- Quick specs
- Price: Free
- Operating system: Windows 95/98/Me/2000/XP/Vista/NT
- Date added: October 28, 2008
- Total Downloads: 3,514
- Downloads last week: 8
- See full specifications
- CNET editors' rating: stars
- Average user rating: stars out of 2 votes
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CNET editors' review
Reviewed by: CNET Staff
It slows down your browsing. It makes some Web sites inaccessible for no discernible reason. And you don't get to leave with even a single solitary souvenir. But if you want to know what life behind the Great Firewall of China is like, then the Firefox plug-in China Channel is the cheapest and fastest way to experience using the Internet in China without actually being there.
After installation, getting to experience Web surfing the way the Chinese do isn't hard at all. Users have three ways to activate China Channel: via the China Channel toolbar, a navigation bar button that you must drag and drop onto the bar to get access to, and a status bar button. The buttons function by opening a menu, from which you choose to switch from None to the China Channel. Much like the IE Tab extension, the page will then render as if your IP address is inside China.
The toolbar is interesting for a slightly different workflow that results in a Web page that informs you of your IP address and its country of origin. Choose the China Channel from the drop-down, and then hit the big red Go button. With China Channel activated, the page will declare that the plug-in has been activated. Switch back to None and refresh the page, and it changes to reflect your proxy server-free surfing experience. This is a great experiential plug-in that's worth grabbing just to see how citizens in countries with Internet censorship have to struggle with hamstrung browsing.
Publisher's description
From China Channel :The Firefox add-on China Channel offers internet users outside of China the ability to surf the web as if they were inside mainland China. Take an unforgetable virtual trip to China and experience the technical expertise of the Chinese Ministry of Information Industry (supported by western companies).
CNET Editor's Note: The Download Now link will prompt a local download of the Firefox extension. To install the extension directly, open the file using your Firefox browser.
What's new in this version:
First add.
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User reviews
- Average user rating: 0 stars Not yet available
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Showing 2 of 2 user reviewsSee all 2 user reviews
This software version | All versions -
Version: China Channel Firefox add-on 0.4.1 beta
"Our public internet do not block us from reading news"
Pros: It's a good experience for people who take Freedom of Speech for granted.
Cons: It occasionally disconnected from the proxy server, and need to reconnect back to the add-ons' home page
Summary: I'm from Hong Kong, and often make trip to China to visit some friends there. Although Internet Cafe are popular, but most people lived in cities like Beijing, Shanghai or Wuhan and Guangzhou do have Internet Access at home also.
So, no it's... read more >> -
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful
Version: China Channel Firefox add-on 0.4.1 beta
Pros: Provides good first-hand experience for those who never experienced severe internet censorship at school or at their workplace.
Cons: You have to click and download for something that's already implemented in much of our public access computers, a rather pointless thing to do i must say.
Summary: When you think about the fact that most chinese are using public accessable computers in internet cafes, like the ones we use at the library and other public places, you couldn't help but wonder how similar we are to them when it comes to internet c... read more >>
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