Why

Why Frog will have a Custom Browser

The Frog idea is to provide a managed PC and internet service to end users. One of the key benefits of the managed service is for Frog to provide and use a Custom Browser.

This will allow Frog to:

Show Frog buttons, links or messages at any time;
Show a disconnected Home Page (ie show the home page while the internet connection is being established);
Lock the user to Frog's ISP;
Push downloads during periods of connected inactivity;
Guarantee internet settings, reducing the likelihood of system configuration errors;
Track web site visits.

Showing buttons, links and messages

Traditional browsers such as Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator allow the user to surf the internet freely. The ISP or service provider does not manage the browser at all and the display on the screen is completely under the control of the user.

The custom browser will allow Frog to display the basic Frog navigation buttons at all times. This means that the user will only ever be one click away from any number of Frog community pages, eg FrogMail.

Not only that, but Frog can also schedule messages or videos to be displayed at a certain time, certain in the knowledge that if the user is online then the message will be received. This is not true with standard browsers.

Disconnected Home Page

The custom browser can display a home page while the connection to the web site is being established. This page would be updated during the user's previous session.

Lock the user to Frog's ISP

The benefits to Frog of locking the user to the Frog ISP are:

Frog can manage call costs and revenue;
Frog can guarantee service levels;
Frog can offer 'all-day off-peak' cost structures similar to AOL
if required.

Background downloads

A modem is only in use for a small percentage of time that a user is connected to the internet. Frog plans to take advantage of this spare capacity by downloading data during the 'quiet time'. During this quiet time, we will:

update the disconnected home page;
download video clips (for example, small video adverts);
download changes to software and system settings and small upgrades.

Guarantee the browser settings

Most help desk calls and system problems are caused by inadvertent changes to system settings, often caused by the installation of games or other software. The custom browser will have fixed parameters which means that problems cannot be caused in this way.

Track web site visits

The custom browser could be set up to monitor traffic and surfing patterns, providing an accurate reflection of each user's browsing. This is significantly more powerful than generic tracking systems (often known as 'sniffers') as Frog knows the identity of each user.