Back in 2005, my friend Steven Burn reviewed Avant Browser here. It's really been doing well as a replacement for Internet Explorer. I've never been a big fan of IE by itself, although I do hold out some hopes that IE8 will be better since they claim it will support web standards more closely.
This week, I saw that Avant is the top mover at Download.com and has been downloaded over 20,000 times this month alone. I'm not surprised. Since the last time I used Avant, they've added many new features and enhanced the older features so that users will find that it's much nicer than plain old IE.
Online Profile Storage
AutoFills
Flash Animation Filter
Built-in AD/Pop-up Blocker
Built-in RSS/ATOM Reader
Additional Mouse Functions
Multi-Window Browsing
Real Full Screen Mode and Alternative Full Desktop mode
Built-in Search Engine
Full IE Compatibility
Control Your Privacy
Safe Recovery
Customizable Skins
Avant also now has a great stand-alone or portable version that works nicely on a USB thumb drive. If you decide to try out the portable version, all you have to do download and unzip it. You don't even have to be an admin on your PC to run it. If you don't like Avant portable, just delete the folder to uninstall it. It's not a big download, so there's really no reason not to give it a try.
Here's a personal tip. Avant has an awesome full screen mode (F11 key) that removes all the toolbars and menus from the screen. When you have multiple tabs open, just hold down your right mouse button and use the scroll wheel on your mouse to quickly switch between tabs.
You may also know that I'm a big Firefox fan. Sometimes I need to use IE when a website like Windows Update demands it. Avant uses IE's rendering engine, so that's not an issue. You'll also have to make sure to keep IE up to date so you don't have security holes in it. Scanit.be is a great place to see if any of your browsers are out of date.
From Steven:
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Listening to Iron Maiden this afternoon, I heard "Journeyman" and a phrase within the song jumped out at me - "I know what I want, I'll say what I want and no-one can take it away". This very phrase sums up my feeling towards Avant Browser, having tried almost all of the "IE" and Gecko shells available, I have found I know what I want, and have only found what I want in a browser shell, in Avant Browser.
This wonderful application, the sole creation of Anderson Che, provides everything you could want in a browser, for free!. Although susceptible to the same flaws as the IE core, Avant has something IE does not - a dedicated developer that actually cares about us, the users!. Having been an Avant user since late 2003, early 2004 I've found myself growing to love using it more and more with each new release. Avant Browser provides (out of the box) an MDI interface (allowing multiple web pages within a single window), popup/ad/flash/script/sound/image/video and ActiveX blockers, along with an RSS reader, groups, and a whole host of other additions (and as an added bonus, I can use the generic IE contexts and restricted/trusted sites features etc). Had Avant NOT provided this, though it would have been less useful in the eye's of some, it would still be the shell of choice for myself as I am not stuck having to go through a learning curve to figure out how to block this, where to download that, as is the case with the likes of Firefox, Mozilla and K-Meleon etc.
Being a moderator on the Avant forums, developer of Avant utilities and generally loving all things Avant Browser related, one could say I am completely biased (which strangely, I cannot deny) and thus, my opinions are inherantly flawed, however, having been an AOL user (with the exception of trying Tiscali, this was possibly the worst experience of my life), trying Green Browser/Maxthon/Firefox/Mozilla/Opera/[insert browser/shell name] et al, I'm afraid the only answer I would be able to give to this argument would be to try it and decide for yourselves.
Myself aside, those having trouble finding their way around Avant, are provided with a wonderful support team in the form of the Avant Browser Forum moderators and admin's. These gents (and ladies) work tirelessly to ensure you find the answer you require and thus, are able to utilize Avant to it's full potential.
If you have a device or card in the PC and it uses the PCI bus, then this program is one of the very best ways to search for drivers. Just like Belarc it will give you the pertinent information on the device. It doesn't stop there though. You can right click on any information listed and it will send your browser off to search for that piece of information on the internet. Quickly find drivers or manuals for "Unknown" devices on your system.
Notes:
Please be aware and avoid a ripped off copy of Unknown Devices that's hosted in Korea. Google ranks the ripped off copy higher than the author's. I usually go to Major Geeks website to grab this program.
Just download the the UnknownDevices zip file and extract it somewhere. All you have to do is double click the exe file to run it. No other installation is needed.
Quote from the website
Unknown Devices helps you find what those unknown devices in Device Manager really are.
By checking Device Manager for unknown devices and extracting information from it, this program attempts to figure out what the device is. You might not have to open your case or look up random numbers off of PCI cards to figure out what they are.
Program supports Win95, 98, 98se, Me, 2k, XP and 2003 but not NT. It also attempts to support future OSes.
It runs fine from a CD or floppy. It's free for personal and (especially) business use. The program contains no adware, spyware, malware, popups, or whatever is the latest name for junk software.
My guess would be that most people using a PC have a MAC address even if they don't know it. The MAC address is a unique 10 digit code that is hard wired into every NIC (network interface card). The NIC is the card in your PC that allows you to communicate with a network and the internet. If your PC connects to the internet using a dial-up modem you may not have a NIC, but most PCs today come from the factory with a NIC already installed. Today's laptops typically have a wireless NIC card in them that allows them to connect to WIFI networks.
Why do you need to change it?
I can think of two main reasons why you might have to change a MAC address.
A network needs to see a specific MAC address (other than yours) in order to allow you access.
A software application is looking for a specific MAC address (other than yours) to see if it resides on a licensed PC.
I've run into two situations where it would have been handy to change the MAC address, but I had no idea that it was even possible. Now that I've found this cool freeware app, I will be ready the next time it happens.
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Technitium MAC Address Changer allows you to change Media Access Control (MAC) Address of your Network Interface Card (NIC) irrespective to your NIC manufacturer or its driver. It has a very simple user interface and provides ample information regarding each NIC in the machine.
There are some famous, commercial tools available in the market for US$19.99 to as much as US$1500 (!), but Technitium MAC Address Changer is available for FREE.
andLinux looks like a good solution for folks who want to get their feet wet with an Ubuntu Linux OS. You don't have to set up different partitions for booting and they claim most of the Linux apps run just fine. You simply download the installer (it's big!) and once you launch it, you go through a wizard that helps you set it up.
I haven't tried this one yet. I'm hoping someone here has tried it or wants to try and will comment below to tell us what they have experienced.
Remember, there are plenty of alternatives to andLinux for Windows users. You can run virtual PCs using MS Virtual PC or VMWare Player. You can also set up an online Linux desktop at one of my favorites, Cosmopod.com.
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andLinux is a complete Ubuntu Linux system running seamlessly in Windows 2000 based systems (2000, XP, 2003, Vista; 32-bit versions only). This project was started for Dynamism for the GP2X community, but its userbase far exceeds its original design. andLinux is free and will remain so, but donations are greatly needed.
Here's a good review of an educational children's freeware.
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Sebran's ABC is a cute, small (~700kb) edutainment application for small children (4-9 years). It features a few minigames, some cute clipart graphics, and MIDI music (!). Make sure you give your children headphones.
I like to look back and see what I was thinking about. Here's another letter from the wayback machine.
TIPS AND FEEDBACK
Frapper - you people live all over the world!
Wow! Over 900 people and still growing! I invite all of you to record your locations on this map. You can include as little or as much information as you wish. I think you'll enjoy seeing yourself there.
I've been wanting to set up my own PC with Linux, just like zridling does here in this article. For those of us who love free software, a Linux machine is a great way to get rid of our dependence on Microsoft payware.
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urlwolf gave me a good idea to document my switch from Windows to GNU/Linux. If you decide to read this ongoing series, it was his idea from the start. I've wanted to "make the switch" since 1998 when Corel came out with its own version of Linux. That lasted about two weeks before I shelved that junk. In the meantime, I've toyed with various Linux distros, but knew I was never going to switch, so at best it was a convenient distraction. I'm no expert, so I'll be learning as this series unfolds.
Jimbo wrote in with a good question about some new child monitoring software.
Hi Clif - You may be aware, by now, of my deep interest in childrens' safety in general and especially on the net. A relatively new monitoring software has entered the fray, the free version of which is called 'Sentry Lite'. On the surface it sounds like a good product but I have some serious reservations.
It sounds to me as if Sentry stores the logs/reports of all the user's internet activity on it's web site. Apart from the fact that this enables parents to view the logs from remote locations I can see no great advantage, on the other hand that system of reporting must engender some significant privacy questions.
The other factor that has me wary are the 'user' reviews on download.com. They are mostly 5 star rated but the manner in which they are worded together with the consistency of rating and content suggests to me that they may have been 'manufactured'.
Maybe I am being a tad harsh, perhaps Sentry Lite is a safe and viable product....I would be very interested in any comments from your savvy readers.
Sentry Lite is the 100% FREE Parental Control Software Download that offers parents and computer administrators piece of mind. With Sentry Lite you can monitor all of your computer´s browser logs and instant message conversations. Parents can now monitor and record their child's instant message and browser activity easily and securely through our intuitive web-based control panel. Sentry Lite is this year's must have parental control download!
Have you used Sentry Lite? Do you have an opinion you'd like to share? Please comment below.
Gary at Internet Fixes continues to amaze me with hundreds and thousands of tips for your PC. Whatever your operating system, or how you use it, a visit to Gary's site will soon have you saying "So that's how you do this!".
My wife and I have both gotten used to using XP. We don't want to switch to Vista yet, but we may have no choice soon. I found this web site that's trying to get Microsoft to let us keep using XP.
I signed up. How about you?
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Microsoft plans to end most sales of Windows XP on June 30, despite a deep reluctance by many business and individuals about moving to Vista. InfoWorld believes such an expensive, time-consuming shift with problematic benefits should not be forced on Windows users, so we have decided to rally XP users to demand that XP be kept available.
I could spend hours reviewing some of these sites. This is a good list.
Quote from the blog:
Fellow CNET partner Webware.com covers the ins and outs of the Web 2.0 sphere daily, and the site has just released the winners of its second Webware 100 competition. Site users picked the winners from thousands of submissions.
There are 10 champions in each in 10 categories. Some of the names--Flickr, Last.fm, Facebook--are obvious industry leaders, but you're much less likely to be familiar with others like DeviantArt, Stardoll, or VoiceThread. Regardless the level of your Web 2.0 savviness, the Webware 100 winners are likely to provide everyone with new sites to explore or cool products to keep an eye on.
Pixel2life.com is the internet’s largest tutorial index catering to graphic designers, webmasters and programmers, with 38,647 tutorials listed in 86 categories! We also feature a massive and diversified community with 31,790 registered members that participate on our Forums. P2L is also the provider of many additional resources to our members and guests, such as articles, programming script and code gallery, hardware reviews, free graphics and stock photography and much more! You can check out our Resource Center for a complete listing.
I have always been fascinated by honey bees and like most folks, I really like what they make. After hearing a bit of trivia on TV about the modern bee hive, I was curious to see who is considered the inventor of the bee hive. Like most devices we use today, it wasn't invented by a single person but was slowly improved over time. In this case, it took centuries to get it right.
So who was the guy that got it right finally? Look below for the answer and also be sure to visit John's Beekeeping Notebook if you want more details.
Quote from the website
A major improvement in hive design was made in 1851 by Lorenzo Langstroth. He built a hive with frames that hung from the top ends of the hive, leaving a 3/8 inch space between all sides of the frames and the hive body.
Langstroth's frames were easily handled without breaking the comb. Today we refer to the 3/8 inch passageways as a "bee-space." This practical hive is the direct ancestor of the modern hive that is most popular today.
• New. SMPlayer - start to watch a movie but you have to leave... don´t worry, when you open that movie again it will resume at the same point you left it: http://smplayer.sourceforge.net/
COOLSITES is a list of safe, fun, useful, informative and just plain cool websites and programs that are FREE, FREE and FREE. All of the programs and websites I list are free. If I list anything that is so good but isn't free I will list the price with it.
You need a free 6 GB Gmail account to access many of the cool features at Google. After more than two years in beta testing Gmail is open to the public. Just go to http://gmail.com and sign up for an account.
I think Gmail works best in the awesome Firefox browser. It's free, easy to use, and it's way more secure than Internet Explorer. My favorite thing to do is to customize Firefox so that it does much more than IE ever could. You can select new button controls for your toolbars, install extensions to add new features, or change the look of your browser with themes - the way Firefox looks and works is under your control.
I get many of the reviews in the newsletter from the readers. You don't have to be a genius or computer guru. Just answer a few questions and send me a review. I'll probably put you in the newsletter.
What do you have to say?
Just tell me what article you are talking about and leave me your comment.
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