Specialized Browsers

Abstract

To most users of the Internet, the Web is epitomized by the Web browser, the program on their machines that they use to “logon to the Web”. However, in its essence, the Web is both a lot more than— and a lot less than— the Web browser. The Web is built on:

• URLs. A universal means for identifying and addressing content

• HTTP. A simple protocol for client/server communication

• HTML. A simple markup language for communicating hypertext content

This decentralized architecture was designed from the outset to create an environment where content producers and consumers could come together without the need for everyone to use the same server and client. To participate in the Web revolution, one only needed to subscribe to the basic architecture of a Web of content delivered via HTTP and addressable via URLs.

Given this architecture, specialized browsers have always existed to a greater or lesser degree alongside mainstream Web browsers. These range from simple scripts for performing oft-repeated tasks, e.g., looking up the weather forecast for a given location, to specialized Web user-agents that focus on providing an alternative view of Web content.

This chapter traces the history of such specialized Web clients and outlines various implementation techniques that have been used over the years. It highlights specialized browsers in the context of accessibility, especially for use by persons with special needs. However, notice that specialized browsers are not necessarily restricted to niche user communities—said differently, all of us have special needs at one time or another.

As we evolve from the purely presentational Web to a more data-oriented Web, such specialized tools become center-stage with respect to providing optimal information access to the end-user. The chapter concludes with a brief overview of where such Web technologies are headed and what this means to the future of making Web content accessible to all users.