Konqueror is the browser whose name references Navigator, Explorer, and then the “conqueror.” The wordplay describes a progression from Netscape Navigator to Microsoft Internet Explorer and finally KDE’s Konqueror.
The name also follows a KDE naming habit: many KDE applications begin with the letter K. Konqueror was more than a web browser, however. It combined web browsing with local and remote file management, allowing users to work with websites, folders, FTP locations, and other resources through one interface.
Konqueror first appeared with KDE 2 on October 23, 2000, replacing the earlier KFM file manager. Its browser engine, KHTML, and its JavaScript engine, KJS, later became important to Apple’s WebKit project when Apple forked and adapted those technologies for Safari.
A common mix-up is treating Konqueror as only a historical browser competitor. Its file-manager role was central to its identity, although KDE later made Dolphin the default file manager while continuing to maintain Konqueror as a web browser.