Browser Wars and Then Some
I’m posting this from my machine at work, a lame IBM (reads: Inferior But Marketable) with less memory than Ronald Reagan in his last years, It uses IE, which is lame as well. Since I don’t own the machine, the company discourages downloading, fearful of spyware and viruses. Heaven forefend a consummate geek like myself, who can field-strip a computer under heavy fire, would actually install any useful software like Firefox, Spybot, or Ad-aware.
I question weather my corporate IT-department-of-one has yet heard of the vastly superior browser that Mozilla provides. It’s more stable, it’s even (gasp!) more secure that IE, but the kicker for me is the tabbed browsing interface. After using Firefox for the past two months, and getting used to the process of checking facts, looking for URL’s, checking with the online thesaurus, you know- the usual blogging related work, I cringe at how clunky it is working with seven instances of IE, their windows layered like so much windblown newsprint, and the wrist-swelling alt-tab madness that is Microsoft.
Thunderbird is a superior email client that is stripped of all the useless”features” that compromise the security of Outlook. Be honest, do you really use the sticky notes, calendar and tasks routines? You can bet you paid for them (that is if you run a legal copy). And as for Thunderbird - what part of FREE don’t you like?
These are two cool programs with two cools names that you’ll use every day. Check them out, spread the love, and give Microsoft what is discretely needs: competition.