This blog post examines the changes brought by web browser technology to the internet environment, from the emergence of plugins to their eventual phase-out.
After the internet became widely available to the public in the 1990s, web browsers became an integral part of our lives as the gateway to internet usage. In the mid-to-late 90s, as web browsers began to gain popularity, Netscape and Internet Explorer were the primary tools for accessing the internet at the time. Internet Explorer later dominated the market, ushering in an era of monopoly. Several years later, the emergence of various new browsers intensified competition among web browsers. Through these changes, web browsers have rapidly evolved alongside the history of the internet. As a result, the evolution of web browsers came to represent the evolution of the internet itself.
For this reason, some argue that ‘the history of the internet is the history of web browsers’. But this is not the whole story. The history of web browsers was not confined solely to technical advancements. It was also intertwined with various social issues, including security concerns, compatibility problems, and user experience challenges. These issues grew increasingly significant as web browsers advanced, and ‘browser plugins’ played a crucial role in complementing browser functionality.
While the term ‘browser plugin’ might sound unfamiliar, Active X and Adobe Flash—which most South Koreans have installed at least once—are prime examples. Plugins were developed to deliver more diverse content via the internet, but the problems they caused gradually came to the fore, making them a subject of controversy. Do you remember the ‘Chun Song-yi Coat’ incident, which became a major social issue long ago? This was when overseas fans tried to purchase the coat worn by Jeon Ji-hyun, the lead actress in the drama ‘My Love from the Star,’ but couldn’t complete the payment due to plugins that were forcibly installed on Korean shopping mall systems. This incident became a prime example exposing the flaws in Korea’s internet environment, sparking debate about how closed and inconvenient Korea’s internet usage environment was compared to the rest of the world.
So why were these ‘browser plugins’ created in the first place? What role did they play, and why did they gradually start causing problems? The early internet, or the World Wide Web, was born for the purpose of academic research and sharing those research results. Early web browsers possessed only minimal functionality, capable of displaying text and images. However, as the internet became widely adopted and user demands grew increasingly diverse, the browser’s basic functions alone could no longer meet these needs. To fill this gap, various browser plugins were developed. Among the plugins that expanded browser capabilities to support more content, notable examples include ‘Java Applets’, ‘NPAPI (Netscape Plugin API)’, ‘Active X’, ‘Flash’, and ‘Silverlight’.
These plugins were used across diverse areas like games, videos, and payment systems, contributing to a more convenient internet experience. For instance, Flash enabled high-quality animations and videos to run in web browsers during the early internet era, while Active X supported various functions, including security programs. However, the excessive use of plugins also caused significant problems. First, security vulnerabilities were severe. Since plugins run outside the browser, using one containing malware could cause severe damage to the user’s entire system. Furthermore, these plugins often only worked on specific browsers, forcing users to rely on particular browsers. These combined issues gradually made plugins a target of criticism, prompting various global efforts to improve them.
Advancements in technology also gradually reduced the necessity for plugins. In recent years, as web standards became established, most browsers gained native support for multimedia content. Significant improvements in JavaScript engine performance further enabled the execution of diverse content without plugins. These changes led major companies like Google and Microsoft to progressively phase out plugin support in their browsers. For example, Google discontinued NPAPI support in its Chrome browser, and Microsoft also ended ActiveX and Silverlight support in its Edge browser. Notably, after Apple’s Steve Jobs discontinued Flash support in mobile environments, Flash content became unusable on most mobile devices.
So, what is the current situation in South Korea? Fortunately, the government, businesses, and academia recognize this problem and are making various efforts to phase out browser plugins. The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning announced the ‘Active X Free Plan’ to promote policies aimed at reducing the dependency on plugins by domestic websites. However, many sites still rely on plugins, causing inconvenience for users trying to access them with modern browsers. For our internet environment to evolve into a safer and more convenient space, the government and businesses must accelerate the adoption of web standard technologies. Furthermore, users themselves should avoid sites demanding plugins and strive to promote healthy changes within the internet ecosystem.
