UW-RF IT Services Tips

Internet browsing, first in a four part series on browsers that will prepare you for rich user experiences on the Internet.

Let's start out with a simple question, what is a browser? WorldWideWeb was the first browser created so that text could be viewed on the Web or Internet. Today there are over 100 web browsers designed for use with different operating systems and features.

Most commonly used browsers on campus are Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Opera, and Netscape. Each of these browsers offer different features, but basically the concept of "browsing" the Internet is the same. You may work with one or more of these browsers and wonder why you can access a web page in one browser and not the other. There are many different factors that can contribute to that, including the settings or configuration of your browser. A typical problem that prevents browsers from behaving as expected are the use of plugins and added toolbars. These applications attach themselves to your browser. This may be particularly annoying because you may visit a web page and unknowingly download a toolbar in response to clicking on a link sometimes causing your browser to not function properly. IT Services does not recommend the use of extra toolbars such as yahoo, google, weather, dogpile, etc.

If you would like help with your browser you can contact helpdesk@uwrf.edu or view our support page on Internet Explorer at: http://its.uwrf.edu/support/ie/

More information on the web browsers mentioned can be found by googling each one for their respective home page.

IT Services

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"What we see depends mainly on what we look for." John Lubbock

Dan Semi

User Services Manager                  163 Davee Library
Learn@UW-River Falls Co-Site Admin     410 S. 3rd St.
IT Services - UW River Falls           River Falls, WI 54022
daniel.b.semi@uwrf.edu                 Ph - 715-425-4357
http://its.uwrf.edu/                   Fax - 715-425-0645

www.uwrf.edu/~daniel.b.semi