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What is a Browser?

Ji Lee

8.7K subscribers • 1 video on Hallway

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  • Recommended by 2 people: 2 on Hacker News.
  • May be out of date. Uploaded 17 years ago, in an area where tools change fast.

Beginner. No background in the topic needed.

1.3M views17 years ago2 recommendations

Web developmentSoftware designHow browsers workThe tech industry

A series of street interviews in Times Square revealing how everyday users confuse web browsers with search engines and the internet.

What is a browser? was the question we asked over 50 passersby of different ages and backgrounds in the Times Square in New York. Watch the many responses people came up with.

Why it's here

2 people recommend this

What people say. Engineers point to this video to illustrate that average users do not understand basic web concepts like the difference between a browser and search engine.

wturneron Hacker News • Recommends

On “Ask HN: How do you deal with inferiority complex?”

…o mentorship. All of these people are very smart,very empathetic and willing to share. Being around people like that in my view is absolutely needed for your sanity. You've probably seen this video. It's the one where Google attempts to explain what a web browser is to random people on the street. Watch it if you haven't. It will lend perspective. link to this video Ok that's all.…
View on Hacker News

michaelbuckbeeon Hacker News • Recommends

On “Why Tesla Motors Finally Acquired Tesla.com”

It's old now (and I wonder how much it's changed) - but there is this great video of Google employees asking people in Times Square what the difference is between a browser and a search engine: link to this video Most people conflate the two. IIRC the video was used internally as a tool to press the notion that they _had_ to build a browser or risk losing their search engine dominance.
View on Hacker News

Gibbonon Hacker News • Mentions

On “Fake Steve Jobs on Chrome OS”

Behold.. What is a Browser? link to this video Most people don't have the slighest clue what a browser is, nevermind an opinion about them.
View on Hacker News

cesareon Hacker News • Mentions

On “Apps 'to be as big as internet' ”

Good analysis. When I first read Vic Gundotra (engineering v.p. at Google) statements he convinced me. But I'm not so sure anymore that browser delivered apps will win against custom applications. Most users don't even know what a browser is ( link to this video - btw, this has been made by a Google intern) and custom apps already provide a better experience for them. The proof comes from Google itself: Google Earth, Google Maps, Google Mobile etc. Browsers could soon become obsolete for the vast majority of users - who will probably completely ditch PCs in favor or smartphones. Edit: I'm not saying that I like it. I'm just saying it could happen.
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hwijayaon Hacker News • Mentions

On “Forget Cuil, check this out: one guy and a bunch of pcs”

That's what makes technology industry interesting. Things are quite unpredictable and like it or not, none of us knows exactly how things will pan out. Google's strength is obviously in brand penetration when it comes to search engine. After all, most people outside us hardly even know about "Google Chrome" after making such a huge splash all over the place. ( link to this video ). So, i wouldn't expect them to type in www.cuil.com or WolframAlpha without something is changing in the landscape that alter user behavior.
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jeromecon Hacker News • Mentions

On “Ask HN: Is a .net domain good enough?”

I agree with pg. If your site is targeted to mainstream, as opposed to geeks or early adopters, you would have to fight really hard to go against default mind-share people will have for dot com. Remember, many people still don't know "what is a browser?" link to this video
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Timotheeon Hacker News • Mentions

On “How do i go back to regular Google?”

As an example, a video made by Google that illustrates that point: link to this video , focusing on the difference between a browser and a search engine.
View on Hacker News

mguneson Hacker News • Mentions

On “Paypal's logo designed to look like a recommendation?”

Right; and the people in the "What is a browser?" video 1 are not stupid; they're busy , have adapted very well to the extreme compartmentalization of 21st century Westernized life and knowledge, and are largely uninterested in what we know as computing. To invoke a central theme of "Paradox of the Active User" 2: they're all experts in one field or another, and would make many a hacker here look like someone who doesn't know what something as supposedly generic as a "browser" is in their respective fields. That's far from "stupid". You could replace a good 80% of the instances of "stupid" with "busy" in design discussions, and you'd end up with better discussions. 1 link to this video 2 link
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Groxxon Hacker News • Mentions

On “Please Stop Saying 'Cloud'”

They do tend to have a vague understanding that it involves the internet, though. Which is all it really implies, with an emphasis on off-site storage and/or computation when spoken by a geek. This is a brand-new term, relatively speaking. Ask people what a browser is, something they've had for years and use for hours every day: link to this video
View on Hacker News

XLcommerceon Hacker News • Mentions

On “Chrome dev on WebGL security and Microsoft bullshit”

"people often disable the plugins and are conscious about plugins being an attack surface" actually I think most people can't tell the difference between a browser and a search engine ;) link to this video
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nhebbon Hacker News • Mentions

On “How Microsoft misunderstands the concept of user research (& how Apple doesn’t)”

I didn't take that as an anti-intellectualism slight. People who write tech pieces on the web, be it on blogs or tech publications, are more computer savvy than the the majority of computer users. If you don't believe this, go watch the Google on-the-street video asking people what a browser is ( link to this video ). I was one of those power users who hated the ribbon when it was introduced in Office 2007. But my wife and kids - they loved it. Edit - since I can't reply to thread below (why is that?) I sell an Excel add-in, so I have a different perspective than most power users. The ribbon is a pain to program compared to the old command bars, making me dislike it at first. I've learned to apprecia…
View on Hacker News

SoftwareMavenon Hacker News • Mentions

On “Google found guilty of misleading advertising with Adwords”

I think you are far over-estimating the size of the set of people who know the difference between ads and organic results on Google. I would also bet the percentage of people who can differentiate sites by URL is is very small. If the link text says "Honda", many (most?) will believe they are going to a Honda sanctioned site. I would love to see real user research on this topic. Google showed pretty well there are a lot of people who are confused, to say the least1. 1. link to this video
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philjones88on Hacker News • Mentions

On “Setting Google Analytics to not use cookies”

Most people don't understand the difference between "Google" and a "Browser" 1, cynically, I don't hold much hope people will care what browser cookies are. I've already had to explain to my parents that cookies aren't evil, the sites they visit (BBC/Google etc) are mainstream and fine. As an EU resident and webmaster of several sites for myself and clients. I see little benefit to my visitors other than causing me a lot of grief over trying to follow guidelines and hoping my implementation doesn't break them. I was speaking to a client about it today, he hasn't seen anything about it and I doubt many small business owners have seen (or cared) much about it. 1 link to this video
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julienon Hacker News • Mentions

On “Moving RSS forward”

Generally, it's hard to convince nerds that something trivial to them is not trivial to non nerds. In what reality is it obvious that "to 'get more of something' I have to copy a url (what's a url?) from a browser tab to another web application?" Before telling me that poeple just have to click the "feed icon", watch this: link to this video and ask yourself if you think people will go from: "I want more of this site" to "Why don't I click that funky little orange icon in the address bar?"
View on Hacker News

graueon Hacker News • Mentions

On “A Personal API”

Look, I'm not saying don't go for this idea. I'd love to see you try it. My doubts shouldn't get in your way. Code it up. As for why it would be difficult to use and insecure? I'm guessing most of the people you hang out with are probably geeks. For perspective, take a look at this video: link to this video Imagine each one of those people in the video has a personal data store that contains their complete medical history, right alongside all their Google searches, Amazon purchases and tweets. How secure of a password do you think they picked? How hard would it be to trick them with a phishing attack? How much do you think they even know how to do with it in the first place?
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jbigelow76on Hacker News • Mentions

On “Larry Page, Google Founder, Is Still Innovator in Chief”

Doesnt sound like a very knowledgeable headmaster. Larry invented PageRank and did a respectable implementation of it before he had other engineers take it over. Here is a video, link to this video , of everyday people trying to explain what a browser is, a browser, the most important piece of (general use) software developed since the word processor or spreadsheet. Try asking the general public what PageRank is, much less who invented it, and be prepared for a montage of silent deer-in-headlights responses with the occasional stammering about librarians for good measure :)
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