GeeksAKnockin'

Anatomy of an Internet browser

JS — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 23:54:57 +0000

In this study we will be identifying the basic anatomy of the ubiquitous yet oft misunderstood critters known as Internet browsers. Various species are encountered in the wild, and while they will vary to some degree, there are underlying fundamentals that hold true for all. Just as every frog has a leg and a bat its wing, Internet browsers too have their common parts. Although, again, sometimes with subtle distinctions.One need not know the entire genome or behavioral patterns of these wily beasts, but in order to fully appreciate their majesty one must at the very least recognize their rudimentary traits. For what would’ve become of the good Dr. David Livingstone had he not known the business end of a lion?

Below are examples of commonly found varieties and their primary attributes. At the end you will find a glossary of terminology.

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Here we observe Internet Explorer in its natural state. This somewhat ungainly pedigree is very commonly found in Windows environments, but is also one of the more lamented, and therefore has not been utilized as often as it had been in the past.

And here, a more modernized version of Internet Explorer. This particular morph borrows heavily from that of its current biggest rival, which we will cover near the end. Perhaps we’re witnessing mimicry as seen elsewhere in nature, such as the Mocking Bird or Dendrobates Imitator Poison Dart Frog.

Next we witness the ambitious Firefox. It is very similar in appear and behavior to classic forms of Internet Explorer, but is more customizable and is furnished by an organization much involved with the fledging Internet community. This gained it much popularity in its beginning; however, usage has dwindled somewhat in recent history.

This stoic specimen is Safari. It is basic, stable, utilitarian.

And finally, here presides the sleek, polished, Chrome. This relative newcomer has taken a large share of current usage. Its minimal approach effectively allows it to seem slightly faster than the bulkier browsers. This minimalism comes with a price though. Some users find the sparse interface to be lacking, leaving them to long for features such as a title bar.

There are several other species found in this vast wilderness, but these are the most popular and prevalent. Opera has a small following, but is not very common.

Glossary:

Address Bar \ æ-dres bär \ – The bar that displays the address of the website you are currently viewing. (example: http://www.geeksaknockin.com)

Search Bar \ sərch bär \ – This is where one enters terms for which they wish to search.

Title Bar \ tī-təl bär \ – This shows the title of the current webpage, and in many cases, the title of the Internet browser you’re using.

Menu Bar \ men-yü bär \ – This bar contains the various Menu options that are available to you.

Tab(s) \ tab \ – Tabs display multiple websites that are open within the same window.

Home \ hōm \ – This button returns you to your homepage.

Stop \ stäp \ – This button halts the loading of a currently loading webpage.

Refresh or Reload \ ri-fresh \ \ ri-lōd \ – This button will reload or refresh the current webpage.

Windows 8 tips & tricks

JS — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 00:47:58 +0000

By now, many users have an opinion on Windows 8. Some love it, some hate it, some are indifferent but nevertheless confused with its use. Or, perhaps you’re considering a new computer but are unsure if Windows 8 will be a good fit. In any event, this latest manifestation of the so-far-familiar Windows operating system seems to be stirring up quite a storm. Most of the strife though, as we’ve just hinted, is in response to the drastic changes in the user interface. Once past these, it’s a pretty neat operating system that enjoys marked improvements in performance over its predecessors. Below are links to a couple articles that contain many important and useful tips and tricks for working with Windows 8.

arstechnica.com/…/windows-8-basics-tips-tricks-and-cures

techradar.com/…/50-windows-8-tips-tricks-and-secrets

digitaltrends.com/…/8-windows-8-tips-and-tricks-for-new-users

Common computer terms

JS — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 00:01:00 +0000

Computers and technology can be confusing. Even more so if one does not understand the terminology. While it is impossible to know or learn all of the terms associated with computers, there are several very basic and easy to understand terms that every user should know in order to fully enjoy their experience. A person doesn’t necessarily need to know how to fix a car to drive one, but they do need to know what the steering wheel is. Below is a short list of commonly used terms that every computer user should be acquainted with.

Cursor
Left click
Right click
Double click
Drag and drop
Hover

Start menu
Taskbar
Toolbar
Title bar
Menu bar
Address bar
Drop down menu
Dialog box

Operating system
Internet browser
Word processor
Webmail

ISP
Ethernet
Modem
Router

Additional terms, from the basic to the complex, can be found here: techterms.com

How-to: Spot fake websites and search results

JS — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 21:41:03 +0000

Fake websites are becoming more and more prevalent these days. These sites are usually designed to obtain personal information, extort money or infect your computer with viruses. Some are easier to spot than others, but none are good and you should be on the lookout for suspicious signs. One easy thing to keep in mind is to watch for obvious misspellings. Another is, if you’re searching for something very specific or obscure and a search result comes up that is exactly what you typed, how you typed it, be very suspicious of it. Maybe you got really lucky, but more likely it’s a fake. There are many other basic tips to follow, below is a link to an article with some great ones.

getsafeonline.org/…/safe-internet-use

Apps turn your phone into a document scanner

JS — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 18:46:14 +0000

We use our cell phones for just about everything these days. Now, with the help of some new apps, you can use your phone as a document scanner. You just take a picture of a document and then the app uses special processing techniques developed specifically for text. This cleans up the data and makes it very legible in most cases. There are some minimum lighting requirements, but you can usually select different settings presets or make adjustments. There’s multiple apps out there for this sort of thing, and new ones are likely to continue coming out. Below is a link to an article that outlines the features and use of a couple popular apps currently available.

arstechnica.com/…/the-power-of-two-use-your-phone-as-a-document-scanner

Important Alert: Google Apps to stop supporting Internet Explorer 8

JS — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 22:50:45 +0000

Google announced today, that beginning November 15th, Google Apps will no longer be supporting Internet Explorer 8 (or earlier versions). If you have Windows XP, you won’t be able to update Internet Explorer to the newest version and will have to use one of the available alternate Internet browsers, such as Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome. The other option would be to upgrade XP to Windows 7 or replace the machine entirely. Below is a link to a post from the Google Apps team’s blog.

googleappsupdates.blogspot.ca/…/supporting-modern-browsers-internet

How-to: Back up or transfer Firefox bookmarks

JS — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 22:51:52 +0000

Mozilla Firefox makes it very easy to back up your bookmarks. In fact, Firefox automatically creates the backups for you. It even saves the last 10 backups for safekeeping. In addition to the auto-backups, you can also run manual backups anytime you like. Below is a link to a Mozilla support article that outlines the steps involved in this. It also covers restoring backups and transferring bookmarks to another computer.

support.mozilla.org/…/back-up-bookmarks-or-move-them-to-another-computer

Password power, what you’re up against

JS — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 17:29:39 +0000

We’ve talked a few times about password strength and the need for a powerful password, but wanted to take a little time to talk about what you’re up against. When considering a password, it’s not so much about picking a subject matter that only you would know. While this can help you remember your password, it is far more important to choose a complicated string of letters (uppercase and lowercase), numbers, and symbols. The reason being is that you’re not up against a person who is simply trying to “guess” your password. Instead, they (or an automated “bot” they’ve written), use a sophisticated set of tools and tricks to break the code. The longer and more complicated your password is, the harder it is for these techniques to work effectively.

Here’s a link to a fascinating article that outlines these techniques in great detail:
arstechnica.com/…/passwords-under-assault

Also, below are a few examples of strong passwords:
R0bOt5aR3c0()L
ge7tH3DeL0r43nTo88
w3-ReG0nNa/\/33DaB1gG3rB04T

New Parallels, Desktop 8, for Windows 8 on Mac

JS — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 23:16:05 +0000

Parallels is a nifty piece of software that allows you to run both Windows and Mac OSX on your Apple machine. Some people just like the flexibility, some people need both operating systems for business related applications. With its newest incarnation, released for existing users today, Parallels Desktop 8 will support Windows 8, which itself will be officially released soon. New Parallels users will have to wait until September 4th to download Desktop 8. For more information on Parallels Desktop 8 and its cool new features, see the articles linked to below.

pcmag.com

appleinsider.com

$15 Windows 8 upgrade – What you need to know

JS — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 22:43:35 +0000

Buy a Windows 7 computer in the last couple of months? Heard the news about the upcoming release of Windows 8? Well, if you purchased your Windows 7 computer on June 2nd 2012 or later, you can soon get an upgrade to Windows 8 from Microsoft for $15. Additional pertinent details and stipulations can be found tidily compiled in the Frequently Asked Questions article from PCWorld that we’ve linked to below.

pcworld.com/…/windows_8_15_upgrade_offer_faqs_for_recent_pc_buyers