Safeguarding Your Children Online

Parental control available from Internet Explorer.

In the first article, we looked at what can be done to set up the operating system in order to control the content that younger users are able to access. This time we are looking at the controls available when your youngsters want to surf the web.

All web pages are viewed in a browser, of which there are many available. Microsoft has been criticised for bundling Internet Explorer (IE) in all its versions which use the Windows operating system. Consequently, you may have recently seen a file called 'Browser Choice' which has been automatically downloaded onto your desktop. This effectively lists the more common browsers available, gives their characteristics and a link to download the ones that take your fancy. Before you consign this application to the recycle bin it is worth having a look. The choice is considerable, and includes Opera, Safari, IE8, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Flock, K-Meleon, GreenBrowser, Avant, Maxthon, FlashPeak and Sleipnir.

We are going to have a look at the parental control afforded by the most popular 'top six' because these account for 99% of browser use.

Internet Explorer7 and Internet Explorer8 (IE7 and IE8)

Shipped with Windows machines seemingly forever, it's not surprising that IE in all its forms is the most popular browser by far, accounting for over 50% of total browser use. Having said that, it is probably the browser which has the most parental controls. For example IE8 has the following which are all accessible through 'tools' > 'Internet options':
InPrivate browsing. This offers the ability to block personal information being transmitted to any web pages that are visited. To access this:

1) Click on the 'Security' tab to set the security level to Medium-high.

2) Click the 'Privacy' tab to set the blocking of cookies (default is medium), pop-up blocker on or off, and switch InPrivate browsing on or off.

3) Click on the 'Content' tab to enable the Content Advisor, tick the content that you don't want your children to view and set the slider to the appropriate level (default is none). Here you can create the Supervisors password that should be entered to allow content to be alerted to the Content Advisor. You can also list here any sites that you are happy for your child to view under the 'Approved Sites' tab.

Source: http://goo.gl/2Ra8J

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Best Web Browser ?

As a budding 'surfer' (back in the days when surfing the web still seemed mysterious and vaguely appropriate), I never took to Internet Explorer. I think it was because every time I opened a link in a new window it always managed to position it somewhere annoying on the monitor. Then again, maybe I just preferred the Netscape Communicator loading button. Either way, from the beginning I was a fan of using programs that didn't come with Windows, and it's a trend that I've followed to this very day.

It's not that I enjoy jumping on (or off) the Microsoft bandwagon - they're too easy to hate and it's even easier to forget that Windows has provided most of us with the majority of our computing experiences to date. It's just that if there are features in parts of Windows that annoy me, I turn them off, or find ways to do what I want without being driven into a blind, keyboard ruining rage... damn you, Office Assistant Paperclip!!!

Of course, Netscape is now defunct (though I still amuse myself with a Netscape skin now and then), and at any rate, if I shove nostalgia to one side and let honesty step in, I stopped using it years ago. There is, to my mind, a very obvious replacement, but there are quite a few browsers out there vying for a bigger share of the market. As far as the number of users is concerned, Internet Explorer is and will no doubt remain the King for a long time, but what genuine alternatives are there?

Mozilla Firefox

In my opinion, nothing will beat Firefox. They can rip off ideas but they'll never take its crown.

Recently in the headlines for setting the Guinness World Record for the most downloaded software in a day, Firefox does what I want it to do without irritating me about it. It introduced me to the idea of tabbed browsing, it's fast, it lets me choose if I want to view content or not and it has a large community making the applications I want. The idea behind Firefox was to create a stripped down browser that users could add what they liked to it, and for that alone it beat Internet Explorer hands down. I've never been able to look back since I discovered tabbed browsing. In short, it's great, and it saddens me that it still only has a market share approaching 20%. Looked at in another light, however, when you consider that the vast, vast majority of PC's come with Internet Explorer installed as standard, this is quite a feat, and one that will no doubt impress further as Firefox 3 gains momentum.

The jury is still out somewhat for Firefox 3 - it looks better than Firefox 2, I like the big back button and the new browsing options. But it just doesn't feel different enough, and I've come across a few irritating styling issues with it that didn't crop up with v2. Still, I'll be used to it before long, and a few small glitches here and there are to be expected with any new release.

Opera

Opera is a very close contender to Firefox in my mind. Maybe Firefox 3 will lose out to it in the long run, but I just can't get my head around the position of the home button in the browser (mainly because I don't trust the Google toolbar , and I never will) - it's not mixed in with the back, forward and refresh buttons. I like a very minimalist browser, and Opera isn't set up to have that one button where I want it. Small annoyance, I know, but there you are.

That said, I love Opera's style, it seems very quick, I appreciate the ease of installing new apps (doesn't require restarts), and I think the speed dial is a marvellous thing, a far better way of using bookmarks. I like the little page previews that pop out of the tabs and for some reason I like the name. The ability to set up automated page refreshing is nice, too - it's uncluttered, modern, and I like it, a lot. Home button! Why!

Maxthon

Maxthon is a free browser that is based on Internet Explorer. That is, it effectively runs a heavily modified version of it. And by heavily modified, I mean a lot, lot better.

Maxthon is quite close to Opera in many ways. Like Opera (and Firefox 3) you can use mouse gestures to perform simple tasks, but unlike both of them, Maxthon draws your gesture on the screen and this makes it a lot easier to work out what you're doing. It is full of little innovations that I like - for instance, if you highlight some text and then drag and drop it anywhere on the page, Maxthon 'Google's' it immediately. You can rearrange the toolbars and buttons with a drag and drop as well, and it has a nice, clean look and a decent speed. Sadly, it seems a lot of the community behind Maxthon is based in Asia, and so for that reason alone it comes behind Opera - just. For now!

Source: http://goo.gl/DXkJG

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Features of the Free Web Browsers

If you are new to using the Internet, the first question you probably have in mind would be what are the free web browsers. You can start using the Internet once you have a browser. There are many free web browsers available online today. You can simply save it in your computer and install it easily. Some of them are Firefox browser and Mozilla.

1. Mozilla's Firefox is one of the answers to the question, what are the free browsers. This is a standard web browser you can get for free online. It has several features which are all useful. You can open multiple pages at one time when you browse. This web browser also ensures the safety of the users by having developer and privacy tools. The pop-ups are blocked first and the user is asked to allow it to be opened first before it appears. The Firefox is much safer because the ActiveX support is disabled. This is the feature is usually the thing that spyware utilizes to give infections to computers.

2. The Opera browser is the second answer to the question,what are the free web browsers. This browser has an engine for rendering which other browsers does not. Another useful feature it has is the multiple tabs you can open at a time. It also blocks illegal pop ups. It has provides a chatting feature as well as an email feature. It has anti-phishing tools that can detect spyware and block it at the same time. It also blocks websites that seem to contain viruses. Opera has a function where you can use your voice to do commands. You can also have it read the texts to you.

3. Maxthon Tabbed is the third answer to the question,what are the free web browsers. This is a web browser that lets you open multiple pages. Users can customize the engine's interface because the IE or Internet explorer is embedded. Some of its features are auto-scrolling, plug-in tool, form filling and other tools for external use. It also blocks pop ups and lets the Unicode have extensions. You can also choose your own skin.

4. Fine Browser is another browser that lets you open many windows as well. It has a blocker for pop-ups. It can also track deleted websites and lets users to save websites into a certain category. You can also take screenshots and see the last date that it was used. You can also have a translation for other languages with this browser. You can n also have fillers as well as a feature where you can keep private notes.

Source: http://goo.gl/h3RdI

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