The purpose of this system is to allow the exchange of information across the Internet in the form of hypertext documents. In WWW terms the client is called a browser. The browser reads documents, and retrieves documents from WWW servers. Information providers establish WWW servers for use by network user with WWW browsers. The browsers can, in addition, access files by FTP, gopher, and an ever-increasing range of other methods.
Browsers are available for many computer platforms.
WWW browsers and servers also deliver hypermedia documents to network users. This means that browsers are able to display images, sound, or animations in addition to text.