Better Faster PC

The guys from Mozilla (the same people that give us software like Firefox, Songbird, Thunderbird and others) have been busy lately. Here is a short update of what is going on:

• Personas (Firefox ’skins’ that change the appearance of the browser) has reached the 1.0 release. Check it out HERE. Though I will be honest I prefer the themes (which you can get from Mozilla HERE) myself
• Firefox 3 is officially more popular than Internet Explorer 7 in Europe and this is the first time in years that Microsoft is not top dog! Read more about it at Reuters right HERE
• Mozilla Labs has released Version 0.3 of Weave which is in essence similar to XMarks (or Foxmarks as it was called) meaning it enable synchronization of Foxmarks settings across multiple computers. Though not yet at 1.0 Weave already has a few extra features which XMarks does not, like Browsing History and Open Tab synchronization. It also works with Fennec, the version of Firefox for portable devices (also still in development). Check out Weave right HERE
• Lifehacker has a great post detailing four new expermintal extensions which you would probably want to read. The extensions are CacheSearch, FindList, Firefox 3.5 New Tab Prototype, tweecious. Check out the post HERE

Microsoft has just released Internet Explorer 8 and for many it may be a good idea to upgrade. Newer browsers generally mean better security, apart from any new features or speed increases they may incorporate. Tighter security measures mean a safer browsing experience and are just plain a better idea. So, let’s get into the good stuff, the software.

• The official Microsoft Download Page for Internet Explorer 8 is HERE
• If you DON’T want Internet Explorer delivered via Windows Update then you will need the Official Internet Explorer 8 Blocker Toolkit from Microsoft which will prevent the Automatic Delivery of Internet Explorer 8 via Windows Upate. You can get it HERE
• Download Squad has two great posts detailing how to “Pimp” Internet Explorer 8 which basically give a good run down of add-ons and other goodies for Internet Explorer 8. Really worth checking out. Pimp Internet Explorer 8 Part 1 is HERE and Part 2 is HERE
• Microsoft has it’s own add-ons gallery which has a large number of add-ons which you can sort by category etc. Also worth checking out - right HERE
• Want to find out a bit more about Internet Explorer 8 before installing it, then you can check out the Wikipedia entry right HERE. Also check out the official Internet Explorer 8 Blog which is HERE
• PCMag.com has a list of their favourite add-ons for Internet Explorer 8 which you can check out HERE. Simple Thoughts has their list of 20 Internet Explorer 8 add-ons which you can check out HERE
• If you have not installed Microsoft Silverlight yet, then you might want to do that as well, to enhance your browsing experience, though it is not essential. The Official Silverlight Site is HERE
• You will also need .NET (as far as I know) though you should have it. If you don’t, which is unlikely, you can get it HERE

Okay, I have been using Google Chrome for a while now. Not for all my browsing needs but exclusively for my Google Apps needs, such as Gmail. I have found Chrome to be reliable, fast (faster in my personal experience than Firefox is) and my only real problem is that I am used to Firefox, so it the change is not so easy. The second major issue is the fact that I cannot use my favourite Add-Ons, which have become part of my daily Firefox browsing.

However, today to add a bit of spice to your Google Chrome user experience I am going to give a round up of some the good stuff you can add to or do with Chrome to make things a bit better.

•  The Google Chrome 2 Beta - I have been using it for a little while and am happy with it. To be honest I have not noticed massive differences but there are a few new features. Read more about it at the Official Google Chrome Blog right HERE and get Google Chrome 2 Beta from the official download page HERE. If you are interested in using the latest Developer Builds of Chrome then go to this link HERE and get involved, just be aware that these are not Stable Releases
• Want to check out how amazing the Java engine in Chrome really is? Then Chrome Experiments is for you, with some very cool, very fun experiments that run in Google Chrome. Worth checking out. Remember to open the link in Google Chrome though, as the site is designed specifically for Google Chrome. Check it out HERE
• Want to install a Theme on Google Chrome, it’s not as simple as Firefox but can be done. Use a program called XChrome which is a theme manager for Google Chrome - Get it HERE. Then you will need some themes to install to make your Google Chrome look a bit more pleasing to the eye. deviantART has a bunch of themes which you can get HERE. Otherwise here are a couple more links to other Google Chrome Theme sites. Link 1 - Link 2 - Link 3
• There are two great forums for Google Chrome that I have found. They have the latest hacks, plugins and themes, all cutting edge. You can also submit your thoughts, ideas, themes etc. ChromeSpot is one, check it out HERE and Google Chrome Plugins is another - check it out HERE
• Some odds and ends are here, MakeUseOf has a list of 7 Useful Hacks for Chrome right HERE. TechRadar has a list of 10 Really Cools Hacks for Google Chrome which you can check out HERE. You might also want to check out My Chrome Addons which is HERE and Chrome Plugins which is HERE

Okay, so these days bandwidth is generally not such a big issue but in some countries or regions you just don’t have the bandwidth that you have at home. That means webpages and downloads take a lot longer and your browsing experience is less than enjoyable.

So, to remedy this the clever guys at Opera Labs have invented Opera Turbo which is:

“a server-side optimization and compression technology that provides significant improvements in browsing speeds over limited-bandwidth connections by compressing network traffic. This does not only make you surf faster, but also lowers the cost of browsing when you are on a pay per usage plan.”

You can read more about it at the official Opera Labs Blog HERE or you can head straight over to the downloads and grab yourself a preview copy of Opera 10 with Turbo HERE (Please be aware that this is in Alpha so only for TESTING!).

Flock, ‘The Social Web Browser’ is a web browser built on the Mozilla engine (which is the same engine used by Firefox) is possibly moving to the engine used by Google Chrome. Though this has neither been confirmed or denied by the Flock team it is worth noting for anyone that uses the browser.

Read more about it at TechCrunch HERE - The Flock homepage is HERE

If you are looking to change browsers or are a Safari user then you might want to check out the Safari Beta from Apple.

It features a host of innovative features and you can get it HERE. Also check out  the Wikipedia entry for Safari which is HERE. Lifehacker also has a nice article about it which you can read HERE.

There is a lot going on in the world of browsers these days. So I think it is time for a little update just to refresh your memory a bit.

Mozilla Firefox 3.0.6
Firefox is the most used of the alternative browsers and really is a very stable and secure product. It is completely open source (and free) and there are a ton of add-ons available which are completely free and offer enhanced functionality for a host of other features not included in the basic installation.

Check out the homepage HERE. Lots of Add-Ons are HERE and themes are HERE.

Google Chrome
Chrome is a new open source browser from Google which has grabbed quite a sizeable share of the browser market. like Firefox it is completely free and it is fast, not only that but Google has ensured that when integrated with Google Apps like Gmail and Docs, Chrome performs much faster than any other browser. So, if you are a big user of Google Apps then Chrome is the way to go. Remember though, Chrome is in it’s infancy and support for plug-ins / add-ons does not exist. So if you use things like Ad Blockers or Bookmarks Synchronization add-ons then Chrome is not yet mature enough to offer that kind of functionality, though it is in the works.

Check out Google Chrome right HERE.

Opera
Opera has come along way since when it first started. Now at Version 9.63 Opera has become some people’s favourite. It offers a slightly different browsing experience to other browsers and some people really prefer it. As a personal choice it is my second browser, preferrable to Internet Explorer - at least for now. It offers some unique features which are not found in all browsers by default.

Check Opera out HERE.

Internet Explorer
Internet Explorer from Microsoft takes a lot of flack even though it is the most widely used browser out there. The reason it is often criticized is for security issues but Microsoft has been working on this over the years and if you use an updated version of Internet Explorer then you should not have any issues. Internet Explorer is just about to graduate to Version 8 (it is currently on Release Candidate 1).
To be fair the reason why Internet Explorer receives a lot of criticism is due to it’s historical version being quite insecure but these days that is not the case. Things have changed and with Internet Explorer 8 being shipped with Windows 7 (to my knowledge) we will be probably see a resurgence in the popularity of Internet Explorer.

Check out Internet Explorer right HERE.

Safari
Safari was originally a browser for Apple computers only but now it is available for Windows as well. To be honest, I do not know much about Safari so cannot give you much of a review but if you are interested check it out.

Check Safari out HERE.

So, there you go - a decent list of the better known browsers out there - if you interested in further browsers to look at then check out Flock - HERE, K-Meleon - HERE, Maxthon - HERE, Camino - HERE.

Any of you that like art and use ad blocking might be interested in Add-Art. It is a plug-in for Firefox that replaces the removed the advertisments with Art. A clever idea really. So, instead of seeing annoying ads for things you are not going buy you get pictures of art.

Okay, I would not personally use this as it kind of defeats one of the purposes of blocking ads, speeding up browsing, by downloading extra images, which would otherwise would not be downloaded. However, if you have a fast connection I doubt it would be noticeable, so if you are interested check it out HERE.

Interesting post over at the official Opera blog regarding the upcoming JAVA engine for Opera, which it seems is going to be pretty fast. Read the official post to find out more right HERE.

I do realise not many people use Opera but those that do will be happy to note that the browser is actively developing new and improved features to keep up with stiff competition from other browsers like Google Chrome.

Foxmarks, if you don’t know is a bookmarks synchronization tool which enables people to keep the same set of bookmarks wherever they are and what computer you are using as long as it is connected to the internet.

Previously it was only available as a plug-in for Firefox and many users would not use any other browsers for the simple reason that Foxmarks was just not available for Internet Explorer and now Chrome or Safari.

Well, things are changing. Foxmarks has just released versions compatible with Safari and Internet Explorer. That means that if Firefox is NOT your favourite browser but you use it for the synchronicity options then it is now possible to make a switch!

Apparently a version for Google Chrome is also on the way.

The official Foxmarks website is HERE if you are wanting to migrate or have never tried it. I would recommend all users try and make the switch as it is an essential part of any toolbox.