What's New?
By Cate Eales
Appeared May 21, 2009 on castanet.net
Internet Explorer 8 is here. Windows 7 is on the way, and
should be available just in time for Christmas, according to Microsoft.
We'll cover both topics in this week's column.
Internet Explorer 8
Let me start by saying I am a big fan of the
Mozilla Firefox browser, a free competitor to Microsoft's Internet
Explorer. The current version of Firefox is 3.0.10, and in my opinion
Firefox continues to outperform Internet Explorer in terms of speed,
safety, and customization. Firefox continues to erode Microsoft's
domination of the browser market. If you haven't tried it yet, I recommend
that you do.
In an effort to stop losing ground to Firefox, Microsoft has released
Internet Explorer 8 for Vista and XP users. As it says on the
Microsoft website, it's "Faster, safer, easier than ever."
There are five important changes from IE7. The first is a browsing mode
called "InPrivate." When you activate "InPrivate" the browser won't
save any data about the current session.
(click to enlarge graphic)
So if you want to shop online for that surprise
jewellery for your anniversary, you can safely do that without any history
or cookies hanging around to spoil the surprise. Click on the "Safety"
button on the toolbar to activate this mode.
The "SmartScreenFilter" is meant to keep you safe from "inadvertent
installation of malicious software." Much has been written about the
effectiveness of this feature, and not everyone agrees that it's working
well enough. I do recommend
Web Of Trust
regardless of which browser you use. (More
here.)
The "Suggested Sites" feature is just what it sounds like: You'll
get suggestions about other websites based on what you are searching for,
what you are currently looking at, and your browsing history. (Another
reason to consider using the "InPrivate" mode!)
The final two changes are the addition of "Accelerators" and "Web
Slices." Accelerators simply add more choices to your right-click menu
when you are using IE8. "Web Slices" allow you to keep track of rapidly
changing pages, for instance an eBay auction or sports scores. You will
find lots more information
about all these features here.
I was able to install IE8 without incident on my trusty Windows XP Pro
laptop, but it took a long time. The installation process took just over
fifteen minutes, and required a restart. Once I restarted, IE8 insisted on
taking me through a lengthy question and answer session about
Accelerators, Favorites, and search engines. Plan to spend some time
getting IE8 set up, because it will nag you until you do it!
Windows 7
The Next Big Thing from Microsoft will be a new operating system,
replacing Vista. People have been beta testing Windows 7, and the Release
Candidate was made available to the public earlier this year. I have not
been testing Windows 7, but I have been keeping up with the reviews. Most
reviewers say that Windows 7 is "what Vista is supposed to be." That's a
relief for those of us holding on to XP for our dear lives.
Microsoft claims that if your computer is capable of running Vista (except
the dreadful "Vista Home Basic" version), then your computer will run
Windows 7. If you're not running Vista, or if you just want to check,
there is a tool you can download to do just that.
Browse to the
Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor page, here. Plug in everything --- web cams,
printers, mp3 players --- and run the tool.
(click to enlarge graphic)
You'll get a very clear report about your computer and
everything plugged into it, and whether or not you're good to go for
Windows 7. Look for Windows 7 to be
released late 2009 or early 2010.
So what else is new?
Alert readers will have noticed a change in the name of our company. We
are now Computer
Care Kelowna. We changed the name to more accurately reflect what we
do. So don't worry --- the old email will still work for some time to
come, and the column archive is right where it always was. But you are
welcome to stop by the new website,
http://computercarekelowna.com/ and have a look around.
Do you need help with your computer? With your
scanner/printer/camera/music player? Do you have a virus or a
spyware problem? Do you need more RAM? Do you need a backup
plan? Do you have a new computer and now you're wondering how to get the
files from the old one over to the new one? I'm here to help you and your
computer get along! To ask a question, make a comment or suggestion, or
schedule a visit, email
help@computercarekelowna.com. You can read previous columns
here. If you'd like to
subscribe to this column by email,
please visit this link. It's easy, and free. If you'd prefer the
RSS Feed, click here.
Links
Mozilla Firefox browser
http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/personal.html
Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 browser
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/Internet-explorer/default.aspx
Web Of Trust
http://www.mywot.com/
Keeping Spyware Out
http://rlis.com/columns/column184.htm
Internet Explorer 8 Tour
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/internet-explorer/tour/default.aspx
Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/upgrade-advisor.aspx
Windows 7 News
http://windows7news.com/tag/windows-7-release-date/
Computer Care Kelowna
http://computercarekelowna.com/
Getting Along With Your Computer Column Archives
http://rlis.com/column.htm
Get Cate's column by email
http://www.feedblitz.com/f/f.fbz?Sub=20618
RSS Feed:
http://rlis.com/rlis.xml
---
Cate Eales has been helping people make online computing safe, accessible
and fun for over 20 years. She lives in Kelowna with her husband, Eric,
and her dog, Sandy. Cate is a partner in
Computer Care
Kelowna, helping individuals and small businesses with virus, spyware
and malware eradication; personal computer training and management;
digital image management; music transfer; and website design, hosting and
management. Email Cate at
help@computercarekelowna.com with your comments, suggestions, or
questions. To browse the column archives, visit the Real Life Internet
Solutions website at www.rlis.com.
©
Cate Eales 2009 – All Rights Reserved
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