Another Day With My PC

I guess you’ve already heard that Google has recently joined the Web Browser wagon by throwing Chrome out in the open for all to see and download. While it has yet to be thoroughly tested by many experts (not to mention hackers), many are already claiming that it has surpassed IE and Firefox in several aspects.

For one thing, the browser packs and travels to cyberspace lightly. The setup file is just half a megabyte while the full blown up package is just a fraction if IE7’s size. The same is true for its design. Minimalist would appreciate the seemingly simple (or bare) design of Google Chrome.

This doesn’t mean that the User Interface is virtually non-existent due to its very simple layout. On the contrary, Chrome’s UI is one of the things that its maker can be proud of. Many have been clamoring for thumbnail views of their frequently-visited pages to be displayed in the UI. Unfortunately, Firefox, IE, and the other browsers ignored this.

Shifting to Chrome is easy. There’s no need to manually import bookmarks, usernames, passwords, and other data that you normally need or provide. The Google browser automatically downloads all of these during the installation process. You could immediately use it right after planting it in your hard drive.

While Chrome has been getting good reviews so far, don’t put your full trust on it just yet. Believe me, security issues will sprout soon. It will take a lot of time (as did Firefox and IE) for Chrome to fully cement its walls against malware attacks.

In this age where dial-up is already extinct and 1Mbps is considered as just a trickle, one would definitely be up in arms if his Internet connection chokes or coughs up kbps phlegm. An uprising is definitely in place considering that Internet Service Providers are now promising 20-foot waves whenever you surf the Net using their surfboards.

While many ISPs are notorious for exaggerating their connection speeds, they are not actually the usual suspects when your bandwidth slims down to a needle thread. Indeed, they wouldn’t dare you into jamming their customer service phone lines by scrimping you on your broadband diet.

Surfing With Malware

Not every slow browse is caused by greedy ISPs, though. Most of the time, the problem lies in your PC. If you haven’t invested in an antivirus program or in a registry cleaner, such as RegCure, then chances are is that your Web browser is being choked by malware. Malware is considered to be one of the major causes, if not the primary cause, of slow browse. If your ISP insists that the problem is not at their end, then you could bet your modem that it is coming from yours. Fortunately for you, slow Web browsing caused by malware could easily be spiked up by simply running your antivirus and registry cleaner. Those programs easily fix slow browses in a jiffy by ridding your browser of its excess baggage.

Update Your Browser

If your PC is as clean as a sterile gauze and your ISP insists that it is providing you with tsunami waves to surf on, then your problem probably lies on your Web surfboard. Faulty browsers could definitely make Web surfing a drag. Visit Microsoft or Firefox’s Web sites and see if they already have a new version. Check for patches, too, as browsers with too many holes are susceptible to malware attacks. We all know what those malicious software could do, so be diligent in searching for updates.

Unplug Your Plug-ins

If you could still finish singing Beyonce’s latest single while waiting for a Web site to completely load up or appear on your screen, then your browser might have some problems with its plug-ins. Plug-ins are small applications that enhances programs by adding functions or features to it. Many of these programs are made for browsers. They’re definitely welcome add-ons to Internet Explorer or Firefox. However, faulty plug-ins could also slow down your browser. The best way to know if this is your slow browse culprit is by disabling your add-ons or by choosing to open a version or copy of your browser that has no cosmetics on it. You could do this in IE 7 by clicking Start • All Programs • Accessories • System Tools • Internet Explorer (No Add-ons). If you’re using firefox, just click on Tools • Add-ons, then disable the items listed as your browser’s plug-ins.

Before you call up your ISP and complain that your DSL or wireless Internet connection is acting up like a dial-up, check your bandwidth meter and see if your service provider is really the guilty party. If you don’t have one, download a copy at Cnet or PC World.

Microsoft’s announcement that it will release the public beta version if Internet Explorer 8 during the third quarter of this year drew mixed reactions from both fans and foes of the most widely-used browser in the world.

Redmond has already released a beta version several months ago for developers. Unfortunately, it drew flack on many of those who tested it. But that’s not surprising though, considering that IE8’s authors precisely released it to the experts so that they could put a few cents on it.

Of course, the public beta version would already be about a mile and a half better than the previous test release. While Microsoft’s purpose of releasing the unpolished product is for people to be bugged by it and for them to report the annoyances that they’ve experienced when using it as a surfboard on the Internet, still many welcome this pass-the-responsibility-of-detecting-the-bugs move or policy of Microsoft. I guess many are of the opinion that it’s better to be bugged now when we’re ready with the repellants.

I just hope that IE8 would be a lot faster and more secure than the current one that we’re using. Sometimes, a quad-core, spyware-free PC still seems to be a laggard due to the sloth-y Web browsers that we’re using. Security is also a main concern. Take note that many of the malware that we inadvertently welcome in our systems come from the Internet. Gone are the days when viruses get introduced to our PC by carelessly exchanging floppy disks or other storage media from friends or officemates. Everything is done online now, and our browsers are our primary gateway to cyberspace.

• Nov 21 : Microsoft Delays IE8 Release
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• Nov 14 : BlackBerry Storm Comes in Nov. 21