Browsers

Browsers

If you're looking for browsers or browser extensions, CNET Download.com has you covered. We feature all the latest versions of Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera, and more, as well as Firefox extensions, Internet Explorer add-ons, even RSS readers. If you want to surf the Web, CNET Download.com is the place to start. See all 3,504 products in this category.

for the week of: February 07Downloads

1.
Flash Player Mobile
Web Browsers13,264
2.
Opera Mini
Web Browsers8,763
3.
Opera Mini
Web Browsers5,621
4.
Adobe Flash Player 7 for Pocket PC
Web Browsers2,571
Visual Studio Pro 2010

Write better-quality code, reduce security-related issues, and avoid bugs later in the development lifecycle.

Download Now
5.
Kinoma FreePlay
Web Browsers1,368
6.
Bolt Mobile Browser
Web Browsers1,279
7.
Windows Media Player (Pocket PC)
Web Browsers928
Blackberry Starter Kit

If your BlackBerry is missing these essential apps, you're missing out.

Download Now
8.
Google Earth plug-in for Firefox and Internet Explorer
Firefox Add-ons & Plugins795
9.
Sompy Media Player
Web Browsers749
10.
Viigo for BlackBerry
Newsreaders & RSS Readers740

See all most popular software

System Surveillance Pro

Monitor PC activity by logging websites, keystrokes and chats.

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Release date

Whack Force (for the Pocket PC) Feb 09
Web Browsers
Net Force (for the Pocket PC) Feb 09
Web Browsers
PE Ftp Explorer Feb 09
Web Browsers
PE Pocket Explorer Feb 09
Web Browsers
NewsRack for iPhone Feb 08
Newsreaders & RSS Readers
Weave Sync for Maemo Feb 05
Firefox Add-ons & Plugins
Zynked Feb 05
Newsreaders & RSS Readers
ZiNP Feb 05
Newsreaders & RSS Readers
Ziarul Financiar Feb 05
Newsreaders & RSS Readers
zaubzer.de App Feb 05
Newsreaders & RSS Readers

See all new releases

1.
Viigo for BlackBerry
Access news, weather, entertainment, live sports, markets and stock portfolios with a single click.
2.
gDocsBar
Quickly upload, access, and manage Google documents from a handy Firefox sidebar.
3.
Skyfire for Windows Mobile (Touch Screen)
Browse your favorite Web sites exactly like you do on your PC.
4.
NYTimes for iPhone
Enjoy The New York Times on your iPhone.
5.
Opera Mini
Opera Mini is a fast and tiny Web browser, that allows you to access the full Internet on your Palm OS device. Take all your favorite Web sites on...
6.
Opera Mini
Browse the Web quickly with your mobile device.
7.
PocketMusic
Play your favorite MP3 files on your Pocket PC.
8.
Super Mario Bros. 3 Firefox theme
Add a retro videogame theme to Mozilla Firefox.
9.
Aluminum Alloy
Add a Firefox theme inspired by the old Netscape Aluminum theme.
10.
Noia 2.0 (Extreme)
Add a colorful theme to Firefox.

See all editor's picks

an introduction to Browsers

Browsers, often called Web browsers, are software clients that allow users to navigate to sites on the World Wide Web. The majority of these Web sites use the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), but many browsers can also interpret other protocols, including FTP, RSS, and P2P protocols such as BitTorrent. Hypertext pioneer Tim Berners-Lee created the first ever Web browser, WorldWideWeb, in 1990, but the software didn't become popular until the release of NCSA Mosaic, the first graphical client.

Browsers truly hit the mainstream with the launch of Netscape Navigator, which was later shortened to simply Netscape, though the free client's popularity was radically affected by the 1995 release of Internet Explorer, Microsoft's entry into the browser market. In the years since, IE has completely dominated the market, only recently losing ground to alternative browsers such as Mozilla Firefox and Opera.

Aside from general Web browsers, various subsets of the category offer special services. Offline browsers cache content from the Internet for future reference when you're not connected to a network. Newsreaders manage content from Usenet newsgroups and syndicated feeds.

In recent years, the open-source browser Mozilla Firefox has earned praise for the ability of third-party developers to easily create extensions that add functionality. Among the thousands of home-brewed add-ons for Firefox, we've narrowed down our favorites in a collection of the best. The Microsoft browser also allows for IE add-ons, but its closed framework makes it a bit more difficult for developers.

from the download blog

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an introduction to Browsers