I'd like to start the blog writing about what I feel is the best tool on the Web today. Amazingly, very few people I meet know about it. The Firefox web browser, which is managed by the Mozilla Foundation, is an open-source (free) alternative to Microsoft's Internet Explorer. Statistics vary, but most sources today say it's used by 12-15% of Internet users. That may not seem like much, but consider that Firefox is only 3 years old, and there are now over a billion Internet users worldwide.
Main advantages:
- Firefox is considered safer than Internet Explorer. Recent tests have shown that Internet Explorer has eight major security flaws to Firefox's four. Tests also shown that Mozilla is quicker than Microsoft to fix security flaws in it's browser.
- You have over 2,000 add-ons to choose from, including extensions to enhance your Web experience, and themes to personalize the look of the program.
What I've realized in conversation with non-tech people is that even if they've heard of it, they don't think it's something they need, or think it's a complicated thing to get. So here is the process, plain and simple:
- Go to www.mozilla.com, download, and install Firefox from the home page.
- Browse through the themes, and find one you like. Here is a list of the most popular themes.
- I don't expect you to sort through all of the extensions, but here is a list of the most popular, and don't be afraid to use the search box to see what else is out there. A few of my favorites are:
- McAfee Siteadvisor - tells you whether the site you are visiting is dangerous or fraudulent, and even shows up in Google & Yahoo! search results. A MUST HAVE.
- StumbleUpon - you tell StumbleUpon what you're interested in, and it takes you a to a random site based on your interest.
You can read more about Firefox in its
Wikipedia article.
