Loders Computers

Firefox:

Firefox is an open-source web browser developed by Mozilla. “Open source” means that anyone can see how the browser works, thus making it very secure because anyone can fix a problem that comes up. It has several interesting features, such as:

• Add-ons: because Firefox is open-source, people can write add-ons, little programs that change the way Firefox works. You can the look, block advertisements and make it accessible for people finding it difficult to use a computer. The possibilities are endless. One popular add-on is Cooliris which searches images in an innovative way, for example, searching for “Narrabri”:

• Download manager: Firefox makes it easy to manage things you are downloading, with a Pause feature in case you want to do something else in the meantime.
• Session Restore: If Firefox crashes, then there is no time lost: it automatically saves what sites you had open, and kicks off where you left it when you start it again.

Opera:

Opera is a web browser designed to compete with Internet Explorer. It offers several interesting and innovative features such as:

• Inline Spell Checker: This feature allows you to check your spelling if you are, say, writing an Email or filling in a form, in the same way that Microsoft Word does. Misspelled words have a red underline, and right-clicking on the word will offer suggestions. Very handy.
• Speed Dial: Open a new tab, and little pictures of websites that you ‘pin’ to speed dial will be there to greet you. These are great if you are sick of endlessly typing the same addresses again and again.
• Widgets: Basically really small programs for Opera, Widgets have a lot of applications such as Facebook, Twitter, the weather or even aquariums on your computer.

• Opera Turbo: if you are browsing on a slow connection, or have a small monthly download allowance on your broadband (both of which the friendly staff at Loder’s Computers can help you with) then you can turn on Opera Turbo to compress the images on web page. Image quality is reduced, but if you feel the need for speed, then give this a try.

Article By Will Korteland

Windows 7:

Windows 7 is the latest release of Microsoft’s series of “Windows” operating systems. It replaces Windows Vista, which was intended to replace Windows XP, but had quite a few issues, which caused a lot of people to stick with Windows XP.

Windows 7 looks to be far and away the best release of Windows yet, introducing several new features such as:

• HomeGroup: If you have multiple Windows 7 PCs in your household, you can seamlessly share all your documents, pictures, music etc. between them. HomeGroup can also share printers between computers, so you can print those shared documents just as easily. It is also password-protected for security. An extension of this is the new “Play-to” feature, which can start playing songs that are on one computer from another computer, or even an Xbox 360.
• Jump Lists: Jump Lists are a way to more easily access common tasks and files. When you right-click an icon on the taskbar, it may come up with a “Jump List” – for example, iTunes can open and search the Apple Store right from the taskbar icon. You can also pin files to jump lists, like so:

• Aero Snap: Ever needed to see two documents side-by-side? Aero Snap makes that easy. Simply move one window to the left or right side of the screen, and it resizes to take up exactly one half of the screen. This is great for comparing Word documents or copy-pasting files from one place to another. If you move the window to the top of the screen, it will resize to take up the whole screen.
• Speed: One thing you will definitely notice about Windows 7 is the increased speed. It runs background services and programs only when they are needed, and the speed of searching is much improved. Windows 7 also goes very fast on low-end hardware, and will likely improve the battery life of your Windows XP or Vista notebook.