Chapter 9 Power Tools for the Internet

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Chapter 9Power Tools for the Internet

• Web 101
• by
• Wendy Lehnert

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Sections

• Taking Charge
• Applications Helpers, Plug-Ins, Add-Ons
• Web Accelerators
• Ad Filters
• Download Managers
• Desktop Portals
• Alternative Web Browsers
• FTP Client Power Features (Skip)
• Above and Beyond (Skip)

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9.1 Taking Charge

• Loading a lot of power tools can enhance your
  surfing
• However, the more applications you install, the
  more likely you are to run into conflicts
• Problems are more likely if you run low on memory
• Utility suites like Norton SystemWorks can help
  head off problems

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9.2 Applications Helpers, Plug-Ins ...

• Your browser can be customized with additional
  applications to read additional files with JVM,
  Adobe Reader, Flash, etc.
• A Helper application is any program on your PC.
  The application opens up to read the file.
• Plug-Ins are similar, but run inside the browser
• Add-Ons are also similar. Examples are search
  engines, download managers, etc.

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Popular Plug-Ins

• Adobe Reader
• Macromedia Shockwave and Flash
• QuickTime 4
• RealPlayer G2
• Windows Media Player
• Net2Phone
• PowerPoint Viewer, Excel Viewer, Word Viewer

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Finding Plug-Ins The First One on Wendys List
Works

• http//home.netscape.com/plugins/
• http//winfiles.cnet.com/apps/98/plugins.html
  (Now goes to download.com)
• http//browserwatch.internet.com/plugin.html
  (Vanished)
• http//www.zdnet.com Then HelpgtInternetgtPlug-Ins
  (Cant Find It)

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9.3 Web Accelerators Theres Never Enough
Bandwidth for Your Browser

• If possible, get a bigger pipe
• Cable Modem
• Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)
• Satellite Dish
• Sometimes opening another browser window will
  help N or R Click on Link and Open in New
  Window

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Caches Speed Browsing

• Caches can be in RAM or on hard drive
• Size can be set in browser preferences 500MB
  might be average today
• C\WINDOWS\Temporary Internet Files
• Check for new pages can be when browser is
  opened, automatically, et al.
• You can force getting a new page with Refresh

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Web Accelerator

• Accelerators take over browser cache management
• Have more options. NetSonic Pro gives users 4
  options for when updates are done
• Biggest advantage is prefetching
• Mode 1fetch all pages linked to the current page
  while user is reading it.
• Mode 2 fetch pages from links user has visited
  before (in cache already unless dynamic)
• Controversial a bandwidth hog

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9.4 Ad Filters

• Can remove banners, ad gifs animated gifs, even
  pop-up windows!
• Try WebWasher freeware from Siemens
  http//www.webwasher.com
• Next slide is a comparison of shop.lycos.com with
  and without WebWasher

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IE with WebWasher
Opera w/o WebWasher
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9.5 Download Managers

• Allow connection to be interrupted without
  causing download failure. Resumes where left
  off.
• Go!zilla freeware http//www.gozilla.com

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9.5 Password Managers

• Keep track of dozens or scores of passwords that
  are supposed to be changed constantly
• Password Prompter freeware from download.com

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Password Prompter from PCmagazine
Passwords are used to log onto all kinds of
public and private networks, unlock protected
files, and to access protected Web sites and
other Internet resources. In todays world, you
can easily have a dozen passwords or more, and
remembering them all can be a problem. You can
use the simple-minded approach of using the same
password for everything, but that compromises
your security. Password Prompter is a
special-purpose database that provides encrypted
storage for all your passwords. The password
field is displayed as asterisks, but can be
copied and pasted directly into a password entry
field. A hint field lets you enter a phrase to
remind you of passwords that you need to enter
manually. Password Prompter also offers a
password generation feature that lets you create
hard-to-guess passwords that meet specified
criteria. Password Prompter was written by Steven
E. Sipe, and first appeared in PC Magazine June
8, 1999 (v18n11).
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9.7 Desktop Portals

• excite.com (easy to customize)
• yahoo.com (lots of stuff)
• altavista.com
• ...