going on with Russia increased from 1.5% to 5.88%, up from the German 1.3% to 3.37% and in Sweden rose from 0.5% to 1.8%.
Opera is available in different versions of the operating system platform. Opera downloaded and used free of charge, of course with no banner ads in the browser version is free. To remove the banner, the user is only charged U.S. $ 39. Latest version 6.0 which is released 29 November 2001, and was available in 25 languages of the world, including English! Opera's browser declares himself as a more concise and more quickly rather than other browsers.
Opera is also the first commercial browser that supports Transport Layer Security (TSL), the development of encryption technology, SSL 3.0. That, Opera is designed from the start-up, not the source code-based NCSA mosaic and the methodology used by Netscape and IE. This makes the Opera browser to be truly unique. Standard is supported, among others, Opera XTML, WAP, WML, CSS, ECMAScript, Java and Flash.
Specifications:
- Operating System: Windows (3.1/95/98/ME/NT 3.5/NT 4.0/2000/XP), Symbian OS (3.0/5.0), Solaris, QNX, O / S 2, Mac PowerPC (system 7.5.3 - 9.2 / OS X), Linux and BeOS
- Large file download for the version of Windows in Indonesia: 3.2 MB (without Java) / 10.7 MB (with Java) - Cost: Free (no banner ads) / U.S. $ 39 (without banner ads)
- Website: www.opera.com
- Additional Details: Opera can be connected directly to the ICQ account, there are e-mail client that can retrieve data from Netscape Mail or Outlook Express, features skin browser, page zoom and multi-document interface. Opera is suitable for Internet users who need a reliable alternative browser.
Mozilla Browser:
Mozilla is still brothers with Netscape. However, Mozilla is not Netscape and Mozilla is not Netscape. Kisahnya started when Netscape Communications, Microsoft should face the challenges of removing the IE 3.0 for free and bound to the Windows 95 operating system. In January 1998, Netscape Communication eliminate all products browsernya, termasul the Netscape source code. Netscape's source code at that time to become licensed Open Source. Then at the end of March 1998, Netscape Communication, non-profit organization founded Mozilla Organization for the development of open source browsers.
Mozilla name was taken from the name of Netscape Communication maskot official who has been there since 1994. Coincidence, the open source browser called Mozilla also. Then in November 1998, Netscape Communication decided to integrate some of the browser Mozilla source code in the Netscape browser akan dirilisnya. Netscape 6.0, and turunannya, which was released in November 2000, using the Mozilla source code with some modifications, plus the non-open source components other. Mozilla Organization support funds from IBM, Sun Microsystems, Netscape Communications, and others. But Mozilla's browser free and open source. Mozilla latest version is version 0.9.7 which was released in December 2001.
Specifications:
- Operating System: Windows (95/98/ME/NT 3.5/NT 4.0/2000/XP), PowerPC Macs (at least OS 8.5), Linux, OpenVMS Alpha (minimum 7.1) and Solaris 8.0
- Large file download in the form of source code: 36.5 MB (qzip)
- Cost: Free (source code available)
- Website: www.mozilla.org
- Additional Description: Mozilla is not the end-user. Provided mailing-list and newsgroups for the developer community and peminat Mozilla. Mozilla browser is suitable for Internet users who like to work especial program and want to know the content of the stomach browser.
Mosaic Browser:
We have to understand about the birth from the womb NCSA mosaic. The latest version is a mosaic version 3.0 for Windows 95/NT operating system that was released in January 1997. NCSA decided to stop the development of mosaic for reasons that can concentrate to other activities. However, in the name of history, NCSA keep open the site to download various versions mosaic for free. Mosaic source code is also available free of charge for the special education. Mosaic browser is the most simple and most take place in a small hard disk. Even the specification of the computer can use a minimal mosaic 80486-33 Mhz with 8 Mb memory. HTML version 3.2 can read by the mosaic.
Specifications:
-Operating System: Windows (95/NT)
- Large file download: 2.9 Mb
- Cost: Free (source code available)
- Website: http://archive.ncsa.uiuc.edu/SDG/Software/mosaic-w
- Additional Information: Browser mosaic is suitable for users of Internet browser membutukan simple, small, does not need a high spec computer and not to open a multimedia sites.
Amaya Browser:
Amaya is a browser and web editor officially issued and used by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). Amaya function is to conduct tests and evaluation of each web development by W3C standardization. W3C is led by Tim Berners-Lee, the first web designer in the world. Amaya can be downloaded and used free of charge. Its source code is also open source. Amaya is the advantage he has always been the first browser to adopt the latest web application development.
Amaya is the latest version 5.3 which was released in December 2001. Amaya sophistication that is the ability to do editing and browsing at the same time quickly and easily. Amaya is written using C language and can be used in the Windows operating system and Unix. Other, among others, the ability to read HTML version capable of 4:01, XHTML 1.1, MathML 2.0, CSS2, Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) and others.
Specifications:
- Operating System: Windows, Linux, Debian, Sparc / Solaris, AIX and OSF1
- Large file download: 4.8 Mb (NT/2000/XP), 5.2 Mb (95/98/ME) 3.6 (Linux), 5 Mb (source code tgz)
- Cost: Free (source code available)
- Website: www.w3.org/Amaya
- Additional Information: Browser Amaya is suitable for users of Internet browser membutukan the berkemampuan reliable and always follow the development of the technology quickly.
*) The author is Coordinator of ICT Watch TI and independent journalists. Can be contacted via e-mail donnybu@ictwatch.com. This paper was published by the Internet / Infokomputer, 15 February 2002. This freely cited the source of origin.