Internet

Security

Internet Security - Keep your computer safe when accessing the internet. Specific instructions and links make security easier to understand and accomplish.

Email

I reccommend using online email (often called webmail) rather than downloading email to your computer. Webmail has the following advantages:

• If you do not have your email on your computer, viruses and computer worms will never be able to gather email addresses from your address book or stored emails.
• Keeping your email online also means that you will be able to access it from any computer
• Scanning your computer for viruses will be fasterer with fewer files.

Yahoo offers free email with spam protection or pay a small yearly fee for ad free email. I have used Yahoo email for years and continue to reccommend them. Many internet providers use Yahoo for their email service. Other free email services are also available.

Browsers and Browser Addons

Better Browser

I reccommend Firefox for better functionality and better security than Microsoft's Internet Explorer.

Firefox Extensions

If you are a web developer, the Web Developer and Firebug extensions to Firefox are indespensible.

See my article Fix Outdated Firefox Extensions in New Versions of Firefox for instructions for making some old extensions work after updating Firefox to a new version.

Google Toolbar

The Google Toolbar is available for Internet Explorer and Firefox. It has many features to enhance your internet experience. (Click the tabs at the top of the screen to switch between descriptions of the Firefox and Internet Explorer versions.) The Firefox version does not report your activity back to Google the way the Internet Explorer version does.

Tools and Services

Camtasia - A popular video making software, especially useful for making a video of what you are doing on your computer.

Surfing the Web

Surf for reccommended sites in topics of your choice at Stumble Upon.