Stories by Preston Gralla

Five reasons you should switch to Firefox 3

No matter what browser you use -- whether it be Internet Explorer, Firefox 2, or any other -- you need to switch to Firefox 3. The most recent beta shows off a browser that's the best yet for customized browsing, better downloading, and faster surfing. I've got five reasons why you should switch.

Battle of the betas: Firefox 3 beats IE8

I've put the latest betas of Firefox 3 and IE8 to the test, and the results are clear: Firefox 3 is the superior browser. Its new features make browsing the Web easier, faster, safer, and easier to customize --- and the memory leak problem seems to have been fixed. IE8, on the other hand, offers some flashy new tools, but for everyday browsing, Firefox remains superior.

First look: Firefox 3 beta 4

The just-released beta 4 version of Firefox 3 shows a browser short on flash and long on important, useful improvements that make browsing the Web easier, faster, safer, and simpler to customize. The primary interface has been somewhat modified to look more modern, but much more important are a host of less immediately obvious features that any serious Web surfer will welcome.

First Look: Internet Explorer 8 beta

Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) Beta 1 for developers, released by Microsoft on March 6, offers some fascinating new capabilities. For example, it introduces two new features called Activities and WebSlices that extend the capabilities of the browser by interacting with other Web sites and services.

The network manager's (free) toolkit

Got a small network, home network, medium-size network -- even an enterprise network -- and want to get the most out of it? Then I've got good news for you: 10 free pieces of software that can make your network easier to use, troubleshoot and maintain. These freebies will help everyone from networking pros to networking newbies and everyone in between.

PowerPoint 2007 Cheat Sheet

PowerPoint users, your world has changed. The newest version, PowerPoint 2007, features the most thorough changes since the program's birth.

Why Microsoft is serious about Open Source

Microsoft held out the peace pipe to the Open Source community when the company announced that its offering free access to its most important APIs and formerly proprietary protocols, and will offer more support for open standards. Why has Microsoft seen the light? I have a one-word answer: Google.

Windows XP SP3 RC2 first look: Be prepared to be underwhelmed

If you've been waiting with bated breath for XP SP3, you can start breathing normally now. It changes so little in XP that you won't even notice it's there. But hidden and underneath the hood, as I'll explain, there are a few worthy changes.

The best Internet Explorer add-ins

A browser by itself is a poor thing, letting you browse the Web, but little else. To get the most out of the Web, you need add-ins that give your browser plenty of extra features.

Hands-on Vista SP1: Better but slower?

The final version of Vista SP1 focuses on under-the-hood improvements to reliability, security and performance, with very few changes made to the interface or Vista's features. Think of it as a giant, glorified set of patches and fixes rather than a clear and visible change to the operating system.

10 great free downloads for your network

Got a small network, home network, medium-size network -- even an enterprise network -- and want to get the most out of it? Then I've got good news for you: 10 free pieces of software that can make your network easier to use, troubleshoot and maintain. These freebies will help everyone from networking pros to networking newbies and everyone in between.

8 top tips for IE 7

Don't like the way Internet Explorer 7 looks or works? Then change it. There are plenty of ways you can hack it, tweak it or just make it simpler
to use. In this article, you'll find out how to speed up IE's display of Web sites, build your own Search Bar engine, get control over how IE prints Web pages, navigate with several essential keyboard shortcuts and more. These tips work in both Windows XP and Windows Vista. Some of the tips are quite simple to perform, while others are more advanced. Some even require Registry hacks.

15 must-have Firefox tricks

What good is a browser unless you can tweak it, hack it and bend it to your will? No good at all. The more you can hack it, the better it is. And that means that Firefox must be a great browser. It's infinitely customizable, via editing a text file called userChrome.css, making changes via a command called about:config, and using free add-ons to extend the features of the browser.

First look: Office Live Workspace

Microsoft's Office Live Workspace, just released into beta, makes it easy for small businesses, workgroups and organizations to collaborate online and share documents. Even individuals who want to track projects and access documents from more than one PC will find it useful. It's a surprisingly sophisticated service, and although there remain rough edges and puzzling oversights (which may or may not be addressed in the commercial release), it's a very impressive piece of work, especially considering its price tag -- free for the moment.

Vista SP1 RC targets Vista's innards

The just-released Windows Vista SP1 Release Candidate (RC), like the previous beta, does more to improve the internal plumbing of Windows Vista than it does to make any major changes to the interface.

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