Application Software Lecture Note 1 PDF

APPLICATION SOFTWARE LECTURE NOTE 1 LECTURE NOTE 1- INTERNET BASICS Learning Objectives:  understand the concepts on Internet  distinguish what you can do online.  know the capabilities of different types of internet service.  underst...

APPLICATION SOFTWARE LECTURE NOTE 1 LECTURE NOTE 1- INTERNET BASICS Learning Objectives:  understand the concepts on Internet  distinguish what you can do online.  know the capabilities of different types of internet service.  understand the methods of using cloud  demonstrate the process of uploading and downloading  identify the parts of URL and different Web Browser Lesson 1: What is Internet? What is the Internet?  The Internet is a global network of billions of computers and other electronic devices.  With the Internet, it's possible to access almost any information, communicate with anyone else in the world, and do much more.  You can do all of this by connecting a computer to the Internet, which is also called going online.  When someone says a computer is online, it's just another way of saying it's connected to the Internet. What is the Web?  The World Wide Web—usually called the Web for short—is a collection of different websites you can access through the Internet.  A website is made up of related text, images, and other resources.  Websites can resemble other forms of media—like newspaper articles or television programs— or they can be interactive in a way that's unique to computers. The purpose of a website can be almost anything: a news platform, an advertisement, an online library, a forum for sharing images, or an educational site like us! COMPUTER SCIENCE & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT 1  APPLICATION SOFTWARE LECTURE NOTE 1 Once you are connected to the Internet, you can access and view websites using a type of application called a web browser. Just keep in mind that the web browser itself is not the Internet; it only displays websites that are stored on the Internet. How does the Internet work?  It's important to realize that the Internet is a global network of physical cables, which can include copper telephone wires, TV cables, and fiber optic cables. Even wireless connections like Wi-Fi and 3G/4G rely on these physical cables to access the Internet.  When you visit a website, your computer sends a request over these wires to a server. A server is where websites are stored, and it works a lot like your computer's hard drive. Once the request arrives, the server retrieves the website and sends the correct data back to your computer. Other things you can do on the Internet One of the best features of the Internet is the ability to communicate almost instantly with anyone in the world.  Email is one of the oldest and most universal ways to communicate and share information on the Internet, and billions of people use it.  Social media allows people to connect in a variety of ways and build communities online.  There are thousands of ways to keep up with news or shop for anything online.  You can pay your bills, manage your bank accounts, meet new people, watch TV, or learn new skills. You can learn or do almost anything online. Lesson 2: What Can You Do Online? There's almost no limit to what you can do online. The Internet makes it possible to quickly find information, communicate with people around the world, manage your finances, shop from home, listen to music, watch videos, and much, much more. Let's take a look at some of the ways the Internet is most commonly used today. 1. Finding information online COMPUTER SCIENCE & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT 2  APPLICATION SOFTWARE LECTURE NOTE 1 With billions of websites online today, there is a lot of information on the Internet. Search engines make this information easier to find. All you have to do is type one or more keywords, and the search engine will look for relevant websites. For example, let's say you're looking for a new pair of shoes. You could use a search engine to learn about different types of shoes, get directions to a nearby shoe store, or even find out where to buy them online! There are many different search engines you can use, but some of the most popular include Google, Yahoo!, and Bing. 2. Email  Short for electronic mail, email is a way to send and receive messages across the Internet.  Almost everyone who uses the Internet has their own email account, usually called an email address.  This is because you'll need an email address to do just about anything online, from online banking to creating a Facebook account. COMPUTER SCIENCE & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT 3 APPLICATION SOFTWARE LECTURE NOTE 1 3. Social networking  Social networking websites are another way to connect and share with your family and friends online.  Rather than sharing with just a few people over email, social networks make it easier to connect and share with many people at the same time.  Facebook is the world's largest social networking site, with more than 1 billion users worldwide. 4. Chat and instant messaging  Chat and instant messaging (IM) are short messages sent and read in real time, allowing you to converse more quickly and easily than email.  These are generally used when both (or all) people are online, so your message can be read immediately. By comparison, emails won't be seen until recipients check their inboxes.  Examples of instant messaging applications include Yahoo Messenger and Google Hangouts.  Some sites, like Gmail and Facebook, even allow you to chat within your web browser. 5. Online media  There are many sites that allow you to watch videos and listen to music.  For example, you can watch millions of videos on YouTube or listen to Internet radio on Pandora.  Other services, like Netflix and Hulu, allow you to watch movies and TV shows. COMPUTER SCIENCE & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT 4  APPLICATION SOFTWARE LECTURE NOTE 1  And if have a set-top streaming box, you can even watch them directly on your television instead of a computer screen. 6. Everyday tasks  You can also use the Internet to complete many everyday tasks and errands.  For example, you can manage your bank account, pay your bills, and shop for just about anything.  The main advantage here is convenience. Rather than going from place to place, you can do all of these tasks at home! Lesson 3: Connecting to the Internet How do I connect to the Internet?  Once you've set up your computer, you may want to purchase home Internet access so you can send and receive email, browse the Web, stream videos, and more.  You may even want to set up a home wireless network, commonly known as Wi-Fi, so you can connect multiple devices to the Internet at the same time. Types of Internet service: The type of Internet service you choose will largely depend on which Internet service providers (ISPs) serve your area, along with the types of service they offer. Here are some common types of Internet service.  Dial-up: This is generally the slowest type of Internet connection, and you should probably avoid it unless it is the only service available in your area. Dial-up Internet uses COMPUTER SCIENCE & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT 5  APPLICATION SOFTWARE LECTURE NOTE 1 your phone line, so unless you have multiple phone lines you will not be able to use your landline and the Internet at the same time.  DSL: DSL service uses a broadband connection, which makes it much faster than dial-up. DSL connects to the Internet via a phone line but does not require you to have a landline at home. And unlike dial-up, you'll be able to use the Internet and your phone line at the same time.  Cable: Cable service connects to the Internet via cable TV, although you do not necessarily need to have cable TV in order to get it. It uses a broadband connection and can be faster than both dial-up and DSL service; however, it is only available where cable TV is available.  Satellite: A satellite connection uses broadband but does not require cable or phone lines; it connects to the Internet through satellites orbiting the Earth. As a result, it can be used almost anywhere in the world, but the connection may be affected by weather patterns. Satellite connections are also usually slower than DSL or cable.  3G and 4G: 3G and 4G service is most commonly used with mobile phones, and it connects wirelessly through your ISP's network. However, these types of connections aren't always as fast as DSL or cable. They will also limit the amount of data you can use each month, which isn't the case with most broadband plans. Choosing an Internet service provider  Most ISPs offer several tiers of service with different Internet speeds, usually measured in Mbps (short for megabits per second).  If you mainly want to use the Internet for email and social networking, a slower connection (around 2 to 5 Mbps) might be all you need.  However, if you want to download music or stream videos, you'll want a faster connection (at least 5 Mbps or higher). Hardware needed 1. Modem  Once you have your computer, you really don't need much additional hardware to connect to the Internet. The primary piece of hardware you need is a modem.  The type of Internet access you choose will determine the type of modem you need. Dial-up access uses a telephone modem, DSL service uses a DSL modem, cable access uses a cable modem, and satellite service uses a satellite adapter.  Your ISP may give you a modem—often for a fee—when you sign a contract, which helps ensure that you have the right type of modem.  However, if you would prefer to shop for a better or less expensive modem, you can choose to buy one separately. 2. Router  A router is a hardware device that allows you to connect several computers and other devices to a single Internet connection, which is known as a home network. COMPUTER SCIENCE & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT 6  APPLICATION SOFTWARE LECTURE NOTE 1  Many routers are wireless, which allows you to create a home wireless network, commonly known as a Wi-Fi network.  You don't necessarily need to buy a router to connect to the Internet. It's possible to connect your computer directly to your modem using an Ethernet cable.  Also, many modems include a built-in router, so you have the option of creating a Wi-Fi network without buying extra hardware. Lesson 4: Understanding the Cloud What is the cloud?  You may have heard people using terms like the cloud, cloud computing, or cloud storage. But what exactly is the cloud?  Simply put, the cloud is the Internet—more specifically, it's all of the things you can access remotely over the Internet.  When something is in the cloud, it means it's stored on Internet servers instead of your computer's hard drive. Why use the cloud?  Some of the main reasons to use the cloud are convenience and reliability. For example, if you've ever used a web-based email service, such as Gmail or Yahoo! Mail, you've already used the cloud.  All of the emails in a web-based service are stored on servers rather than on your computer's hard drive.  This means you can access your email from any computer with an Internet connection.  It also means you'll be able to recover your emails if something happens to your computer. Let's look at some of the most common reasons to use the cloud. 1. File storage: You can store all types of information in the cloud, including files and email. This means you can access these things from any computer or mobile device with an Internet connection, not just your home computer. Dropbox and Google Drive are some of the most popular cloud-based storage services. COMPUTER SCIENCE & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT 7 APPLICATION SOFTWARE LECTURE NOTE 1 2. File sharing: The cloud makes it easy to share files with several people at the same time. For example, you could upload several photos to a cloud-based photo service like Flickr or iCloud Photos, then quickly share them with friends and family. 3. Backing up data: You can also use the cloud to protect your files. There are apps such as Carbonite that automatically back up your data to the cloud. This way, if your computer ever is lost, stolen, or damaged, you'll still be able to recover these files from the cloud. COMPUTER SCIENCE & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT 8  APPLICATION SOFTWARE LECTURE NOTE 1 What is a web app? Previously, we talked about how desktop applications allow you to perform tasks on your computer. But there are also web applications—or web apps—that run in the cloud and do not need to be installed on your computer. Many of the most popular sites on the Internet are actually web apps. You may have even used a web app without realizing it! Let's take a look at some popular web apps. 1. Facebook: Facebook lets you create an online profile and interact with your friends. Profiles and conversations can be updated at any time, so Facebook uses web app technologies to keep the information up to date. 2. Pixlr: Pixlr is an image editing application that runs in your web browser. Much like Adobe Photoshop, it includes many advanced features, like color correction and sharpening tools. 3. Google Docs: Google Docs is an office suite that runs in your browser. Much like Microsoft Office, you can use it to create documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and more. And because the files are stored in the cloud, it's easy to share them with others. COMPUTER SCIENCE & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT 9  APPLICATION SOFTWARE LECTURE NOTE 1 Lesson 5: Using a Web Browser  A web browser is a type of software that allows you to find and view websites on the Internet. Even if you didn't know it, you're using a web browser right now to read this page!  There are many different web browsers, but some of the most common ones include Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Safari, Microsoft Edge, and Mozilla Firefox.  No matter which web browser you use, you'll want to learn the basics of browsing the Web.  In this lesson, we'll talk about navigating to different websites, using tabbed browsing, creating bookmarks, and more. URLs and the address bar  Each website has a unique address, called a URL (short for Uniform Resource Locator). It's like a street address that tells your browser where to go on the Internet. When you type a URL into the browser's address bar and press Enter on your keyboard, the browser will load the page associated with that URL. In the example below, we've typed www.bbc.com/travel into the address bar. Links  Whenever you see a word or phrase on a website that's blue or underlined in blue, it's probably a hyperlink, or link for short. You might already know how links work, even if you've never thought about them much before. For example, try clicking the link below. Hey, I'm a link! Click me! COMPUTER SCIENCE & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT 10  APPLICATION SOFTWARE LECTURE NOTE 1  Links are used to navigate the Web. When you click a link, it will usually take you to a different webpage. You may also notice that your cursor changes into a hand icon whenever you hover over a link.  If you see this icon, it means you've found a link. You'll find other types of links this way too. For example, many websites actually use images as links, so you can just click the image to navigate to another page. Navigation buttons  The Back and Forward buttons allow you to move through websites you've recently viewed. You can also click and hold either button to see your recent history. The Refresh button will reload the current page. If a website stops working, try using the Refresh button. Tabbed browsing  Many browsers allow you to open links in a new tab. You can open as many links as you want, and they'll stay in the same browser window instead of cluttering your screen with multiple windows.  To open a link in a new tab, right-click the link and select Open link in new tab (the exact wording may vary from browser to browser). COMPUTER SCIENCE & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT 11  APPLICATION SOFTWARE LECTURE NOTE 1 To close a tab, click the X. To create a new blank tab, click the button to the right of any open tabs. Bookmarks and history  If you find a website you want to view later, it can be hard to memorize the exact web address.  Bookmarks, also known as favorites, are a great way to save and organize specific websites so you can revisit them again and again.  Simply locate and select the Star icon to bookmark the current website. COMPUTER SCIENCE & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT 12  APPLICATION SOFTWARE LECTURE NOTE 1  Your browser will also keep a history of every site you visit. This is another good way to find a site you visited previously. To view your history, open your browser settings—usually by clicking the icon in the upper-right corner—and select History. Downloading files  Links don't always go to another website. In some cases, they point to a file that can be downloaded, or saved, to your computer.  If you click a link to a file, it may download automatically, but sometimes it just opens within your browser instead of downloading.  To prevent it from opening in the browser, you can right-click the link and select Save link as (different browsers may use slightly different wording, like Save target as). Saving images  Sometimes you may want to save an image from a website to your computer. To do this, right- click the image and select Save image as (or Save picture as). COMPUTER SCIENCE & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT 13  APPLICATION SOFTWARE LECTURE NOTE 1 Plug-ins  Plug-ins are small applications that allow you to view certain types of content within your web browser.  For example, Adobe Flash and Microsoft Silverlight are sometimes used to play videos, while Adobe Reader is used to view PDF files.  If you don't have the correct plug-in for a website, your browser will usually provide a link to download it. There may also be times when you need to update your plug-ins. Review our lesson on Installing and Updating Plug-ins to learn more. COMPUTER SCIENCE & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT 14  APPLICATION SOFTWARE LECTURE NOTE 1 Lesson 6: Downloading and Uploading  While exploring the Internet, you’ve probably encountered the terms downloading and uploading.  Downloading means receiving data or a file from the Internet on your computer.  Uploading means sending data or a file from your computer to somewhere on the Internet. Downloading  Usually, when you download a file you will start the download by clicking a link to that file. Many of our tutorials contain links to files, like this: Download our practice document.  If you click the link, your browser should prompt you to select one of two methods for downloading the file.  Open with will download the file and load it immediately in the specified program.  Save File will download it and save it to your hard drive.  Either way, once you click OK, the download begins. Your browser will indicate the progress and time remaining on the download.  Once the download is complete, either the file will be saved to your computer or it will open in the program you selected. If you have trouble finding the file after you’ve downloaded it, check out our Finding Your Downloads lesson. COMPUTER SCIENCE & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT 15  APPLICATION SOFTWARE LECTURE NOTE 1  Some browsers don’t always start this download process when you click the link to a file. In these cases, you can right-click the link, then click Save Link As, then select a location to download the file. Uploading  If a site allows uploads, it will have an upload utility to help perform the file transfer. Each site handles this process differently, but we’ll give some common examples.  Usually, the site will have help pages to walk you through the upload process.  Many sites have an upload button that opens a dialog box. For example, Facebook has a camera icon that begins the upload process.  A dialog box will appear, prompting you to select a file. Browse to the location where your file is stored, select it, then click the Open button. Afterward, a progress bar tracking the upload process will appear on the page.  Some sites support a drag-and-drop interface. For example, when logged in to Dropbox you can drag the files from a folder on your computer and drop them into the browser window.  Many other upload utilities have similar features. A more detailed example of uploading a file is available in our Google Drive tutorial. COMPUTER SCIENCE & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT 16  APPLICATION SOFTWARE LECTURE NOTE 1 Lesson 7: Using Search Engines Using search engines  With billions of websites online today, there is a lot of information on the Internet. Search engines make this information easier to find. Let's look at the basics of using a search engine, as well as some techniques you can use to get better search results. How to search the Web  There are many different search engines you can use, but some of the most popular include Google, Yahoo!, and Bing.  To perform a search, you'll need to navigate to a search engine in your web browser, type one or more keywords—also known as search terms—then press Enter on your keyboard.  In this example, we'll search for recipes.  After you run a search, you'll see a list of relevant websites that match your search terms. These are commonly known as search results. If you see a site that looks interesting, you can click a link to open it. If the site doesn't have what you need, you can simply return to the results page to look for more options. COMPUTER SCIENCE & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT 17  APPLICATION SOFTWARE LECTURE NOTE 1  Most browsers also allow you to perform a web search directly from your address bar, although some have a separate search bar next to the address bar.  Simply type your search terms and press Enter to run the search. Search suggestions  If you don't find what you're looking for on the first try, don't worry! Search engines are good at finding things online, but they're not perfect. You'll often need to try different search terms to find what you're looking for.  If you're having trouble thinking of new search terms, you can use search suggestions instead. These will usually appear as you're typing, and they're a great way to find new keywords you might not have tried otherwise. To use a search suggestion, you can click it with your mouse, or select it with the arrow keys on your keyboard. Refining your search  If you're still having trouble finding exactly what you need, you can use some special characters to help refine your search. For example, if you want to exclude a word from a search, you can type a hyphen (-) at the beginning of a word. So if you wanted to find cookie recipes that don't include chocolate, you could search for recipes cookies -chocolate. COMPUTER SCIENCE & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT 18  APPLICATION SOFTWARE LECTURE NOTE 1  You can also search for exact words or phrases to narrow down your results even more. All you need to do is place quotation marks (" ") around the desired search terms.  For example, if you search for recipes "sugar cookies", your search results will only include recipes for sugar cookies, instead of any cookies that happen to use sugar as an ingredient.  These techniques may come in handy in certain cases, but you probably won't need to use them with most searches.  Search engines can usually figure out what you're looking for without these extra characters. We recommend trying a few different search suggestions before using this method. Content-specific searches  There may be times when you're looking for something more specific, like a news article, picture, or video. Most search engines have links at the top of the page that allow you to perform these unique searches.  In the example below, we've used the same search terms to look for images instead of websites. If you see an image you like, you can click to visit the website it originally came from. COMPUTER SCIENCE & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT 19 APPLICATION SOFTWARE LECTURE NOTE 1  You can use the extra search tools to narrow down your results even more. These tools will change based on the type of content you're looking for, but in this example we can filter our images by size, color, image type, and more. So if you wanted to find cookies with pink frosting, you could search for images that are mostly pink. COMPUTER SCIENCE & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT 20  APPLICATION SOFTWARE LECTURE NOTE 1 Advertisements  One final thing to note: Most search engines include advertisements with search results. For example, you can see advertisements at the top of the search results below.   These ads are based on your search terms, and they often look similar to other search results. While they may be useful in some cases, it's usually more helpful to focus on the actual search results. Lesson 8: Understanding URLs  Every time you click a link on a website or type a web address into your browser, it’s a URL.  URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator.  Think of it like a street address, with each portion of the URL as different parts of the address, and each giving you different information. Scheme  Every URL begins with the scheme.  This tells your browser what type of address it is so the browser connects to it correctly.  There are many types of schemes, but for typical web browsing you will mostly see http and https.  Your browser usually won’t show the scheme in the address bar, and usually you don’t need to type the scheme when typing a web address; instead, you can just begin with the domain name.  The scheme is still always part of the URL; it just isn’t being displayed. Domain name  The domain name is the most prominent part of a web address. Typically, different pages on the same site will continue to use the same domain name. For example, all pages on this site share the GCFLearnFree.org domain name. COMPUTER SCIENCE & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT 21  APPLICATION SOFTWARE LECTURE NOTE 1  Each segment of the domain name separated by a period is called a domain.  The domain on the right is called a top-level domain, with the domain to the left of it called the second-level domain, then third-level domain, and so on.  You can often learn something about the site from the domains. One of the domains usually identifies the organization, while the top-level domain may give you more general information on what kind of site it is.  For example, in the domain name nc.gov, the.gov domain means it is a government website in the United States, the nc domain identifies it as the website of North Carolina. File path  The file path—often just called the path—tells your browser to load a specific page. If you don’t specify a path and only enter a domain name, your browser is still loading a specific page; it’s just loading a default page, which usually will help you navigate to other pages.  URLs that end with the domain name without a file path usually will load a homepage or an index page that's designed to help you navigate to specific pages on the site. Often, if you can’t remember the file path for a specific page, you can go to the homepage and search for it. Parameters  Some URLs include a string of characters after the path—beginning with a question mark— called the parameter string.  You have probably noticed this part of a URL appear in your address bar after performing a search on Google or YouTube.  The parameter string can be clear or confusing to a human user, but it is critical information for the server. COMPUTER SCIENCE & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT 22  APPLICATION SOFTWARE LECTURE NOTE 1 Anchor  Also appearing after the path, the anchor tells your browser to scroll to or load a specific part of the page.  Usually the anchor begins with a hashtag and is used to direct your browser to a specific part of a very long page, much like a bookmark.  Different anchors don’t load different pages; they simply tell the browser to display different parts of the page. A whole URL  When combined, these elements make up a URL, although not all URLs will have all five parts.  Using what we learned in this tutorial, we can tell from the domain name of this URL that it’s on Wikipedia, from the parameters that the page is probably about burritos, and from the anchor that we’ll be looking at the section on burritos for breakfast.  Keep in mind that these are the most common components of a URL. There are many other parts, but these are the five you will see most often and that can usually give you the most information. COMPUTER SCIENCE & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT 23  APPLICATION SOFTWARE LECTURE NOTE 1 Lesson 9: Choosing a Web Browser  A web browser is a type of software that allows you to find and view websites on the Internet. Even if you didn't know it, you're using a web browser right now to read this page!  For many years, especially in the early 2000s, there was one browser that almost everyone used: Microsoft's Internet Explorer. If you used the Internet at that time, you probably clicked an icon like this to access the Web:  In the past, Internet Explorer was pre-installed on any PC you buy. Starting in the mid-2000s, other software companies introduced new browsers, including Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome.  At the time, these browsers allowed for more experimental features. Because of this, web developers began creating websites with browsers like Chrome and Firefox in mind, which meant they didn't always work as well in Internet Explorer.  If you have a PC with Windows 10, you'll have Microsoft Edge as your web browser instead. Watch this video to learn more about browsing in Edge. It's always a good idea to keep at least two web browsers on your computer or mobile device. This way, if a website isn't working correctly you can try opening the page in a different web browser. More often than not, this trick can solve a lot of problems you might encounter online. Choosing a Web Browser  Google Chrome is probably the best web browser right now for PCs. It's free to download, it's very fast, and it's secure. Chrome is also the default web browser for many Android devices. Watch this video to learn about browsing in Chrome.  If you have a Google account, you can even sync your saved passwords and browsing history across multiple devices. And because it downloads updates automatically, you'll always be protected from current security threats and viruses online. If you want to learn more, review our Chrome tutorial.  Safari is the default web browser for Mac computers and iOS devices, including the iPhone and iPad. Aside from being fast and secure, Safari has a lot of unique features. For example, Reader view allows you to see a simplified version of a webpage that's optimized for reading. It's also easy to add articles you find to your Reading List so you can save them for later. Watch this video to learn more about browsing in Safari. Again, we recommend keeping at least two web browsers on your device. Chrome is a good secondary browser to use on a Mac, iPhone, or iPad. It's also important to note that you cannot use Internet Explorer on a Mac or iOS device. COMPUTER SCIENCE & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT 24  APPLICATION SOFTWARE LECTURE NOTE 1 Other recommended web browsers  Firefox: This free web browser from Mozilla works on Windows, Mac, and Android. It's built by an open-source community of developers, so it will usually support even the most experimental web features. Like Chrome, it will be updated automatically, so you'll be protected from viruses and other threats online. Next, watch this video about browsing in Firefox.  Opera: Originally released in 1994, the Opera web browser has been around much longer than Firefox and Chrome. You may find that some websites don't load perfectly on Opera, but it's still regarded as a fast and secure alternative to your default browser. It's also available for all major operating systems (Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS). Reference: https://edugcfglobal.org/eu/toopics/internet COMPUTER SCIENCE & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT 25