Many people are excited by the idea of venturing onto the internet. In fact, going online for the first time is relatively simple. It is no more difficult than installing a new piece of software. To connect to the internet you need a modem and an Internet Service Provider (ISP). You also need a web browser.

Can you remember when there were essentially only two web browsers? Nowadays, there are several web browsers available and as a result, it has become crucial for website owners and developers to ensure that their websites are compatible with all the browsers.

A web browser is a piece of software that allows you to access Web sites and navigate between them. Once your browser is set up, you can explore the fascinating world beyond. All web browser are the same in principle. They contain an address box, in which you type a web address, and an area in which web pages are displayed.

Every Web address is unique, in the same way that your telephone number is. It's helpful to think of a web address as a telephone number, whereby you dial the site's address to view it. Web address tells you that the site belongs to the World Wide Web.

Two of the most popular browsers are Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator. If you bought your personal computer in 1999 or later, Microsoft Internet Explorer will almost certain have come pre-installed on your system.

Whether or not your personal computer came with its own browser, your internet service provider may also provide you with one in its start up kit. This could be Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator, but some ISPs, such as AOL and Compuserve, provide you with their own specialty designed Web browser.

You can have more than one Web browser, just as you can have more than one word processor or spreadsheet program. When your internet service provider software first loads, look for a button that says "Internet," "Browse the Internet," or something close to this. When you click on this it will start up your web browser ready to surf the internet.

Lets get one thing clear the internet is a great place but there are some huge security issues with it, for instance the majority of information that it sent and received for your computer is completely insecure and visible, it is transmitted in clear text and is visible to anyone with a mind to intercept.

In fact a recent European directive has stated that all logs of your web browsing, emails and communication should be kept by the ISPs for two years. The UK Government actually want to store this data on a central database, of course it is all done in the causes of catching criminals, terrorists and the like. We sacrifice our freedom and privacy for the small chance of catching a terrorist who has been surfing extremist websites - personally I'm not overly keen on this.