BEST BROWSER Firefox
Mozilla's web browser lags behind Internet Explorer in terms of market share, but its way ahead in almost every other regard. It handles tabs better, and its RSS management is bolstered by support for third-party readers like Bloglines.The browser also has features IE7 lacks such as an inline search tool and a spell-checker. Its ability to be customised is what really wins out though. There are thousands of add-ons available which introduce a wealth of useful new features.
Minimum Requirements: Windows
File size: 5.7MB
Download at:Get the free version of Firefox here
BEST FIREFOX ADD-ON Greasemonkey
A must for all Firefox users, Greasemonkey lets you run scripts that make on-the-fly changes to how your favourite web pages look and behave. There are over 7,000 scripts available (see http://userscripts .org) and you can run as many different ones as you like. The changes are only made locally in your browser, so if you toggle Greasemonkey off and hit Refresh, you'll see the normal version of that site.
Minimum Requirements: Windows, Firefox
File size: 99KB
Download at:Get the free version of Greasemonkey here
BEST IE7 ADD-ON IE7Pro
Internet Explorer lacks a lot of the features that Firefox users take for granted. IE7Pro improves Microsoft's browser by introducing many of the missing elements. These include crash recovery, integrated search and spell-checking tools, ad and Flash blockers, and a user scripts option that works in much the same way as Firefox's Greasemonkey. There aren't many scripts available for it at the moment, but some – such as Download Video from YouTube – are very good.
Minimum Requirements: Windows, IE7
File size: 1.3MB
Download at:Get the free version of IE7Pro here
BEST TOOLBAR Google Toolbar
As well as letting you run a Google search from anywhere, this browser toolbar can auto-fill forms, share web pages via email, text message or blog, translate languages and create bookmarks that can be accessed from any computer. It's available in both Internet Explorer and Firefox editions, and there are different features on offer depending on which browser you use.
Minimum Requirements: Windows, Firefox or IE7
File size: 970KB
Download at:Get the free version of Google Toolbar here
BEST BROWSER PROTECTION Sandboxie
The safest way to prevent your system from being infected by spyware, viruses and the like is to 'sandbox' your browser and other suspect programs. This basically involves containing them within a secure and disposable section of your system (or memory) and preventing them from writing to disk. Sandboxie lets you install and run a potentially troublesome program without worrying. When you've finished you simply empty the sandbox to remove all trace of it.
Minimum Requirements: Windows
File size: 245KB
Download at:Get the free version of Sandboxie here
BEST PARENTAL CONTROL Glubble
Although it's only available for Firefox, Glubble is a superb parental control system. It customises the browser to make it more child-friendly and restricts the sites and searches youngsters can access to those which are recognised as being trustworthy. Every user has their own account, which they need to log into before they can use the browser. Adults have no restrictions on where they can go or what they can do online.
Minimum Requirements: Windows; Firefox
File size: 3.4MB
Download at:Get the free version of Glubble here
BEST DOWNLOAD MANAGER Fresh Download
This handy program works with any web browser. When you click on a download link it springs into life, speeding up the download by dividing it into multiple parts and fetching each part simultaneously. You can schedule, pause and resume downloads, while the software automatically scans files using your anti-virus software.
Minimum Requirements: Windows; Firefox, IE7 or Opera
File size: 2.2MB
Download at:Get the free version of Fresh Download here
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Claire Woffenden, Editor
