Good day geeks! Today I'd like to introduce another section of Project Silicon, the Geekout.tv Favorite Freeware. I'll be writing my own reviews of our resident geeks' favorite programs that cost absolutely nothing! And no, pirated software doesn't count as freeware. Piracy is illegal. These programs are legally free. Some are open source. Some help with internet browsing, some clean your computer of junk. These are the programs we use on a daily basis that make our lives easier. They will all always have 2 things in common though. They're free and they're absolutely awesome! I'll also give you a brief glimpse into why each of our geeks who use that particular app love it.
Mozilla Firefox
Firefox is literally the best thing to happen to the internet since broadband. Web browsing has never been safer, easier, or more fun than with Firefox. It is nearly infinitely customizable and works on pretty much any computing platform from Windows 98 to Vista, Mac OS X, and Linux.
Security:
Firefox blows Internet Explorer 6 from Microsoft out of the water as far as security goes. IE6 is riddled with more security holes than your favorite jacket after hunting with Dick Cheney. Security in the newer IE7 is pretty much on par with Firefox, but falls short in other categories. Most security holes discovered in Firefox are fixed within 48 hours. Using IE6 is just asking for a few spyware infections. I've been using Firefox for a couple years now, and I only get myself infected when I visit sites I know are risky to visit. Firefox stops a lot of the junk, but can't get it all. It does a very good job for a 100% free browser. Plus there are extensions that will increase your browsing safety even more, but we'll get into that later.
Tabbed Browsing
Gone are the days of having four different IE windows open to view different websites. With Firefox you can have one browser window open, and still view several websites at a time. Tabbed browsing is probably Firefox's most loved and often overlooked feature. IE6 doesn't have tabs. IE7 does now, but they just don't work quite as well as in Firefox. Tabbed browsing makes surfing so much easier, on your sanity, and system resources. It irks me to no end to have to use IE6 when I work on an older PC for a customer at work. It just makes me want to scream sometimes.
Extensions
Extensions are what make Firefox so customizable. Extensions let you add features that aren't already built into Firefox. Anything from a weather forecast in the toolbar, integration of your favorite audio player, and even extensions that will display daily quotes, to apps to help build and edit websites, block ads, and even help you blog! Someone has probably created an extension for anything you can think of. One of my favorites is AdBlock Plus. It helps get rid of the really pesky banner ads, and allows you to block the ones you don't want to see that it doesn't already block. And for those annoying flash ads, there's Flashblock! You can literally turn Firefox into anything you want, or leave it alone and just browse the net in peace.
Here's what some of my fellow geeks have to say about why they love Firefox:
Cody: "I love that Firefox is multiplatform (Win32, OSX PPC & Intel, Linux) and that you have the ability to bloat it into oblivion with extensions, but I only use one regularly, which would be Adblock Plus."
Eric: "I use Firefox for all my internet needs.
- Skin is Noia:2.0.
Extensions:
- Delicious Tags. Lets me tag webpages with the click of a button.
- Google Tool bar for Firefox. Lots of handy links to Google services.
- Google Notebook. I can save stuff to a notebook. So instead of copying and pasting lots of text. (say i'm looking at product descriptions doing some comparative shopping) I can highlight a bunch and 'note this' to save some text or photos. Very handy."
So there you have it. Firefox is the bomb. And best of all, it's free! Stay tuned next week for more of our favorite freeware! Feel free to send me some of your favorite freeware too. I'll try em out if I don't already use em, and write a review.
If you'd like to download Firefox, it can be found at Mozilla.com.
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