Toolbar

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For the Wikipedia toolbars, see Wikipedia:Toolbars.

An early toolbar on a Xerox Alto Computer. ("Draw", 1975)

In a graphical user interface on a computer monitor a toolbar is a row, column, or block of onscreen buttons or icons that, when clicked, activate certain functions of the program. Earlier forms of toolbars were defined by the programmer and had set functions. Most modern programs and operating systems however, allow the end user to modify and customize toolbars to fit their personal needs. A prominent example of a customizable toolbar is the Microsoft Windows Taskbar; functions of which range from an expandable programs menu, task listing, system tray and clock.

The first toolbar appeared on the Xerox Alto computer in 1973^{[citation needed]}.

Toolbars are seen in common applications such as Microsoft Word, and as add-ons for web browsers such as Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox.

1 Web Browser Toolbars
2 Web Browser Controversy
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Web Browser Toolbars

Toolbars for browsers are best known for adding functionality and ease-of-use options to the end user. While the browser itself handles basic browsing navigation (Back, Stop, Reload, etc), toolbars often add additional functionality to browsers (additional search fields, form-fill, links back to popular sites. etc)

An example of a web browser toolbar, the Google toolbar, in Firefox

Prominent third party web browser toolbars include:^{[citation needed]}

Yahoo! Toolbar
Google Toolbar
AOL Toolbar
MSN Toolbar
Windows Live Toolbar
Dictionary.com Toolbar
A9.com Toolbar - No longer available. http://toolbar.a9.com/
eBay Toolbar
MapQuest Toolbar
Skype Toolbar
Alexa Toolbar
StumbleUpon Toolbar
Thomasnet Toolbar
Advanced searchbar Toolbar

[edit] Web Browser Controversy

While third-party browser toolbars also add functionality for the end user, they are typically considered a White elephant, due to security flaws introduced between the toolbar and browser programs. Moreover, a large number of third party toolbars are made for this express purpose. Posing as Search Bars, these persistent Trojan Horse viruses often act as a "foot in the door" to other viruses and spyware, in addition to bombarding the user with advertisements. Another common attribute of these toolbars is the fact they cannot be disabled or uninstalled by any traditional means, and may require a power user or a computer technician to remove them.