Since most of us don't know how to program, this may not seem like a big deal, but there are some excellent advantages to open source programs. A program that I use all of the time is Mozilla Firefox, which is an open source web browser (i.e. you use it to view the internet - just like Internet Explorer). What makes Firefox great is that, because it's open source, many people have created additional functions that can be installed into the program. For instance, Laura has add-ons in Firefox that show the weather, make her tabs different colors, and one that rates the security of any site that you visit. There's a huge list of add-ons at:
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/
Also, Firefox is generally considered more secure and faster than Internet Explorer. If you haven't figured it out by now, I recommend that you dump Internet Explorer and use Firefox for your web browsing.
There are some sites that won't work well with Firefox. Usually these are corporate or other work related site. For instance, the multiple listing service (for realtors) doesn't work well with Firefox. However, you will find that 99% of sites work just fine with Firefox.
There are a lot of add-ons to choose from, but you might give some of the ones on this list a try.
http://technotes.blogsailor.com/2007/10/25/16-must-have-firefox-add-ons/
Here's a screen shot of the add-ons that I have in Mozilla Thunderbird (an e-mail client - like Outlook).
Each add-on provides some new function that is not available in the program without the add-on. Anyhow, I'm sure that I have gone into more detail than I should have. I have spent a lot of time tinkering around with linux (an type of operating systems - like Windows) and have really come to appreciate the pros and cons of open source software. Give Firefox a try, and see if you like it.
5 comments:
I can already tell I am really going to like this blog. Right after I email you my question I am going to look into firefox!
I'm so glad to see more great info on your Blog, Ben. I wish Mozilla would have worked with the MLS.
You are on to something great here; keep it up!
I'm so glad to see more great info on your Blog, Ben. I wish Mozilla would have worked with the MLS.
You are on to something great here; keep it up!
I didn't know that you could customize so many things with Firefox. That's cool! Unfortunately, as you mentioned, many company sites (such as all the KPMG sites that I need to use on a regular basis) don't really work with Firefox. But hopefully the trend will continue to move away from Internet Explorer and towards Firefox.
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