Upgrade Your Viewing Experience — A Better Browser

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Upgrade Your Viewing Experience — A Better Browser

Postby Paul » Sat Mar 06, 2010 3:08 pm

Are you still using the Internet Explorer (IE) browser to go on line? If you are using Windows, IE is automatically set up as the software used to navigate the internet. However, experts do not uphold this browser as secure or efficient and recommend others, which are available for free, and which can be downloaded at respective websites and easily installed.

Firefox browser is the most popular after IE. Soon after it came out, it was adopted by government agencies like the CIA and FBI due to its security. However, FireFox became so well known for security, that Microsoft included in their automatic updates for Windows a feature to make intrusion on this competing browser more comparable to IE. This update can be removed, but it almost requires being a computer geek. Still, FireFox is considered more secure, especially since it analyzes websites brought up by search engines, and gives warnings in red letters if there is a virus at the site, on the marquis and before clicking to enter. Note that crackers target IE for virus installation and stealing information, as it is so widely used, and as the design is easy to compromise. If you have gotten a virus lately, ask yourself, were you using IE –- I think so.
FireFox can be downloaded here --
FireFox
However, it takes time to learn all of its many enhanced features and how to use them, but that is a nice learning experience, and it has many add-ons (plugins) to expand how the browser is used. The add-ons can be downloaded here –-
FireFox Add-ons


Opera is another browser with a great reputation, and which is known for speed and high level security.
Opera can be downloaded here --
Opera

More recently, the Maxthon browser has come out from China, which was created to compete with FireFox. It already has over 350 million downloads, and it seems to be excellent in quality. (But do I trust the Chinese not to hack?)
Maxthon can be downloaded here –-
Maxthon

Google has made the Chrome browser. In my opinion, this browser is only average in speed for Windows. The user interface is different than most browsers and takes time to get used to, but then it is very nice. Chrome has a Beta version (trail software in development that anyone can test, and send in reports, if problems are encountered) for Linux, and the installation goes straight in. This Linux version quickly became my favorite, as it was so fast and it enhanced in definition graphic images. However, as it is still in development, when it came out with a Beta update, I had problems with smooth scrolling. I hope Google works this out, as Chrome in Linux was very enjoyable.

There are many other browsers and more in development, but these referenced above are the most popular right now. The Safari browser is used on Apple computers, or Macs. There is a Windows version, but this browser may be more efficient on the Macs. Also, there are various options for browsers with Mac computers, (which I am not as familiar with, as I use mainly Linux, and then at times Windows) but in general exploring these is not an urgent issue for Mac users.
Paul
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