Browser Wars Assignment

So I have to first say that reading this for me was almost comparable to reading a medical terminology paper. HAHA!! I am aware of the various browser such as Internet Explorer, Safari, Netscape and Mozilla Firefox. So I was able to pick out this terminology but otherwise felt lost. However, I did find it intriguing to learn about how far Internet browsing has come over the years. Especially considering the first browser was developed in 1991. Can we imagine our lives if the medical field progressed at the same speed as technology?

Anyway, enough about that. Now on to the learning outcome questions. "A web browser is an Internet based hypertext system invented in the late 1980s and early 1990s by Tim Burners-Lee." Basically I took this to mean that it is the tool we use to browse the web. It gets us from website to website. The top 4 web browsers as of April 2010 are FireFox (46.4%), IE 8 (16.2%), Chrome (13.6%) and IE 7 (9.3%). I was shocked that Safari was not higher on the list of web browsers as I would figure with the iPhone and MAC computers it would be well received.

I have worked mainly with the Internet Explorer versions of web browsers. However, my in-laws have a MAC so if I am there I will use the Safari we browser. I recall have the Netscape browser on school computers as I was growing up. Otherwise I am not to familiar in using other web browsers. I don't do much other than use the web browsers to get from site to site so as long as they get the job done I am fine. Therefore, I think that all of the browsers are fairly easy to use. Safari is a little different because things are kind of backwards from IE versions with the close button and so on but otherwise very similar. I am also not one to step out of my comfort zone when it comes to technology. i don't really understand my apprehensiveness but it none the less exists.

A browser war is a competition among web browsers. The goal of this competition based on the article appears to be to be used the most and be popular. It also seems to be about having a lot of features. To me the big deal to be number one is driven by market value and money. But isn't a lot of things in life. I also think again this comes back to popularity. But that's just my thoughts; there could very well be much more to it than what I see. Someone who better understand this all could probably give me a lot of other reasons. But this is what i think drives it all.

This activity would best fit under technology standard 1- Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity bullet b- engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources. This activity also fits well under bullet c- promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes under the same standard since students have to reflect on their knowledge gained from the article to respond to the article.

Sources: Browser Stats
Wikipedia- Browser Wars