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Internet alternatives the PC store and Microsoft didn't tell you about
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E-mail and
Internet alternatives to keep your info yours...
All of
the links here will take you to the main page of their respective sites.
If you choose to download and install any of these intelligent options
over the OS defaults it is assumed you are somewhat familiar with your
sysytem. Here I will do my best to help you break free of the mediocrity
Microsoft has forcibly imposed upon you. Contrary to what they would have
you believe, you DO have a choice, and you DO have a right to exercise
that freedom of choice. You DO have the option of becoming knowledgeable
in order to protect your own interests as you see fit. For those who know
me I will be happy to help with installtion and using these apps, but only
if you are willing to "crack the books" and learn. ;-)
.
 No,
it doesn't come pre-installed with Windows, and for good reason. Well,
in Microsoft's eyes anyway ;-) . If it did, fewer people would unknowingly
be infected with spyware, trojans, and browser hijackings. Yes, Firefox
seems like it loads slower than Internet Explorer, but most folks don't
realize (since no-one bothered to mention) that Windows loads IE at boot!
YES! You ARE loading IE in the background even if you only intend to play
solitaire! Kinda like starting your car and leaving it idle in the driveway
while you shower. Firefox doeson't load until you plan to browse the web.
What a concept! Start your car only when you plan to drive the thing!
.
It
does come with basic support for the standard web plugins but for full
functionality additional plugins can be installed. Wow! Another novel concept.
Install only what you need! To boot, many Firefox users develop addins
called "Extensions" that can be installed into Firefox that either add
functionality or add security to better protect the user.
.
 Unlike
Microsoft Outlook, Thunderbird does not rely on IE as it's core and mail
viewer, and is not prone to the same vulnerabilities that Outlook is. It
is still vulnerable if one blindly chooses to execute an unknown attachment.
That's pretty much common sense akin to "don't drive into that wall, it
might hurt". No, there's no cutesy yuppie scheduler included, but then
again, it's a mail client, not a conglomeration of poorly planned applets.
.
 Eudora
light is a viable alternative and incorporates more security features than
many other commercial and free mail clients. Eudora has been around for
years, and for a long time was the defacto and yardstick others were measured
by. By mid 2007 Eudora will once again be completely FREE and has become
one of the projects undertaken by the Mozilla
team who have maintained the code base for Netscape (before AOL and the
Netscape nerds trash it), Camino, Firefox, Thunderbird, and others that
are quickly becoming internet standards to rival those forcibly imposed
by Microsoft.
.
 A
viable alternative to Microsoft Media Player, one I have been using since
it's early days. Winamp offers several versions from a stripped down lite
version to one with all the bells and whistles. It doesn't cater near as
much to the rantings and whinings of the RIAA and thier cronies.
.
The
one caveat is media that is copy protected using methods compatible with
Media Player will not play. The Windows MoVie (WMV) format is still proprietary
and will remain within Microsoft's stanglehold. For these movies and other
copy protected media you will still be forced to use Microsoft's player.
.
 Okay,
I admit there are times one must visit sites that kiss Microsoft's posterior,
and IE is mandatory to fully utilize the site. One example would be sites
that incorporate FrontPage extensions or Active Server Pages (ASP). A REAL
spyware app is in order, and NOT this wimpy stuff Microsoft spits out once
a month through Windows Update.
.
This
is one I STRONGLY recommend, in particlular if you've got a kid that hits
the game cheat, crack, or serial sites. It's also almost mandatory if you
enjoy surfing sites not considered acceptable for public display if you
know what I mean. It's not my preferred flavor of entertainment but to
each his/her own. If you do, SpybotSD might spare you a few headaches. |
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