Cool Windows XP tricks, tutorials and software reviews.

I don’t know anyone who knows anyone who uses IE. Because… As most of us know, Internet Explorer sucks. Here’s why:

1. No more ads! IE doesn’t have a decent integrated ad-blocking device. Opera and Firefox, on the other hand, have the excellent AdBlock plugin. Of course, if you like to support a site with a few clicks you can set it to show ads for that site. Bloggers (like me) are ever so happy when they get a click or two.
2. Fast security updates - Internet Explorer’s security updates come with Microsoft’s usual once-per-week schedule. By that time, Firefox has updated itself several times already. Fast updates are very important for security as they help to protect browsers from the newest security threats.
3. Reasonable tabbed browsing - Internet Explorer’s tabs are quite a mess. Can’t close them when they’re open and no way to bookmark any at the same time.
4. Accepting certificates - IE shows the finger to all security certificates it doesn’t trust for some reason. Using your company’s solutions can be quite difficult…
5. Web standards - Firefox’s and Opera’s support of web standards is better.
6. Portability - You can take Opera or Firefox with you anytime on a memory stick or flash memory device. Internet Explorer is stuck in your Windows.
7. Only for Windows - IE is only made for Windows. Firefox, Opera and even Safari are all made for several operating systems.
8. Customization - Opera has a heap of widgets to use. Firefox has tons of plugins and themes so you can make your favorite browser work and look any way you like. Try that on Internet Explorer!
9. Password Management - Firefox and Opera let you choose to delete remembered passwords and Firefox even lets you set one master password to protect the others. IE remains unprotected.
10. Speed - On Windows XP, both Firefox and Opera are much faster than IE7 when several pages are open. Internet Explorer’s speed is better on Vista, but come on - you need Vista for that!

Stay tuned for tomorrows post, “Firefox vs. Opera.” To bookmark us, press Ctrl + D (If you haven’t noticed yet, this week is Firefox week in xptricks.net)

This week is Firefox week in xptricks.net. We will post many reviews and tips about Firefox and other browsers, so stay tuned. Here is the complete guide to this week’s posts. You might find it handy to bookmark us (Ctrl + D) or subscribe to our feed.

Lets start off with our review of Firefox 3.

Firefox 3 is the latest (and best) version of the worlds most popular browser. The Mozilla Team has managed to fix almost all of Firefox 2’s errors and problems and Firefox 3 is almost as good as a browser can get. Both design and functionality have improved and the options as an open source browser are literally limitless.

The first thing you notice after installing, are the new icons at the top-left of the screen. Everything is sharper and even simpler than before. Except, of course, for the green, glassy back/forward buttons (blue on Vista). They have been rounded, pushed together and slapped into a “keyhole” in the interface. Rather Internet Explorer-ish, I must say. Quite pretty, nevertheless.

There have also been other significant changes to the Firefox UI. For example, the Go button has been removed (although it reappears while typing an address) and the Bookmark this and Subscribe to this have conveniently replaced it. The favicon of a website is now in a separate box at the left of the address bar. Mine, as you can see, is a Windows flag.

Browsing History and Bookmarking have also been redesigned, and now, when you start typing an address, you get a much smarter list of previously visited (or bookmarked) sites.

There have been numerous changes under the bonnet. You might not see them but you’ll probably notice that Firefox has got a lot faster and smarter since the update. Firefox 2’s biggest mistake - a weird solution for saving browsed images and sites that takes up a hell of a lot of disk space - has of course been fixed as well.

Rating:

With most problems redesigned or replaced, the world’s best browser is now even better. I’d love to give it 5 and a half.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post, “10 Reasons Why Firefox and Opera Are Better Than Internet Explorer.“

More good news!

From now on, every user that registers gets a contributor account instead of subscriber. This means you can write posts and tutorials yourself! They will still be reviewed by me or any of our authors (usually takes 2 hrs - 1 day).

When I’m feeling comfortable with your posts (usually after 3 or 4), I’ll upgrade you to author. Then your posts will be published straight away without the need for a review.

This is a great opportunity for both newbie bloggers and fellow bloggers who want to give guest blogging a try. I’ll let you leave a crawlable link at the end of every one of your posts so this can also boost your search engine rankings and PageRank!

I’ve also upgraded the accounts of previously registered members.

You can register from the “Personal box” at the bottom of the sidebar.

Feel free to post for the upcoming Firefox week!!

The upcoming week, 14 - 20 July will be Firefox week here in xptricks.net. We’ll be posting many tutorials and reviews on Firefox and other browsers. You might find it handy to bookmark us (Ctrl + D) or subscribe to our feed. Here’s the post guide of the week:

• Monday 14th: Firefox 3 - The New Look OF Firefox. We’ll start off nice and big with our review of the latest version of Mozilla Firefox. Don’t miss it.
• Tuesday 15th: 10 Reasons Why Opera And Firefox Are Better Than Internet Explorer. In this post, we’ll compare Firefox and Opera to Internet Explorer. (Hint: This will be quite a sad one for I.E. users )
• Wednesday 16th: Firefox 3 vs. Opera 9.5 Opera is a great Firefox alternative for users with an older system. Here’s our review.
• Thursday 17th: Browser Shortcuts. Surf faster with these handy goodies.
• Friday 18th: 10 Tips To Stay Safe In The Internet. Phishing, ID-theft and viruses are spreading at record speeds. Secure your everyday browsing with these must-read tips.
• Saturday 19th: Top 20 Firefox Themes And Plugins. As an OS browser, Firefox has millions of developers worldwide. This is our list of must-have themes and plugins for Firefox.
• Sunday 20th: The History Of Internet. This will be a good conclusion to our Firefox week. On October 29, 1969 ARPAnet was created. No-one knew it was the dawn of a revolution. Today - 39 years later, 1.4 billion people (over 1/5 of the worlds population) use the internet. Make sure you stick around for this post and find out what’s happened between.

Please feel free to leave comments and join the conversation!

Have a dirty computer monitor? Here’s something that will keep your screen looking clean…

These cute, free screen savers are from the movie “Must Love Dogs” and I must say they’re a great idea.

There are four of them to choose from (Click the image to download):

If you get an error with the “flash.ocx” file, you need to configure your system to allow 3rd party screensavers.

Enjoy!