From creating spreadsheets to playing the latest games, we use our computer for multiple purposes, one of the most common being our navigation of the internet.? With the use of the internet occupying so much of our time, it stands to reason that we?d want to enhance that experience as best we can.
When it comes to internet browsers, there isn’t a more ubiquitous one than Microsoft’s Internet Explorer. Bundled with Microsoft Windows, the most widely used operating system in the personal computing market, Internet Explorer is the standard by default.? However, in spite of its widespread use, there are alternatives to Internet Explorer that are arguably more popular with the geeks amongst us.
Because of its de facto popularity, a result of being packaged with Microsoft Windows, Internet Explorer has seen only incremental advances in how it functions. This lack of innovation has paved the way for competitors to release alternative choices which offer greater functionality and more reliable security for users browsing the internet.
Of those choices, my favorite is Mozilla?s Firefox.
Free and thoroughly customizable, Firefox is fast becoming the choice to which users are migrating from Microsoft?s problematic browser, its superior functionality immediately apparent:
- Firefox includes helpful features that augment the browsing experience, such? as spell checking and saving sessions for those who accidentally quit the browser.
- hundreds of plug-ins afford users a staggering level of customization for their browsing experience.
- Though Internet Explorer now has tabbed browsing , which allows multiple pages to be opened within a single browser, Firefox? tabbed browsing is faster and easier to manage.
- With the advent of malware, those bugs that creep along the porous byways of the internet highway, your computer remains at risk whenever you use the internet. When it comes to security, Firefox is unmatched, with seamless updates that keep you protected from vulnerabilities that leave Internet Explorer users subject to spyware and viruses.
While your internet browser of choice is a personal preference, there?s no denying that Firefox adds a bit more to the experience than Internet Explorer. Yes, Microsoft?s offering has certainly taken steps in the right direction, but much of its improvements were available in the first version of Firefox.
The functionality of Firefox may prove daunting to new users, but Computer Geeks is always available to show them how to get the best out of its use.