Stormbringer's Thunder

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen  Hopefully, my experiences both before and after the crash may prove helpful to some folks. Here is what happened. In July 2020, I decided to replace my Windows 7 computer. That underrated eMachine was a workhorse, and I asked a lot by simultaneously running programs that were heavy on resources, and I ran some at the same time. It was showing its age, so I was proactive and replaced it with an Acer Aspire TC-885-UA92 Desktop. Pixabay / Gerd Altmann Not a bad price, and it had a DVD ROM. Yes, some of us still need those things. Don't be a tech snob. Gave it a bit more RAM, and I was off to the races. Important Computer Precautions Yeah, some race. I had to learn how to use Windows 10. Fortunately, I have experience with computers, including Windows all the way back to Win95 (not much with Vista, and I utterly detested Win8 on my wife's laptop). Since I already have a Microsoft account and know some of the basics of operating systems, getting online was n...

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen  Back in the 1960s, there was a fad with a ball made of synthetic rubber that would bounce back very efficiently. Throw it in the living room, it bounces a lot, maybe breaks your mother's favorite lamp, makes the cat hide behind the couch, scuffs the walls, and so on. My articles on browsers and security have been bouncing around. The first one is here , then a few more, and something a bit tangential is over at " How to Conduct Insufficient Research ". Now I bounced over to this weblog again. Credit: Pexels /  energepic.com We hear so much about internet security nowadays, and reports seem conflicting and incomplete. Some of them touted certain lesser-known browsers as the safest, while others specifically condemned them. The big players I discussed in previous articles had varying reviews, and sometimes that is from people doing tests of a clinical nature. They were pretty much deemed reliable. From what I gather, on browsers were out-of-the-box a...

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen Here is the final article in the trilogy. The first part was an introduction , then the privacy and other things were discussed in the second part . Now it is time to examine a few extensions (also called add-ons) that this cowboy has found helpful for productivity and security. Credit: FreeDigitalPhotos /  dfrsce It doesn't take an architect to add extensions since other people did the construction. Finding them is not much of a challenge, but loading good ones requires discretion. They can easily be added onto the browser's structure. Sometimes, too easily. Once again, I must point out that I am writing about my experiences using a Windows 10 desktop computer. Do my experiences and learning qualify me as a "power user"? Some Extensions can be Harmful Yeah, get the caution out there before discussing what I am using. I was unable to learn how many extensions are available for Firefox, but there are quite a few . Most people use browser extensio...

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen Most recent edit: 11-16-2021 In Part 1, I gave a brief overview of things that are happening in the wild world of browsers. After I commenced my research, I learned that there is a prairie schooner-full of possibilities including several I know nothing about , so most of this discussion is based on personal experience. Remember,  I am using a Windows 10 desktop. Credit: Freeimages / Armin Hanisch In this day and age, we need to be secure from spying, hacking, and tracking. Something else that bears repeating is that most Windows browsers will get you where you want to go — right out of the box. Which browser is the "best"? Looking at reviews, there is conflicting information. Many times, reviewers use benchmarks (of which there are many, and some view them with mistrust), which should explain why reports on which is fastest are inconsistent. I have also seen conflicting information regarding privacy settings. A brief comment on browser speed is in ord...