Recently in Web Browsers Category

You've heard of the Google Toolbar and the Yahoo Toolbar, and, of course, the OCLC- Yahoo Toolbar. Then there's the Groowe toolbar which combines several toolbars into one. It seems like just about every search engine offers its own browser toolbar in hopes that they will be your first choice when it comes to searching. But really, how many browser toolbars can one person use? But wait! How about a library toolbar branded with your very own library logo and offering easy access to YOUR library's resources! Stanford's Jackson Library's has one. I want one, too!

If you're tired of your browser decor, or just want to add a bit more functionality to your "browsing experience", you might want to try a few of the add-ins for IE or Firefox as described in the January issue of PC World in the article "Better Browsing: Add-Ons, Plug-Ins, and Extensions." For example, MyIE2, an IE "shell" adds tabbed browsing to the basic browser display. If you're not ready for quite THAT much change, try the Yahoo Toolbar, which now includes an anti-spyware tool. If you've already added too many plug-ins and want to get rid of the clutter, use the browser options to clean house. And don't forget about Firefox extensions.

Don't ask me what the last section of the article, "Oval Office Eavesdrop" has to do with better browsing, but it's interesting, nonetheless. If you'd like to listen to recorded conversations with six American presidents, visit the University of Virginia's Miller Center of Public Affairs' WhitehouseTapes.org, which offers audio of 5,000 conversations secretly recorded between 1940 and 1973. There's something for everybody!

Browsers alone are rather inadequate for most serious researchers. If your browser leaves you wanting more, there are other options out there. PC Magazine reviews 8 web utilities that help find, organize and sometimes share the information you worked so hard to find. Amplify, enLighter Retriever and Onfolio Professional received the PC Magazine's Editor's Choice award. Librarians should especially appreciate Onfolio Professional's ability to create html reports summarizing your research that can be easily emailed to the requestor.

Internet Explorer is so early millennium. It's almost 2005 after all, and time for a change.

Why? There has been a LOT of talk lately about the advantages of using browsers other than Internet Explorer, partially because of functionality offered by these "other" browsers, but primarily because of the non-stop attacks waged by hackers, and the constant need to patch IE to prevent your computer and/or data being compromised. IE is so dominant in the browser arena, it makes an excellent target.

Another reason for all the buzz is the recent availability of an excellent alternative, Mozilla Firefox 1.0. Once I'd read about the 10th recommendation, I figured it might be worthwhile. It's been installed for the past month or so, set as my default browser.