A file in HTML format can be opened from the local hard drive every bit as easily as from a Web server somewhere out on the Internet. On the Netscape browser File menu, it is simply the difference between Open Location and Open File. If one's computer is connected to a local area network, the possible locations for Web pages increase in number. They may reside on the user's workstation, on any server on the local area network, on a combination of the two, as well as on a wide area network. There are at least eight reasons why one might wish to view Web content offline.
Few organizations have enough Internet bandwidth for all their users.
There are ameliorating techniques. Where many users work with the same sites, this further reduces the frequency with which a request must go across the Internet. The next logical step is to identify pages and systems of linked pages that are of particular value to users and fetch them even before they are needed, so that without exception they will be available instantly. Offline browsing programs make this possible, conserving the scarce bandwidth resource in the process. Many sites don't have a dependable or speedy Internet connection of any sort yet.