May 062012
 
web-browsers

There are many web browsers out on the market, so which one should you install? Which one should you use? In all my years in IT I still prefer Firefox. I know that many might differ from my opinion however if you feel that using your current web browser helps you and makes your life easy then stick with it. No need to change if it is working for you. I have added my list of favorite browsers in numerical order, number 1 being the highest on my list and number 5 being the last on my list.

I have added IE and that is because after they released version 9+, it started to work great. This opinion on IE is purely from a web developer’s point of view even though there are a few minor issues that are occurring in web developing in the latest version IE 9 and 10. 

To download the current version of the following browsers and other popular browsers click on filehippo. Filehippo will show you other browsers that might interest you to download and test, it also has many other utilities, tools, programs and software that might also interest you.

The latest version will be highlighted in RED.

My preferred browser list:

  1. FireFox:
    • Is a very powerful browser constantly being updated. Firefox is widely used in web developing and is one of the preferred browser for web developers. It has an excellent security setup and you can add many plugin to make even more powerful and design the cosmetic layout….Latest Version 12.0
      • Latest beta version Firefox 13.2
  2. SeaMonkey:
    • The SeaMonkey project is a community effort to develop the SeaMonkey all-in-one internet application suite (see below). Such a software suite was previously made popular by Netscape and Mozilla, and the SeaMonkey project continues to develop and deliver high-quality updates to this concept. Containing an Internet browser, email & newsgroup client with an included web feed reader, HTML editor, IRC chat and web development tools, SeaMonkey is sure to appeal to advanced users, web developers and corporate users. l…Latest Version 2.8
      • Latest beta version SeaMonkey 2.9 beta 1
  3. Chrome:
    • Is a powerful fast and versatile browser that loads very fast and runs flash and youtube files very fast. A browser widely used by those who love watching youtube clips online…..Latest dev Version 20.0.1123.4
  4. Safari:
    • Innovative new features from this browser improve the way you view the web. Mac has a reputation like no other on the net. You will enjoy the browsing experience……..Latest Version 5.1.5
  5. Opera:
    • Lighting fast, secure and versatile browser. It has many smart features that makes it one of the favorite browser by many who use it……Latest Version 11.61
  6. IE: Internet Explorer as we know it is one of the most popular browsers in the market. The great way that Microsoft has market their product i.e. Windows which includes IE has control the market for many years.

The flexibility, the performance and the security that Firefox provides helps me feel safe and secure especially when I do my internet banking. The list of add-ons that you can install is very long and incredibly helpful, no wonder why so many from the IT world love it so much. If you need to know what are some of the best add-ons you can install click on the following link https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/featured and you will see the wealth of add-ons.

I am sure that you will find one that you really love ;) .

Hint: Always delete the cache on any browser to eliminate issues that might arise while browsing, including malware, adware, cookies and other stability issues that might show up from time to time. A very good utility for this is ccleaner found in filehippo’s website mentioned above or simply clear the cache using the browsers deleting tool.

I will be updating this post from time to time, so come back for more information :)

Mar 102012
 
windows-software-recommendation

Latest addition to the list Advanced SystemCare Free 5.

These are the tools and software I recommend to run a safe, secure and troubleshoot a Windows environment. You will notice that some of these tools will help you with your linux environment as well. The tools below are the tools I have been using on my old computer running windows XP Home and my brothers computer running vista. I now have upgraded to windows 7 Home Premium and have tested them on windows 7 and they run well.

Be aware when you partition the hard disk in Vista and 7 using gparted found in Partedmagic. You will have to use the vista or 7 recovery disk to fix an issue with the partiton table. Also please make sure that you back up to an external hard disk all your important data before you resize the partition.

  1. Ccleaner To clean all the rubbish and maintain a healthy registry
  2. Defraggler to defrag the hard disk
  3. Comodo Internet Security for anti virus, firewall and secure my system
  4. AVG is the antivirus tool that I am using with my windows 7
  5. Spybot search and Destroy to clean and control adware, malware and spyware
  6. Easeus I am using with windows 7. A very good tool to create a hard disk image.
  7. Partedmagic I use for editing my partition and troubleshooting other issues that might arise in windows or linux
  8. Ubcd I use to test and troubleshoot issues with windows or linux
  9. Filehippo to monitor some of my tools installed in my system running windows 7 and keep them up to date
  10. Advanced SystemCare Free 5 is a wonderful tool to have and it is free with many utilities added to this system care package. 

If you are interested in multimedia and web design with flash look no further, my good friend Dileep Katiyar has won a few awards for his superb designs and his artistic ability with web developing, drawing and 3d designs. Take a look at his designs and abilities and you will see the greatness of his talent. He is a very modest person, so I decided to promote him on my blog.

If you live in South Australia then you can check out Peter Bowey Computer Solutions – Recovery Computer Service Repairs. His company has over 23 years of IT and support experience. So give him a call or send him an e-mail. He will be glad to help you ;)

If you need any help with the list above, just drop a line and I will be glad to help you.