0 What does Favicon means

        You may have seen small image appearing on the leftmost side of your browser's address bar when you browse, and it is differing from site to site. That tiny image is termed as Favicon which is the short form of Favorite Icon. A Favicon, also known as a website icon, shortcut icon, url icon, or bookmark icon is a 16×16, 32×32 or 64×64 pixel square icon associated with a particular website or webpage. Browsers that provide Favicon support typically display a page's Favicon in the browser's address bar and next to the page's name in a list of bookmarks. Browsers that support tabbed browsing displays a page's Favicon next to the page's title on the tab. Today almost every web site has this distinguishing feature- Favicon

Etymology

Favicon = FAVourite + ICON. Favicon is the short form of Favorite Icon.

Introduction of Favicon

        Microsoft was the first to introduce the Favicon in Internet Explorer 4. In the original Microsoft standard, a file called favicon.ico was placed in the root directory of a web site. This would then automatically be used in Internet Explorer's favorites (bookmarks) display.

Favicon Formats and compatibility

.ico format is cross-browser compatible and is supported by Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, and Opera.
.gif, .png and .jpg Favicons have support in all leading browsers (Firefox, Chrome, Safari and Opera) except Internet Explorer.