Friday, September 30, 2011

Advantages of Using a Proxy Browser

A Proxy Browser is a proxy server site that allows users to browse through different sites without being directly connected to them. It is a program used by most Internet entrepreneurs to market and expand their business. What's good is that hundreds of these are available on the web.

It is a type of server that can act as an intermediate between clients and other servers. The client will first have to connect to this browser and request for what he needs. He can request for a certain service, a file, a connection, a web page or a resource that is not available on his server.

The next thing a proxy browser does is to evaluate the client's request according to their standard filtering rules. It can for instance, filter traffic by IP protocols or addresses. Once the client's request is found valid, the proxy will now readily provide him with the resources.

There are many kinds of proxy servers found online. You can use any of them depending on your preferences. This long list includes caching web proxies, Content-filtering web proxy, Anonymizing web proxies, Hostile web proxies, Intercepting web proxies among many others.

If you are having trouble looking for one, you can always join forums where you can seek opinions from other users. Here, you may ask them for an effective site you can use. If you are having doubts about the proxy browser you found, you can always read on reviews about that server.

Perhaps the best thing about these browsers is that they have no down times unlike other sites. This can allow you to access them anytime and anywhere. These tools have indeed been a big aid to many Internet users. From helping them in their online business to just simply going to sites that are blocked by their main server.

Here are some significant uses of a Proxy Browser:

* Keep the users and the machines behind it anonymous. Did you know that with every site you enter, you basically give away all your personal information such as passwords and usernames? This tool will provide no way for the user after you can to trace your Internet history easily.
* Speed up your access to online resources. Sometimes, the most annoying part of surfing the web is to wait for it to buffer. These kinds of browsers are commonly used to cache web pages. These servers do this by delivering the requests quickly.
* Censorship and Filtering. In schools and public computers, these browsers are utilized to filter certain websites or its content. This allows them to prevent their users from entering inappropriate websites. If you own a company, you cans use these browsers to prevent your employees from accessing sites that will cause them to waste time compromising your company's output.
* Accessing blocked sites from your school or workplace. This is one of the superficial but fun uses of these browsers. This function is just the opposite of what was previously mentioned. Most social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter are blocked on universities and offices. With the help of these servers, you can easily enter these sites.
* Proxy browsers can also be useful in preventing your account in any site from being hacked.
* To audit usage. You can for example, use these browsers to provide your company with Internet employee usage reporting.
* Safe way to surf the net. You can also use these sites to protect your computer from malicious software, viruses and even spyware.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5872564
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Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Extending Internet Explorer to Improve the Functionality of the Browser

As Internet Explorer's component architecture is based on COM, there are many different ways to extend its capabilities. These can be broken down into three broad categories of extensions as follows:

Browser Extensions:

This category of end-user extensions adds additional functionality to Internet Explorer content. It includes features such as shortcut menu extensions, custom toolbars, Explorer Bars, and Browser Helper Objects (BHOs).

Content Extensions:

These extend the types of content that can be parsed and displayed; their use depends on the content being loaded into the browser. This category includes ActiveX Controls and active documents.

Hosting and Reuse:

By hosting and reusing the Internet Explorer components as part of your own application, you can build your own browser or add rich rendering and Internet capabilities.

Browser Extensions:

This class of extensibility adds to the user interface (UI) of the browser and is not directly related to the viewable content of Web pages. It includes add-on functionality that users might install to enhance their browsing experience.

Shortcut menu extensions:

It is possible to extend Internet Explorer by adding options to the shortcut menu, which link the menu command to the task to be performed.

Toolbars:

Custom toolbars can complement Internet Explorer's standard toolbars.
Browser Helper O Browser Extensions:

This class of extensibility adds to the user interface (UI) of the browser and is not directly related to the viewable content of Web pages. It includes add-on functionality that users might install to enhance their browsing experience.

Shortcut menu extensions:

It is possible to extend Internet Explorer by adding options to the shortcut menu, which link the menu command to the task to be performed.

Toolbars:

Custom toolbars can complement Internet Explorer's standard toolbars.

Browser Helper Objects:

A Browser Helper Object (BHO) runs within Internet Explorer and offers additional services, often without any obvious user interface. For example, a BHO might highlight terms of interest to the user, monitoring the user web habits.

Download Manager:

Use Explorer Bars to reserve part of the browser window, either the side or the bottom of the browser window.

Content Extensions:

This category of extensions is invoked specifically by Internet Explorer content. It includes ActiveX controls, binary behaviors, and active documents.

ActiveX Controls:

ActiveX controls are a very powerful mechanism for extending the abilities of HTML.

Hosting and Reuse:

Internet Explorer's components can easily be reused thanks to its COM-based architecture. Two commonly used components are shdocvw.dll (the Web Browser control) and mshtml.dll ("Trident").

In the majority of situations, it is better to directly host shdocvw.dll than mshtml.dll. This is because shdocvw.dll supports in-place navigation, history, and so on-that is, the full capabilities of the browser. If you host mshtml.dll directly, you gain the use of an HTML and CSS parser and rendered, but you cannot take advantage of the browser's other capabilities.

An example of a situation in which you might want to host mshtml.dll directly is the scenario of an e-mail application and HTML-based e-mail. In this scenario, the e-mail is displayed within the application, but if a user clicks on a hyperlink within the e-mail, the user would expect a separate browser instance to open rather than the e-mail application navigating in place. This is how applications such as Microsoft Outlook and Outlook Express handle HTML-based e-mail.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1429206
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Tuesday, September 20, 2011

A Note to Internet Explorer Users - Browser Alternatives

Using IE puts a strain on web developers, and they often have to create and use "hacks" and work-arounds just for IE. This is simply unacceptable. It creates non standards-compliant websites, and often forces webmasters to leave out features they would otherwise include. Many web developers also live by the "Screw IE" philosophy, which means that web pages will look silly to you only because you use IE. The same page will look great if you're using another browser. Is it really worth it?

Many people are afraid to switch because they don't like change, and they're afraid to learn a new piece of software. Modern browsers have a very small learning curve, and only take a few minutes to get the hang of. In fact, switching to IE7 will be more difficult to learn than changing to Firefox. What are you waiting for?

Want another reason? Security. IE has many security flaws the other browsers have fixed. IE is a target for hackers. Do you like viruses, spyware and adware? Then keep using IE. Using a different browser instantly makes your browsing significantly safer.

So which browser should you switch to? There are many free choices available. I prefer Firefox for many reasons, and so do 77% of my readers. It all comes down to personal preference, but for first switching from IE, I recommend Firefox. Here are links to some of the most popular alternatives:

Firefox

Opera

Safari

Flock

Those are some of the more popular browsers, and I have personally used and highly recommend all of them.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/630765
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Monday, September 19, 2011

Features of the Free Web Browsers

If you are new to using the Internet, the first question you probably have in mind would be what are the free web browsers. You can start using the Internet once you have a browser. There are many free web browsers available online today. You can simply save it in your computer and install it easily. Some of them are Firefox browser and Mozilla.

1. Mozilla's Firefox is one of the answers to the question, what are the free browsers. This is a standard web browser you can get for free online. It has several features which are all useful. You can open multiple pages at one time when you browse. This web browser also ensures the safety of the users by having developer and privacy tools. The pop-ups are blocked first and the user is asked to allow it to be opened first before it appears. The Firefox is much safer because the ActiveX support is disabled. This is the feature is usually the thing that spyware utilizes to give infections to computers.

2. The Opera browser is the second answer to the question,what are the free web browsers. This browser has an engine for rendering which other browsers does not. Another useful feature it has is the multiple tabs you can open at a time. It also blocks illegal pop ups. It has provides a chatting feature as well as an email feature. It has anti-phishing tools that can detect spyware and block it at the same time. It also blocks websites that seem to contain viruses. Opera has a function where you can use your voice to do commands. You can also have it read the texts to you.

3. Maxthon Tabbed is the third answer to the question,what are the free web browsers. This is a web browser that lets you open multiple pages. Users can customize the engine's interface because the IE or Internet explorer is embedded. Some of its features are auto-scrolling, plug-in tool, form filling and other tools for external use. It also blocks pop ups and lets the Unicode have extensions. You can also choose your own skin.

4. Fine Browser is another browser that lets you open many windows as well. It has a blocker for pop-ups. It can also track deleted websites and lets users to save websites into a certain category. You can also take screenshots and see the last date that it was used. You can also have a translation for other languages with this browser. You can n also have fillers as well as a feature where you can keep private notes.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/3478509
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Thursday, September 15, 2011

The Evolution of Internet Explorer - An Informational Technology Wonder

In less than twenty years the modern age has transformed into an informational technology wonder. About twenty years ago no one would have imagined that sending and receiving information or purchasing products would be as easy as clicking a button. The ushering in of the internet age has brought these once impossible ideas that only existed in science fiction novels to reality and the internet explorer has lead the way to these possibilities.

Microsoft Corporation may have been one of the pioneering companies that made running the computing powers of the computer possible for the average user but it was not the first company to bring in the ease of accessing the information of the internet. In fact Microsoft had some catching up to do when the Internet became available to the average every day person. But with ingenuity and offering Internet explorer downloads for free to the user it quickly became one of the leading web browsers in the industry.

As the information technology advanced and the service providers improved their internet access speeds, Internet explorer had to evolve with the improving technology by upgrading Internet Explorer to handle the new demands of the user. Ie6 soon was available for internet users to improve security and function of web browser but considering a new threat of hackers looking for vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer that Microsoft quickly began offering Internet Explorer upgrades and downloads to close vulnerabilities discovered in its coding and enhance abilities such as streaming videos and music which is now standard in Ie7.

Microsoft is continually striving to improve the performance of Internet Explorer that now Ie8 is available for users to test out in a Beta version which is the stage a program goes through testing before being officially released to the public. This version is to address many concerns people now have when surfing the internet like privacy and security. A person can use Ie8 with the understanding that they may find errors in the programming which will be reported back to Microsoft so they can fine tune the program for official release.

However if you are using Ie7 or older versions it has just been announced that Microsoft is issuing a high priority update for your browser on December 17, 2008 to close a recently discovered security vulnerability that they are recommending everyone who uses their browser to update immediately and is available on their website to download this update. If you are running on Windows XP or Vista your automatic updates is enabled you should alerted to this very important update and you do the update as soon as possible.

With the constant evolution of the internet, Microsoft is dedicated to keeping their Internet Explorer browser up to date with the technologies. With this in mind do not be surprised to see future versions of Internet Explorer like Ie9 to continue the evolution of internet technology. With identity thefts becoming more frequent and more and more business and financial institutions are doing transactions over the internet; do not be surprised to see Microsoft with its Internet Explorer in the forefront in protecting and securing their user has information.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1843196
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Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Internet Explorer 9 Beta Review

Introduction

Even though the arrival of Firefox and Chrome did a lot of damage to its reputation and popularity Internet Explorer has remained one of the most widely used web browser (simply because it is bundled with all versions of Windows). It was slow, ugly and was flooded with virus attacks. People were eagerly waiting for a better, safer option. That's when Firefox was launched. It became very popular immediately and by 2008, about 20% percent of all the users switched to Firefox. Most people who stuck with Internet Explorer were ignorant about it. Later Google Chrome came out adding fuel to fire. I've seen web browser comparison charts without Internet Explorer. And some included it in the charts just to show how good the others are.

But Microsoft will not give up easily. Now they've come up with a NEW Internet Explorer.

Unleash a more beautiful web.

That's what Microsoft has to say about the new IE 9.

Initial thoughts

I downloaded and installed it a few days after its launch.

As I launched the beta for the first time, I was welcomed by the addons -performance advisor which identifies addons that may be slowing down the browser and gives you the information you need to disable or fix it, directly from the Notification Bar itself. I disabled all of them.

The new Internet Explorer is entirely different from the older versions which we are familiar with. The first thing you will notice is the absence of those old fashion menu bar and things like that on top of the window. The address bar and the search bar have now combined to form the 'One Box'. So you'll only see what's essential to your browsing experience. I think MS took a few leaves out of Chrome's book. The interface looks very good. The new IE responds a lot quicker than the previous ones and it also loads pages very quickly. Maybe not as quick as Chrome but still very fast. Tear Off Tabs is a feature in IE 9 that facilitates side by side comparison of two pages when needed. I found this very useful. Internet Explorer 9 has an integrated download manager and if you're on Windows 7, you can pin websites to the taskbar for easy access.

Security and Reliability
They've improved the Smart Screen Filter which is a security feature that protects the user from phishing and malware attacks. And most importantly IE 9 shows us warnings (when downloading) only based on the reputation of the files that we are about to download. It is a very useful feature because IE was very annoying in the past, asking for a 1000 permissions to download a file. It offers private browsing which Firefox introduced a century ago. But still I'm happy to see that. Another feature they seem to have adopted from Chrome is tab isolation. If a site crashes on one tab, the rest of the tabs will remain active. So, you keep browsing, undisturbed.

Read more: http://EzineArticles.com/5092578
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Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Internet Explorer App Crash Fix

The critics reported that Internet Explorer app crashes without any reason while the user tries to open a website or download something from the internet. To stop Internet Explorer app crash, you have to attempt the following steps:

1. Turn unnecessary extensions off
2. Correct the registry entries of IE
3. Reset the default settings
4. Disable third-party toolbars
5. Clear the Corrupted IE Cache Files

Turn Unnecessary Extensions Off

Extensions include the add-ons that you had installed for improving your internet experience. As default, only limited numbers of add-ons are installed.

However, while surfing on the internet, we sometimes install the third-party add-ons from a number of websites. Some of them if are incompatible with your system, or functioning improperly results in Internet Explorer app crash. Thus, you have to find such malfunctioning add-ons, and disable them.

1. Open Internet Explorer.
2. Click Tools | Manage Add-Ons.
3. Select All Add-Ons option from Show drop down box.
4. Disable the unwanted add-ons, and then click Close button.
5. Restart IE for the changes to take effects.

Correct the Registry Entries of IE

Internet Explorer app crashes by the bad and corrupted registry entries. Thus it is important to ensure the state of registry regularly and correct the inappropriate entries.

Two ways of repairing the registry:
1. Automatic Repair
2. Manual Repair

Automatic Repair

No need to have an expertise in the field of registry fixing if you are planning to use a registry cleaner software. Select a genuine registry cleaner software recommended by the worldwide experts and click System Cleaner | Start Scan.

Manual Repair

I do not recommend this option. Instead, I recommend using a registry cleaner software.
Registry repairing is not a simple task and may make your computer unstable if wrong modifications are done. If you have an expertise and proper knowledge of finding and repairing the registry junk, you can manually resolve this error.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5671759
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