How To Use Your Browser

You are using a browser right now, to view this page. Browsers are improving with every revision. This is happening very quickly.. as soon as one company shows something new, the others adapt it to theirs. The competition is fierce.

That is, except for : Internet Explorer. Since it is included with Windows, it has the advantage of already being there on your computer. Microsoft also keeps it active, by making sure some sites are ONLY useable within IE. (Not very fair, you think?? It's "Business".)

So, how do you learn to use a browser for the results you want?

There are a few functions which are standard. These functions will be on all browsers, just maybe in a different place, or a different icon. Just as soon as you get used to where they are.. there's an "upgrade"!!

• The Address Box
• A Search box (now being combined with address box)
• Buttons to go BACK one page, or Forward one page.
• a Refresh or Reload button (for the latest version of that page)
• a Home button, which will take you directly to your Home Page.
• A printer button, which will send the page to your printer
• A Tools menu (and button)
• and a Help menu (and button)
• A Favorites or Bookmark button (and menu)
• a customizable bar for your most used links
• A RSS feed button

and oh, yes.. ads! Always ads.

A few years ago, "Tabs" were developed so you could move back and forth to several windows open at the same time.

There are small X-it boxes on each tab.. sometimes not so easy to see.

The latest versions now show a "thumbnail" mini-view of the pages you use most or have marked as a Favorite or Bookmark.

The best way to learn how to use your browser, is to click on everything until you have an idea of it's importance and use to you. Hold the mouse over it for a second so the "tool tip" will give you a hint. You can't hurt anything.

YOU have a choice!

There are several that work with the Windows operating system. The goal is to browse faster, safer, easier and have it take less of the memory resources of your system.

The "new" features noted here are probably outdated by the time you read this. I try to keep up, but.. gee!

Internet Explorer by Microsoft currently in Version 8.
Has improved considerably by using the innovations of others; it had a lot of problems: not considered as reliable as others because it is subseptible to virus attacks, subject to "crash" and has always been notorious for being a memory hog, and slow.

Firefox by Mozilla (click link for more information)
Firefox is the most popular among "techies", with a lot of advantages. It is designed to be more reliable. It was created by a world-wide consortium, which is called "open-source", and is freely available.
Some of the newer features are:

• Bookmarking with just one click. When you visit a page you’d like to remember, just click on the star icon in the location bar.
• You can put a "tag" word to sort your bookmarks later, such as "news", or "recipes".
• Site safety identity: click on the site icon (up in the address bar)for an instant identity overview.
• It will “remember” your site passwords when you click the notification at the top of the site page.

I suggest you use the link to find out more.

Some others are "Opera", and "Safari" (originally created for the Apple system, now universally useable).

The newest one, "Chrome" by Google, uses the address box for searching terms as well, and has thumbnail pictures of favorite websites, which it seems to have taken from Opera.

Would you like to try one of the others? It's simple.
Use Search to go to that browsers source page or a site like cNET.com . This is a safe site that rates programs, and gives you a button where you can "download" it. (receive it on your computer from their site.) It requires a fast Internet connection to download programs.

Once you have a browser that you like, you might get a pop-up notice that there is an update available. It is important that you "agree" to accept these updates... they are improvements to the program.

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