Firefox browser
If you're like most people, as your browser program (the program you use to surf the Web) you use Microsoft Internet Explorer. This program is bundled free with most versions of Microsoft Windows, and for some years it has had no serious rivals.
All that has changed, however, with the emergence of Firefox, a rival 'open source' browser which has several clear advantages over Internet Explorer.
One of these is security. Because Internet Explorer is so widely used, hackers and virus writers have queued up to try to exploit flaws in it (and in the past they have discovered many). Firefox is far less vulnerable to such attacks.
Firefox has many other attractions as a browsing tool, however. I've been using it for about six months now, and one thing that has really impressed me is the speed with which websites load. I don't know why Firefox should be so quick compared with Internet Explorer, but others have noticed this as well. If, as I do, you typically visit large numbers of websites during the course of your working day, Firefox really can save you a significant chunk of time.
Another thing I like about Firefox is the facility it has for 'tabbed' browsing. You can open up to five different websites in the same window and quickly switch between them using the 'tabs' at the top of the screen. I tend to have www.mywriterscircle.com open on one tab, the page I am currently viewing on another, the BBC News page on a third (I like to keep a close eye on current affairs), and my website stats page on a fourth. Using Firefox, I can flip quickly and easily between them.
Firefox has many other features not offered by Internet Explorer, including the ability to view your browsing history not just by date but by name of website (alphabetical order), order in which last viewed, and so on. It is also much better at organising your Bookmarks (Favorites) than Internet Explorer.
The best news is that Firefox is free of charge, and you can download it via the following link:
http://www.nickdaws.co.uk/firefox.htm
Just click on this link and click on the button that appears to go to the main information and download page. Sorry that's a slightly roundabout method, but by following this method the website will automatically detect what software you currently have installed and take you to the most appropriate download page.
This version of Firefox includes the Google toolbar, which has a pop-up blocker, automatic form filler, Google search box, spell-checker, and much more. However, you can of course remove or deactivate the Google toolbar if you wish.
If you decide to try Firefox, I recommend saving the .exe file to any suitable folder on your PC, then double-click to launch it. Firefox will then automatically install itself. It will ask if you want to import your Favorites and History, and I recommend doing this (don't worry, they will still be there in Explorer as well). It will also ask if you want to make Firefox your default browser. You may wish to say 'no' to this until you have had a chance to evaluate Firefox for yourself.
There is, of course, nothing to prevent you having both Internet Explorer and Firefox on your machine. I do this myself, but nowadays I use Firefox almost all the time when browsing. I only switch to Internet Explorer on the very rare occasions when a site does not seem to display or operate correctly in Firefox.
As you'll gather, I'm a big fan of Firefox, and I recommend trying it out yourself and seeing if you like it. Some aspects of Firefox may look unfamiliar at first if you're used to Internet Explorer, but if you give it a fair chance, I'm pretty sure you'll end up making it your first-choice browser application.
All that has changed, however, with the emergence of Firefox, a rival 'open source' browser which has several clear advantages over Internet Explorer.
One of these is security. Because Internet Explorer is so widely used, hackers and virus writers have queued up to try to exploit flaws in it (and in the past they have discovered many). Firefox is far less vulnerable to such attacks.
Firefox has many other attractions as a browsing tool, however. I've been using it for about six months now, and one thing that has really impressed me is the speed with which websites load. I don't know why Firefox should be so quick compared with Internet Explorer, but others have noticed this as well. If, as I do, you typically visit large numbers of websites during the course of your working day, Firefox really can save you a significant chunk of time.
Another thing I like about Firefox is the facility it has for 'tabbed' browsing. You can open up to five different websites in the same window and quickly switch between them using the 'tabs' at the top of the screen. I tend to have www.mywriterscircle.com open on one tab, the page I am currently viewing on another, the BBC News page on a third (I like to keep a close eye on current affairs), and my website stats page on a fourth. Using Firefox, I can flip quickly and easily between them.
Firefox has many other features not offered by Internet Explorer, including the ability to view your browsing history not just by date but by name of website (alphabetical order), order in which last viewed, and so on. It is also much better at organising your Bookmarks (Favorites) than Internet Explorer.
The best news is that Firefox is free of charge, and you can download it via the following link:
http://www.nickdaws.co.uk/firefox.htm
Just click on this link and click on the button that appears to go to the main information and download page. Sorry that's a slightly roundabout method, but by following this method the website will automatically detect what software you currently have installed and take you to the most appropriate download page.
This version of Firefox includes the Google toolbar, which has a pop-up blocker, automatic form filler, Google search box, spell-checker, and much more. However, you can of course remove or deactivate the Google toolbar if you wish.
If you decide to try Firefox, I recommend saving the .exe file to any suitable folder on your PC, then double-click to launch it. Firefox will then automatically install itself. It will ask if you want to import your Favorites and History, and I recommend doing this (don't worry, they will still be there in Explorer as well). It will also ask if you want to make Firefox your default browser. You may wish to say 'no' to this until you have had a chance to evaluate Firefox for yourself.
There is, of course, nothing to prevent you having both Internet Explorer and Firefox on your machine. I do this myself, but nowadays I use Firefox almost all the time when browsing. I only switch to Internet Explorer on the very rare occasions when a site does not seem to display or operate correctly in Firefox.
As you'll gather, I'm a big fan of Firefox, and I recommend trying it out yourself and seeing if you like it. Some aspects of Firefox may look unfamiliar at first if you're used to Internet Explorer, but if you give it a fair chance, I'm pretty sure you'll end up making it your first-choice browser application.
Nick at 1:55 AM 
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