Chapter 16. Using Internet Explorer
Next to e-mail, having access to the World Wide Web is one of biggest reasons people own computers. The Web consists of billions of pages of information as well as pictures, music, and video. The Web is also home to Windows Live, which brings Web content to your computer in fun and novel ways.
To use the Web, you need an Internet connection and a Web browser. A Web browser is a program that lets you browse (explore) the Web and find whatever you're looking for. The Web browser that comes with Windows 7 is named Internet Explorer 8, and that's what this chapter is mainly about. It starts with a brief look at how the Web works.
Understanding How the Web Works
The Internet consists of tens of millions of computers throughout the world connected by cables. A few million of those computers are Web servers, computers that store, and dish out, copies of Web pages to anyone who asks for them. The program you use to access and view Web pages is called a Web browser. Many brands of Web browsers are on the market, including Firefox, Safari, Google Chrome, and Windows Internet Explorer. This chapter covers Windows Internet Explorer Version 8, the Web browser that comes free with Windows 7.
Most Web sites use the HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP). For that reason, the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) for every Web page starts with http:// ...
Get Windows® 7 Bible now with the O’Reilly learning platform.
O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.
