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Meet the 14 and 15 year old brothers who created a mobile web browser

At an age when most of their peers would use the internet to either catch fun or chat with friends, 14 and 15 year old brothers, Anesi and Osine Ikhianosime chose a rather less travelled path.

They, instead of simply surfing the internet, have built a mobile web browser. Remarkably, the barely-out-of-their-teens duo taught themselves how to write codes with the help of materials on the internet.

ENCOMIUM Weekly had a chat with the brothers..’

How did you both develop interest in computers?

We developed interest in computers when we were very young, we were pupils of Corona School, Gbagada, Lagos at the time. Osine was about three at the time and Anesi was five.

What is the thing about computers that fascinates you?

The thing that fascinates us about computers is the countless possibilities available on just one screen.

Most young people your ages do not really take coding as a hobby. Why do you both love coding?

Coding allows us to think of ourselves as artists and it allows us to be creative and think outside the box.

What other interests do you have?

Osine loves playing soccer, learning new things, playing the piano, playing the violin. Anesi is also interested in playing soccer and learning things. He is also interested in classical music.

How did you learn to write computer codes in school or were you self-taught?

We are autodidactists (self-taught). We used a lot of resources from the internet. Actually, we don’t really like to see ourselves as self-taught. We prefer to think that we are in the process of “self-teaching”.

When did you decide to take computer coding serious, which led to creating the browser?

It started sometime in 2013. We started with the default Android developer guide and later moved on to other more comprehensive resources online.

You know there are many browsers available, so what inspired the idea of Crocodile?

Anesi had a low-end phone a while back and he found Google Chrome really unreliable and quite unstable. We were on mid-term break and we were bored so we decided to solve our own problem realising that other people may also be having the same problem and Crocodile Browser was born to cater for the low-end phones and high-end phones. After developing the browser for a few months, we realised that the browser had so much potential and we thought we could really scale the app with a few improvements so we continued working on it.

What do you both plan after now, will you advance your studies in computer science?

We would like to continue the development of the browser and probably build a team to continue working on the browser because there are countless possibilities. Of course, we would like to further our studies in computer science. We are particularly interested in the development of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning as well as organising and harnessing the power of big data.

Who are those you both look up to?

Our first real model was Bill Gates because he started programming at a very young age just like us. We also look up to Nick D’Aloisio who sold his app, Summly to Yahoo at the age of 17. We think Nick’s story really motivated us to go ahead and create an app of our own.

Do your friends still see you the same way since you launched your browser?

We are not so sure. Some conversations about Crocodile Browser now come up ever since the TechCabal.com article was released.

Did your parents support your quest to build the browser?

Yes, they did. They saw it as a project that keeps us busy positively. We also have an Uncle, Ifeanyi Duaka, who encouraged us to continue building the browser although he has no IT background.

Finally, tell me about yourselves, your school, your family?

There are five people in our family. Our parents, ourselves and our younger sister, Amanosi Ikhianosime. Anesi was born on June 1, 1999. He attended Corona School, Gbagada, Lagos for eight years before moving on to Greensprings School, Anthony Campus for his secondary school education.

Osine was born on April 28, 2001. He also attended Corona School, Gbagada for eight years before moving on the Greensprings School. Anthony Campus for his secondary school education. Amanosi Ikhianosime was born on June 24, 2003. She attended Corona School, Gbagada, Lagos, for eight years before moving on the Greensprings School, Anthony Campus, Lagos, for her secondary school education. We all currently attend Greensprings School, Anthony Campus. Osine is currently in Year 9, Ama is in Year 7 while Anesi is in Year 11 (his final year of secondary school).

We are all at different levels of certification at both the MUSON School of Music Theory and the The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM), School of Music with the support of Mr. Annan, Mr. Akerele, Mr. Omole, our music teachers.

-MICHAEL NWOKIKE

Encomium

Written by Encomium

A media, tech and events company.

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