TECH EThe Web Browser:
Your Window
to the WorldWhether you use a computer only when needed or spend more hours with your mouse than your spouse (most divorce attorneys would suggest that you rethink the latter), you probably use a Web-browsing application more than any other program on your machine.
When I am teaching technicians and shop owners to use computers, I find that there is considerable confusion about using these programs. This month, I am going to focus on the various types of Web browsers available to you.
I teach people to use Windows, and I support nine Windows machines and three Macs in my business, so I have an expectation that a computer has intuitive and easy-to-operate software. I am fluent in all Windows and Mac operating systems (OS) and can even get by on Unix. Some Windows programmers, including the OS creator Microsoft, sometimes forget that not everyone wants to be a programmer. Our focus will be on the most painless ways to get your Web work done.
The Web browser has a very complex job. Web pages have grown and evolved to display what programmers call "feature-rich" pages, which in our terms means that you can run programs within the browser such as a movie or a form that you fill in when you are ordering something online. It also means that programmers can do a number of things, such as keep the information on their site updated without rewriting the page every time. We are not going to discuss the programming end of Web pages any more than necessary.
HELP!If you want to make a change to the program defaults in Windows XP, simply click "Start" and then select "Set program defaults and access" on the left side of the window that comes up. Once there, you will see that you can change the defaults - and even turn off access to programs that you do not want used. If you have any problems with this function, just hit the F1 key or the Help key to learn more about the window or application in which you are working. The best browsers For most Windows users, there are two browsers available that work with most Web pages - and particularly the pages most common in our industry. The first browser I would recommend is
Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE). Microsoft recently updated IE to Version 7. In the information technology (IT) world, the jury is still out on Version 7, so update IE at your own risk. You may want to avoid the update for a couple of months and let other customers do Microsoft's R&D work for them. Remember, we are here to earn a living, not debug software. IE 6 has been stable for quite a while, so it may be the better choice for right now. The second program that you are going to want is a version of the Mozilla browser. The one I like is Firefox. Just go to
www.mozilla.com/en-US/ and download the latest version. This browser is pretty quick and is not as prone to malicious programs, such as spyware or other viruses, as IE has been in the past. Another Mozilla browser is
Netscape
Navigator. Unless you want an e-mail program as well, download the Navigator browser rather than the Netscape Communicator application. If you update to IE Version 7 or use the very latest version of Firefox, be aware that some Web sites you visit will check what browser you are using so that they can provide the information in the best format for your browser. You may get an error message saying that your browser is not supported and you need to update to the latest version. The problem here is that many Web sites have not updated their programming code yet to recognize the newer browsers. So, if the older browser version you are currently using works, wait at least three months for the World Wide Web to catch up with the browsers. Once you have two browsers installed on your computer, you will find that Windows is constantly trying to bully you into making IE your default browser. If that is not what you want, don't let it push you around. When the message pops up, you can click in the box that says "Don't ask me again."
Notes from last month's column This should keep you busy until next month, when we discuss adding plug-ins to Web browsers. In the meantime, keep those ideas for articles coming. Based on the response to last month's column, I am planning an article on the Ford IDS software.
For those of you who are still trying to find the Web sites I referred to last month, please visit
www.nastf.org. There you will find all of the automaker service Web sites that I will continue to refer to in upcoming articles.
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