Test Drive # 4 - Web Browsers

Web Browsers allow us to surf the net and two of the most common browsers are Internet Explorer (IE) and Mozilla Firefox.

I have nearly always used IE, (otherwise Firefox) but learned after watching Brian Tong from CNET comparing browsers, that Firefox wins over on speed, security and customisation features.

Discover:

When looking at a comparison of Firefox and Google Chrome specifically, Firefox not only wins over in terms of choices of customisation features, but also in the respect that it is Open Source. Users of Firefox have input into its development and in this way are constantly improving Firefox, more thoroughly than Google's developers can. Google Chrome impressed me though with its feature of "Incognito Mode" which ensures pages that you are viewing will not be stored in your brwsing history, which is great for public computer use.

Explore:

"Fashion Your Firefox" recommends Add Ons based on your interests and it is the way to customise your version of Firefox.

I particularly liked the "Read It Later" Add On which allows you to save pages of interest to read later on without bookmarking them. This would be useful as a librarian, because this job involves a lot of web surfing and not every page can be read when you have an impatient client with you.

The "Cooliris" Add On sounds interesting too as it allows extremely fast searching of images. It gives you a 3D wall of images from You Tube, Flickr, Facebook and your own computer and makes searching faster by allowing images to be viewed simultaneously without the need to click from page to page.

Adventure:

The Add Ons from Firefox that would be useful for my library include those discussed above, but also "Categorize". This add on was updated on November 13, 2009. It basically simplifies everyday browsing using groups for regularly visited bookmarks and an enhanced search bar.

I found the "Reference Desk Collection" group of add ons a great idea for Librarians. Having ready reference tools, currency converter, translator and highlighter on your browser, would save time as opposed to looking up these sites on your list of bookmarks.