Monday, June 6, 2016

Which browser is right for you!!!

Which browser is right for you!!!

With so many free browsers, the choice is difficult. What makes Chrome better than Firefox? Which one will best protect your privacy? What's this new "browser for power users" that everyone is talking about? Mihir Patkar takes a look at the gateways to the internet to help you figure out...

GOOGLE CHROME

According to Browser Stats, which tracks browser usage worldwide, Chrome is now used on over 50% of computers. And there's good reason for that.

In almost every test for browser speed, Chrome comes out on top. It has the fastest Javascript and HTML5 performance, which are two of the most common web languages. Chrome also has a vast array of extensions available. Plus, Google regularly updates the browser with security patches and new features.

On the down side, Chrome hasn't yet gained the trust of enterprises in India. So you might find that your office's IT department does not allow you to use it.

From a regular user's perspective, Chrome's biggest flaw is how resourcehungry it is. The browser hogs processing power and RAM, often slowing the whole system down to a crawl. On laptops, it also guzzles battery faster than other browsers.Available for | Windows, Mac, Linux Best for | Those who want speed, the convenience that comes from add-ons, and support for the latest web apps and extensions.

IE & EDGE

With the launch of Win dows 10, Microsoft introduced a new browser called Edge. Microsoft says Internet Explorer (IE) is the legacy browser of the past, while Edge is built for the next 20 years.

Several Indian corporate and government web sites support only IE, and it also enjoys the trust of system administrators.However, it has almost no extensions and uses outdated tech like ActiveX which has major vulnerabilities.

There is really no reason to use IE now, apart from browsing those exclusive sites.Thankfully , Windows 10 lets you shift to Edge, which is faster at loading JavaScript or HTML5 pages.

Unfortunately , Edge also has limited extension support--only about 10 so far.Even then, it is a better browser than IE.

Since you don't have to install either, just let them stay on the Windows system and use them when you need to.Available for | Windows Best for | Those who don't want to install anything new and are happy to browse the internet without any frills or fuss.

MOZILLA FIREFOX

Firefox is known for its deep customizability.

When coupled with its large extension gallery , you can change every single aspect of the browser.From the look of its address bar to launching sites in a sidebar, it's your call. A big bonus is that Firefox is the only browser to allow multi-line tabs. No more compressing

Going Mobile

Chrome, Firefox and Opera also have mobile browsers for Android and iOS.

And you can create accounts to sync your desktop and mobile browsers, especially for data like passwords and bookmarks.

Edge is available on Windows Phone 10, but no other mobile platform. Again, you can use your Microsoft Outlook account to sync the two.

Vivaldi and Epic Browser are only for PCs at the moment. Unfortunately, there is no “power user's browser“ for mobiles yet.

But if privacy and tracking is your concern, then try the Orbot browser for Android or the VPN Browser by Art Fusion for iOS.

Firefox is the only mobile web browser to have extensions. browser tabs into tiny little icons at the top of the window! Despite all these great features, there is one big security flaw in Firefox. It is the only major modern browser without a sandbox mechanism. Sandboxing isolates the browser from the operating system, thus stopping online malware from reaching your files. It's an important security measure, and while Firefox has said it's working on it, it's not available at the moment. So, unless you know your way around the internet and have the proper security extensions and programs installed, it might be advisable to avoid Firefox till it adopts sandboxing.Available for | Windows, Mac, Linux Best for | Those who want to tweak their browser to behave exactly the way they want it to.

OPERA

Opera has been around for a long time, but its recent changes and addi tions are brilliant. It's the most ready-to-go browser among all, as it comes with several built-in features that are important for the modern Web user.

For starters, Opera comes with its own ad-blocking system, so you won't see annoying ads popping up on pages. There is a neat “popout video player“, which turns any YouTube or other video into a floating tab. Turbo Mode compresses pages and load them faster. Plus, it's built on Chromium, the same open-source technology as Chrome, so you get similar speed and security.

The beta version, a.k.a Opera Developer, has added a free and unlimited virtual

Secure Your Browsing

HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) isn't inherently safe and can lead to dangers like phishing attacks. That's why the internet has a more secure version of the protocol called HTTPS.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation, a non-profit group dedicated to digital privacy of users, built an extension called HTTPS Everywhere. It forces the websites you visit to use an
HTTPS connection instead of the simple HTTP. The extension is completely free, and available for Chrome, Firefox and Opera.

The EFF does not have an HTTPS Everywhere extension for Internet Explorer or Edge, but a third party named ZScaler has built one based on EFF's norms.
http:www.eff.orghttps-everywhere private network (VPN) to access regionblocked videos and protect your identity online. A built-in “Power Saver“ mode saves battery when you're unplugged.

Opera's official extension store isn't as well-populated as Chrome's or Firefox's.But don't worry , you can easily install most Chrome extensions in Opera. So don't let extensions be the reason for skipping it.Available for | Windows, Mac, Linux Best for | Those who want important features like ad-blocking and VPNs built into the browser, or are looking for a good Chrome alternative.

EPIC BROWSER

Made in India, Epic's priority is protecting your privacy and data from internet companies.

Epic is vigilant against all the usual methods ­ cookies, IP address, fingerprinting, etc ­ that companies use to track you online. For example, did you know Google tracks any innocent search and links it to your profile? Epic stops this by routing all search engine traffic through a proxy, so they can't see your IP address. Similarly , it shows a universally-accepted “Do Not Track“ message to websites like Facebook so they don't try to follow which portals you are visiting. Epic also comes with builtin ad blocking, one-click IP masking, and auto-deletion of your session's data once you close the browser.

The cost of these protections is that Epic can often seem inconvenient. It won't store your passwords, so you need to enter them each time. It won't remember your preferences or how you like certain exten sions to behave, so you'll have to set that up every time. There's no computer-tophone sync for seamless transitions between your browsers.
In short, Epic is robust and prepared to protect you. If privacy is important, it's the best. But you'll forego ease of use.Available for | Windows, Mac Best for | Those who want privacy and security to be paramount, and everything else comes second.

VIVALDI

Vivaldi is a new browser that's aimed squarely at power users who want more than what Chrome or Firefox offer. For example, it employs a left panel of tools, where you can organize and access bookmarks, write quick notes, or check your downloads. The Tab Stacking and Tab Tiling features can group similar tabs or compare them in a split view. Keyboard-friendly “Quick Commands“ search through open tabs, launch your favourite sites, quickly access cloud files, and more.

Much like Opera, Vivaldi is built on Chromium, so you can use Chrome extensions. However, unlike Opera, Vivaldi is also resource hungry and takes up more RAM and CPU power than Chrome. Users who want this power browser need to have a powerful machine as well.Available for | Windows, Mac, Linux Best for | Those who want a browser that matches their “power user“ needs of using keyboard shortcuts, writing notes, managing plenty of open tabs, and more.

Disable Auto-Playing Adobe Flash Player

Adobe's Flash is an integral part of the Web experience for many years. But its plug-in has several vulnerabilities. Couple this with the fact that most browsers will auto-play Flash files, and you have a security issue on your hand. So it's good practice to disable auto-playing Flash files.

You can find instructions on how to do this for Windows, Mac, or any browser on Adobe's help page at helpx.adobe.com flash-player.html Just remember that while Flash has its problems, it is still dominant in some web elements. For example, if you are streaming high-resolution videos or playing games in your browser, chances are that Flash will be required to play it. So disable it, but don't uninstall it just yet.

Source | Times of India | 4 June 2016

Regards

Pralhad Jadhav
Senior Manager @ Library
Khaitan & Co


Best Paper Award | Received the Best Paper Award at TIFR-BOSLA National Conference on Future Librarianship: Innovation for Excellence (NCFL 2016) on April 23, 2016.  The title of the paper is “Removing Barriers to Literacy: Marrakesh VIP Treaty”
Note | If anybody use these post for forwarding in any social media coverage or covering in the Newsletter please give due credit to those who are taking efforts for the same.

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