Browsers .com



2266315-44196000 Browsers -A Guide to Safe Browsing Browsers – A Guide to Safe BrowsingWhat is a Browser?A Browser is a program which we use to access the Internet. Hundreds of different browsers are available – some of which come as part of the Microsoft Windows Operating System. (The one coming with Windows-10 is called, ‘Microsoft Edge’, and the one forming a part of previous versions of Windows was called, ‘Internet Explorer’.) There is certainly nothing wrong with either of these programs.However, there are many other browsers we can download free of charge and it comes down to a matter of personal preference which one we choose. In addition to the two mentioned above, some of the more common browsers with which you may be familiar include Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Vivaldi, Opera, TechRadar, Chromium, Torch Browser, Maxthon Cloud, Safari, UC Browser and Brave. This is certainly not an exhaustive list – merely the brands most recommended currently by typical Computer magazines. The one preferred by the author (and many Sandycove Computer Club members) is Mozilla Firefox, not only because it is intuitive and easy to use, but also because it can be tailored to suit your own preferences – particularly with respect to additional safety features available at no additional cost.Be Very Careful!Regardless of which browser you choose, it is extremely important to be very careful when using it. The reason for this is that the Internet is fertile ground for false news, dangerous scams and exposure to malicious software. Therefore, before ever using the Internet, be sure that your machine is protected by real-time anti-virus and anti-malware programs. (“Real-time” means that the programs are automatically running whenever your computer is switched-on and you do not have to manually activate them in order to make them effective.)To cover the anti-virus function for the types of exposure experienced by the majority of our members we recommend the program which comes as part of the Windows Operating System. Up to and including Windows-7 this program was called, ‘Microsoft Security Essentials’, and from the introduction of Windows-8 it has been called, ‘Windows Defender’. We do not claim that this is the best anti-virus solution available, but it does come free-of-charge and is adequate for our requirements. It has to be activated once only when buying a new machine.For the anti-malware function we recommend ‘Malwarebytes’. Unfortunately, we do have to pay for this program – at the time of writing the annual cost is approximately $52.00 Canadian – but it is considered that the level of protection provided against malware, ransom-ware, web intrusions and exploit-ware is well-worth the expenditure.On the Internet, you can guarantee that the ‘bad guys’ will be hanging-out wherever the ‘good guys’ hang out! The sites collectively described as the ‘Social Media’ – e.g. Facebook, Twitter, ‘Chat Rooms’, etc – constitute the prime target areas. Be extra-sure that your machine is adequately-protected if you venture into these sites. Celebrities’ personal sites, or those covering the activities of celebrities are also highly-suspect regarding the probability of being exposed to dangers. But remember – any sites can be dangerous if your machine is not sufficiently protected.Be careful when conducting financial transactions on the Internet. All Internet addresses start with, “http:// * * * * ”. (‘http’ stands for “HyperText Transfer Protocol”). When you are conducting a financial transaction be sure that this address starts with, “https:// * * * * “. The ‘s’ at the end of ‘http’ means that the site is Secure. If it DOESN’T say “https:// * * * “, DON’T use it - it isn’t safe! Even if you had the required ‘https’ when you started the transaction, the site may have transferred you to a non-secure page before the financial details are to be entered. Some sites have some pages which are secure and others that are not. It is strongly suggested that you should not enter any personal or sensitive information unless you are sure that you are doing so on a secure web page and at the same time you are sure that you are still on the site where you want to be. Remember that “secure” is a relative term and that you should always be careful.Let’s consider an actual example for safe searching. Suppose that we wanted to search for a site where we could purchase the Malwarebytes program to download into our own machine. If we just enter the word ‘Malwarebytes’ into the search area we will get a very long list of results. (I just did precisely that and got approximately 13,200,000 listings to look through!) We must be sure to go to the web site belonging to the actual producers of Malwarebytes – not that of a third-party supplier. Alternatively, go to a supplier’s site which you know you can trust. Don’t take any chances.How do I get to where I want to go?There are basically four ways to access the site you’re looking for. You can:Go directly to your ‘Home Page’;Select one of your established shortcuts or ‘Bookmarks’;Enter the actual web-address of the site you wish to go to; orSearch (or browse) for the site you want.Your ‘Home Page’ is the site you have chosen to appear every time you open your browser. For example, some users choose a news site so that they can see what’s happening in the world at any particular time, while others choose a site related to a particular interest or hobby they may have. Some (like myself) choose a general site into which they can enter details of the subject they want to search for. (My own choice happens to be the Google Search Engine page.) Furthermore, you can change your Home Page as frequently as you like. When you open any browser for the first time it will take you to a site chosen by the manufacturer of that browser – e.g. a page telling you about the browser itself.To choose your Home Page using Mozilla Firefox, browse until you find the site you want to use. Copy the web-address of that page. Click on ‘Tools’ – then click on ‘Options’ and complete the details as requested. There is an option to ‘Choose Current page’ under the ‘Home page’ section. If you can’t find this option, simply enter ‘home page’ in the search area of the ‘Options’ page and paste the copy you made of the web-address of your chosen Home Page.NOTE: Bear in mind that there are basically three elements involved when you are using Internet, namely, your Internet Service Provider (ISP), the chosen browser and the associated Search Engine.Your ISP is the medium you have chosen to bring Internet-access into your home. Here in Sandycove Acres this may be Total Cable Services (Nextcom), Bell, Rogers, Comwave, V-Media, etc.The second element is your browser program which is the subject of this report.The third factor is your Search Engine. The Search Engine is one of literally hundreds of possible choices you have to do the actual searching within your browser. It uses the words you have entered as references and searches the world-wide web (www) for web sites that relate to those words. As previously stated, the Search Engine chosen by the author happens to be Google. Others with which you may be familiar include Bing, Quant, Blekko, Boardreader, Buzzsumo, CC Search, DuckDuckGo, CrunchBase, Quantcast, etc. The choice is entirely yours – choose the one which best suits your own preferences.‘Bookmarks’ is the name used by some browsers to describe the shortcuts you want to establish to give you immediate access to your favourite web sites. The browser automatically keeps a list of your most frequently-visited sites. However, with most browsers you can set-up a ‘Bookmarks Toolbar’ which will be automatically displayed whenever you open the browser and on which you can nominate which sites are to be identified for easy access. If necessary, ask Home Help to show you how to set-up your own Bookmarks Toolbar. It is recommended that you abbreviate the names of the sites on your Bookmarks Toolbar, otherwise you will soon run out of space to add any more. If you find that you have filled the available space you can still add more sites – they will be displayed in a list which is accessible by clicking on an arrow at the end of your Bookmarks Toolbar.Tips for SearchingWhen it becomes necessary to search more generally for the subject in which you are interested there are a number of guidelines you should bear in mind:Don’t enter a single word when searching or it is likely that you will be overwhelmed by the number of ‘hits’ (frequently in the millions!). Instead, enter a number of relevant keywords to narrow-down your search.There’s no need to enter the “introductory stuff” like http.www:// before your search criteria.Don’t use “noise words” like ‘and’, ‘or’, ‘the’, ‘by’ as part of your search.If you want to search for a specific title or phrase, enclose the search-words in double inverted commas. The browser will then search for an exact match to what you have entered.As previously stated, be very careful which web site you choose from the list with which you are presented. Wherever possible, go directly to the site of the actual manufacturer/producer of the product in which you are interested. That way it is less-likely that they will try to sell you additional items with which you are not concerned.Don’t let your Internet screen get too cluttered. Close any tabs for sites you have visited but with which you have now finished. (Today’s PCs are certainly capable of multi-tasking, but there are practical limits!)ConclusionIn respect of all three elements involved in providing access to the Internet in your home (and elsewhere) – i.e. your Internet Service Provider (ISP), Browser and Search Engine – you have plenty of choices. Some are obviously better than others, but in the majority of cases it Is a matter of choosing which ones best suit your personal preferences. Choose the options with which you are most comfortable, not necessarily those suggested by other people. And, most important – BROWSE SAFELY! ................
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