The new AVG Anti-Virus 8 comes with a component called LinkScanner (sometimes also called Safe Search) that automatically checks the results from Google, Yahoo, and MSN and displays security information in the form of an icon next to the link. You can hover your mouse over a link and it will pop up detailed information.
This extension can be disabled in AVG by going to the “Tools->Advanced Settings” menu and selecting “LinkScanner” in the tree menu on the left. However, if you do so the AVG icon in your system tray will complain that you have it disabled. 
I prefer to be able to see if my AVG has the latest definitions simply by looking at the system tray and seeing the normal icon. 
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AVG Anti-virus recently displayed a popup window telling me that I needed to upgrade from version 7.5 to version 8.0. AVG Free 8.0 is no longer only an anti-virus program, it now includes an integrated anti-spyware and a safe search web browser extension. AVG Free also no longer cripples the scheduler, you can now have it run a full scan whenever you want.
Previously, the only way to get version 8.0 was to pay for it, and for a moment I was very disappointed that AVG stopped offering a free version of their great software. I soon realized that this was not actually the case, so I figured that I would create this post in case others were confused by the upgrade process as well.
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Extensions are plug-ins that add new functionality to Firefox. I recommend the following extensions:
- FlashBlock - This blocks a Flash files and replaces them with a button that you can click to load the Flash file. Flash animations are usually advertisements and sometimes they can be very nasty (ugly, distracting, or cover up useful information).
- BugMeNot - This plugin connects to the BugMeNot.com servers when you right-click on a log in box and will (hopefully) get a username and password for the site. This is great if you do not want to sign up on a site just to read the news or download a program.
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Safari, the web browser from Apple, is now available for download here for Windows. The interfaces is slick and it seems to load webpages quickly. It appears to use the KHTML engine for rendering webpages, which apparently has great web standards support. Nice, but unnecessary seeing as how I think it is not as good as Firefox. So the big question is “Why did Apple do it?”
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I am writing this text using a program called Dasher. Dasher is a text entry program that uses predictive technology to determine what you want next. Dasher is one of the most innovative technologies that I have seen in a long time. Letters fly in from the side of the screen and you simply steer the mouse to the letters you want. While it is somewhat slower than typing, it is very intuitive. Be sure to check out the presentation about it on Google Video to get a better idea of how Dasher works. You can also try Dasher in your browser (uses Java). It is developed mainly for disabled users, but also can be used other things like mobile phones, PDAs , game consoles, one handed text entry, and any other devices that do not have a keyboard. I think that it has a great future and I am looking forward to what its future developments bring. Dasher runs under Linux, Windows, and Mac OS X. Enjoy!
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Ever since I upgraded to my desktop to Debian Linux I have not been able to run Google Earth. It would freeze on the splash screen and never open the main interface. I used Google Earth on Debian before, so I knew it was just a problem with my machine. As it turns out, it was the new ATI fglrx drivers that were preventing it from running properly.
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The real question that is being asked here is how much can someone change Firefox and still be able to call it Firefox. But before anyone takes this article the wrong way, let me clear up a few things. I love Firefox. I respect the fact that they wish to have quality control over the product that bears the Firefox brand. I will continue to recommend Firefox to Microsoft Windows users without any reservations. However, I trust Debian far more than the Firefox crew to package and configure Firefox/Iceweasel in a way that meets the standards of my Debian system. And yes, there is much more at play here than trademarked icons!
Continue reading ‘Why Iceweasel Instead of Firefox on Debian?’
