browsers

Google released a new developer preview version of Chrome Friday that fixed more than 150 bugs--then another version Monday that fixed about a dozen more.

Chrome 2.0.169.0 is a version of the browser geared for people who want the latest builds and are willing to put up with bugs and crashes. It's also a preview of things to come in the more reliable "stable" and "beta" versions.

When using predecessors, I have been annoyed chiefly with long periods of unresponsiveness, but I can hardly complain given that they've been only … Read more

One of the great things about the Internet is its extraordinary depth. There is more information online than anyone could ever--or would ever--want to read. The modern problem is one of information overload. We have so many different things to read, look up, or view that we can't keep them straight. Feed Readers (or news aggregators) are a common remedy to that problem. This app is a worthy entry into that crowd, if you can look beyond its quirks.

Aesthetically, it's a decent-looking application, with a bit of flair and easily understandable icons. Of course, there's the … Read more

The world is awash in free and shareware Web browsers. Certainly, the fact that programmers can take the rendering engines of the big two and integrate them into their software is largely responsible. But users want choices, and programmers do not disappoint. Since the most important bits are within the rendering engines, the choices basically come down to packaging, tweaks, optimization, and bundled themes, plug-ins, and extensions.

Internet Spirit's default theme and layout is good if you don't mind five rows of toolbars and some icons that don't quite make sense. Many preference settings require a restart … Read more

Awkward to navigate from start to finish, this free browser's promise to apply restrictions to specific Web sites wasn't fulfilled.

Browse Secure prompts you for a password before you enter the program, but offers no direction on what to enter. It was only by accident that we figured out to enter the default user id. We were bombarded with configurations options, but without seeing the rest of the program, we had no idea what they meant. The user interface is pretty bland, but the command buttons were recognizable. The administrator settings let you decide whether you want to … Read more

Opening a new tab in a Web browser shows a lot of prime but empty real estate, and now the programmers behind Firefox are following their peers at Safari and Chrome in trying to make it more useful.

Mozilla interface guru Aza Raskin posted screenshots of a new way to fill the new-tab screen with something useful but not too taxing for the computer.

Along the right edge is the "quick-access bar," a stack of thumbnail views of your popular pages selected on the basis of how recently and frequently you visited them. In the upper left are … Read more

Microsoft updated its Windows 7 Engineering blog Friday by discussing its decision to allow users to turn off features in Windows 7. It also released a list of Windows 7 options that can be turned off in the upcoming Release Candidate.

"For Windows 7 we've engineered a more significant list of features and worked to balance that list in light of the needs of the broad Windows platform as well," Jack Mayo, Microsoft's group program manager for the Documents and Printing team, said in the post. "We want to provide choice while also making sure we do not compromise on compatibility by removing APIs provided for developers. We also want to strike the right balance for consumers in providing choice and balancing compatibility with applications and providing a consistent Windows experience."

To achieve that goal, Microsoft has released a screenshot showing what is ostensibly the complete list of features that users will be able to turn on and off in Windows 7. It includes games, an FTP server, Windows Search, and more. But the most important option (and the one that gets the most attention) is the ability to turn Internet Explorer 8 off.

Internet Explorer 8 cannot be uninstalled from Windows 7. According to Mayo, any feature that's turned off "will not be available for use, which means binaries and data are not loaded by the operating system (for security-conscious customers) and not available to users on the computer.

"These same files are staged so that the features can easily be added back to the running OS without additional media. This staging is important feedback we have received from customers who definitely do not like to dig up the installation DVD," he continued.

That's understandable and a welcome option. I will be turning some features off, like all of Microsoft's media services and a few extras like the FTP server and Tablet PC components, which I won't use any way, but Internet Explorer 8 is a different story altogether.

I'm sure some are excited to see they can finally kill Internet Explorer, but I'm not. I won't be using it, but I won't be turning it off either. Why should I?… Read more

Researchers or students will find this offline browser an easy-to-use tool for storing info from online sources: links, photos, and entire or partial Web pages. We ran into an odd glitch during our tests, but it didn't seem to affect CyberKeeper's performance in any way.

The program installs slowly, but once it's up and running, it launches an attractively designed interface and a floating toolbar that complements its features. (A further slowdown at installation will occur for those who will also need to install Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0 Service Pack, which is required for running this … Read more

Toolbars are a dime a dozen, but few offer everything we want, like easy customization and useful features that just plain work. This free toolbar offers the perfect balance of tools and fun game links, and everything works without flaw.

Madnlooney Toolbar's user interface features colorful shortcut buttons. The toolbar interface can be customized to remove the buttons that you don't want, and to include shortcuts to your favorite applications. We were also able to add our favorite gadgets. You'll find the standard toolbar buttons-- weather forecast, pop-up blocker, and e-mail notification--all of which worked perfectly. An … Read more

No matter where you go, there you are. And that's always obvious from your surfing history. This password-protected app provides a private browser that hides your surfing history from other apps and hides your IP address while you're browsing.

ArmorSurf launches an attractive, easy-to-use interface with tabbed navigation. The left pane, called the Library, categorizes items you've saved and some preloaded links, like Software, Gaming, Shopping, and Dating. This free app performed well in our tests. We liked that we could change its desktop shortcut icon and name to disguise it from other users, adding another layer … Read more