Not Exactly
By Cate Eales
Appeared July 23, 2009 on castanet.net
Firefox 3.5 is here. Does that make you safe? Not
exactly.
Firefox 3.5 is here
Mozilla Firefox is an alternative to Internet Explorer. It's an inherently
safer way to view web pages, and it's often faster than Internet Explorer.
I have been using Firefox for years and recommending it to my readers and
customers for almost as long.
Firefox 3.5 was recently released. If you are using an earlier version of
Firefox, you should upgrade to this one. As I write this, the latest is
3.5.1. You can download it
here. When you install the program, you'll be asked if you want to
make Firefox your default web browser. That means, do you want to use
Firefox whenever you click on a link in an email, or a web shortcut on
your desktop. If you're just trying Firefox out to see if you like it, you
can safely answer "no" to that question and continue the installation.
Your current default browser (probably Internet Explorer) will continue to
do the bulk of the work, and you can use Firefox when you want to try
something different. If you decide later you really like Firefox, you can
simply tell it to be your default browser. (See
this article for instructions) If you don't like it, you can easily
uninstall it.
One of the very best features of Firefox is tabbed browsing. It's such a
great feature that it's now incorporated into Internet Explorer! Tabbed
browsing means you can have more than one web page open at the same time,
and you can click on tabs to move between them. Usually when you open a
new tab, you get a blank page, but faithful reader and contributor Rudy
sends along a link to a Firefox add-on called
New Tab King,
available here. Instead of a blank tab, you get a tab with links to
your most-visited sites, recently closed tabs, and to your frequently-used
programs besides Firefox. People who like this add-on REALLY like this
add-on!
Not Exactly
Firefox makes using the web safer, but it isn't, in and of itself,
protection against bad things. I frequently receive emails from readers
and questions from customers about this. "I use Firefox, so I'm protected,
right?" and "The Telus guy told me that I don't need Norton because Telus
has a security program. Is that right?"
Not exactly.
While it's true that Telus (and Shaw) offers security programs, you have
to downland and install those programs. Just using Telus or Shaw is not
enough to protect you. Just using Firefox instead of Internet Explorer is
not enough to protect you. You need an anti-virus and an anti-spyware
layer of protection.
Norton, McAfee, and TrendMicro offer this type of protection. When you buy
a new computer, you might have one of these programs on it. But pay
attention, folks! This is a subscription that is going to expire! You have
to pay to renew it. If you don't pay, those icons will still be there,
right next to your clock, and you might think you're protected. But the
program won't be up to date, protecting you against new threats.
Good, free alternatives abound.
Avira is a good
choice. If you have lots of RAM,
AVG Free is a good
choice. You can use the Shaw or Telus programs instead. But you have to
download them, and you have to install them. And you should never have
more than one anti-virus program running at once, so you have to uninstall
your trial version of Norton or McAfee, or TrendMicro first.
Once you have your anti-virus/anti-spyware program installed, DO NOT BE
FOOLED by websites or popups that say your computer is at risk and urge
you to install something else. Some spyware/malware disguises itself as
anti-virus programs, and tries to trick you into paying for protection,
while at the same time infecting your computer with unwanted programs.
Whether you use Firefox or Internet Explorer, I recommend the add-on
called Web of Trust to
help you distinguish safe from potentially unsafe websites.
Do you need help with your computer? With your camera/printer/music
player? Do you need to get your anti-virus protection squared away? 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
Firefox
http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/personal.html
How to make Firefox your default browser
http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/How+To+Make+Firefox+The+Default+Browser
Wikipedia article on Tabbed Browsing
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabbed_browsing
New Tab King
http://www.newtabking.com/
Avira Free antivirus + antispyware
http://www.free-av.com/
AVG Free
http://free.avg.com/
Web of Trust
http://www.mywot.com/
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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