Internet Explorer: Headache #2

On the top of my list was to get Firefox installed and up and running on my new PC ASAP.  But before I did this I needed to set up a few programs that required an Internet connection.  So, by default I used my preloaded browser, IE.  Yuck!  After about only 20 minutes, my appreciation for Firefox was reaffirmed.  Why do I love Firefox so? 

First, I find the platform more intuitive and user friendly than IE.  It also has lots of security features that have been raved about by serious tech writers.  And then the whole concept is different.  It is an open source software program.  Basically, the code is not secret, so there is a huge community of really smart, creative people that have input into making Firefox better (not just a few suits in a corporate office).  From this openness comes thousands of small 'add-on' programs to choose from that allow you to customize your browser for about anything you do on the web.  When I first started reading about Firefox I wondered how big a deal 'customizing' my browser could really be...Well, after 20 minutes on the vanilla version of IE, I couldn't wait to get back to my familiar, efficient browser. 

Oh, and one of my favorite add-ons made it a snap to get Firefox up and running on my new computer:  Foxmarks Bookmark Synchronizer.  This add-on keeps my bookmarks synched on all of my computers.  So, after installing Firefox and Foxmarks Bookmark Synchronizer on my new machine, all I had to do was log into my Foxmarks account, and sync.  Voila'...all of my bookmarks, including toolbar, folders, and tags appeared without a hitch!

Here is a list of other add-ons I love:

• Better Gmail2
• Customize Google: makes your Google searches better by removing adds and spam and  it has lots of additional security options for Google applications.
• Cooliris: transform screen into 3-D viewing (awesome when looking at pictures on line)
• PDF download: allows you to save and email web pages as PDF (very handy)
• Read It Later:  Instead of book marking sites that you want to read later and hope you can find them again, create an easy to find list.  If you find it useful and want to refer to it later, then bookmark it.
• Yahoo Toolbar: All your Yahoo features (including email) on your toolbar
• Zotero: if you do research on the web, this is a must for keeping tracking of your notes and references.

Here are some add-ons that I am trying out:

• KidZui: a browser for kids
• Twitbin:  I Twitter (kind of) but haven't quite figured it out.  Maybe this will help.

Now, my headache is gone and I am happy, surfing with my tricked out browser.