Computer and Web Articles

I’m sure you’re well aware of the fact that sometimes, when using the web . . . things just don’t go exactly as planned.

You hit a “Buy Now” button but the wrong product shows up in your shopping cart. You click a Log In button and … nothing happens at all. You arrive at a website only to find you can’t read half the text because it’s covered by photos or ads.

These things happen. And when they do, we call tech support. We call our cousin the web expert. We email the owner of the problematic site.

More often than not, the person we contact will at some point ask, “What browser are you using? And what browser version do you have?” Knowing which browser you were using at the time of the problem is often vital in helping others troubleshoot your issues; this is why replying with, “I don’t know” only delays a resolution and irritates the person trying to help you.

(Quick refresher for those of you scratching your head right now: Your browser is simply the program you use to surf the web. You’ll also hear browsers referred to as web browsers—they’re the same thing. Common browsers include Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Safari, and Opera.)

So. Back to identifying your browser: This page should, in matter of seconds, help you visually identify which browser you use: http://tinyurl.com/28aog75

If you’re feeling adventurous and would like to take things a step further by determining not only which browser you use, but which browser version you use, go ahead and fire up your browser, click the “Help” menu item at the top of your screen, and choose the “About (xyz your browser name here)” option. You should now see a little window displaying your browser’s name and version number on it.

I’m glad you took the time to learn this information. It’s extremely likely that your newfound knowledge will come in handy in the future.