In all reality the chance of the average user becoming infected is extremely remote but the official line by security experts is that until Microsoft have issued a patch that users should either up their security settings from within Internet Explorer or switch to an alternative browser such as Firefox or Opera.

Most people that read my column know that they should either run a half decent browser such as Firefox or if they insist on using Internet Explorer that they should keep Windows updated at all times. Whilst there is no fix for this particular bug, by keeping your Browser and Operating System up to date you are limiting your chances of running in to problems.

Something that is often overlooked by so many, however, is ensuring that all other applications on your computer are kept up to date as it isn’t just browsers that are affected by security issues. Making a list of all the software on your computer and then individually checking the manufacturer’s website for updates would be quite a laborious and time consuming process which is where my recommendation for this week comes in. Secunia PSI is a piece of software which has just come out of Beta testing that is designed to alleviate such problems by checking the majority of the applications currently installed on your computer for known security vulnerabilities.

There are two versions of this application available, one that runs online and one that you download and install; both are available from http://secunia.com/vulnerability_scanning/. Personally I would recommend downloading the application rather than the online test as the 500kb file will scan a greater number of programs than the online version.

Once the scans have completed, Secunia will list any out of date affected software and give you a vulnerability rating along with a link to obtain the latest version of the application if there is one available. You can view details about each individual threat and to be honest the results can be quite startling; although my laptop managed an initial security score of 92% there were several potentially serious problems that it discovered. One rather obscure bug in my PDF reader (Foxit PDF) could have potentially given a hacker full access to my computer.

I think there is a stage where paranoia can kick in and users can be over cautious but a certain level of precaution should always be taken. Even if you are not worried about the potential security implications of running out of date software, Secunia offers a quick and easy way to ensure that you are running the most up to date and hopefully feature rich versions of all your favourite programs.

Firefox 2 was an excellent browser however having been released towards the end of 2006, it was certainly due an update. It’s not so much that the browser looked dated as it was still an incredibly capable application but I just got the impression that perhaps it was losing a little ground to several alternatives that were starting to snap at its heels. With Internet Explorer 8 on the horizon Firefox needed to reassert its position in the industry and hopefully this new release will go someway towards achieving this goal.

In terms of the user interface I can’t help but feel that it does still does look a little dated; there’s not anything particularly wrong with it I was just expecting something a little more radical. I suppose it goes back to the old adage ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ which I suppose is quite fitting in this instance.

More important than the appearance has got to be the functionality and there are certainly a number of new features which deserve a mention:

- The address bar is substantially improved so that rather than simply accepting URL addresses you can type in any text. Firefox will then come up with suggestions on the fly by referencing your previous browsing activity and saved bookmarks. If, for example, you remember viewing a website discussing a particular topic then rather than having to remember the website address, simply start typing the subject or some relevant keywords and the correct address should be located automatically.

- In addition to the phishing protection provided in Firefox 2, this new version also includes malware protection which is designed to warn you when visiting sites which may take advantage of Operating System, application or browser vulnerabilities.

- Whilst it may seem like a basic thing, the zoom function has now been vastly improved. For us at Refresh Creations, a common issue is working to ensure that a webpage can be scaled up for those with impaired vision. Most browsers simply scale up the text leaving the pictures exactly the same size which more often than not completely ruins the page formatting. Firefox 3 has replicated the enhanced zoom of Internet Explorer 7 by scaling up the ENTIRE page, pictures included.

- The download manager now supports pause and resume features which can be useful if you are downloading a particularly large or multiple files.

One issue that I had with Firefox 2 was that it did tend to hog a great deal of memory if you were using it all day every day, especially when using large numbers of tabs. Firefox 3uses less memory to start and then releases the memory properly when a tab is closed; this and a number of other fixes results in both the browser and your computer remaining responsive throughout the day. Firefox now handles like greased lightning and feels as solid as a rock.

I’m writing a day after the official release of version 3 and in this time it has already been downloaded over eight million times. It is also nice to see that the Microsoft Internet Explorer development team sent them a cake by way of congratulations for making the release. I still firmly feel that Firefox has a strong part to play in the development of the Internet and I would encourage you to download it free of charge from www.mozilla.com

Popularized by the Opera browser, the mouse gesture is slowly but surely gaining support from both software developers and users. The idea is that rather than having to click on an icon or use a keyboard shortcut, the user instead holds down a mouse button (usually the right) then moves the mouse in a certain gesture (for example from right to left) and then released the button. This gesture is then converted in to relevant command, for example the commend ‘go back’ in a browser window. Whilst still not big in personal computing, gestures are already very popular on devices such as a PDA’s (Personal Digital Assistants) as the omission of a keyboard means that conventional keyboard shortcuts aren’t available as an alternative to laboriously clicking icons.

As an example of how mouse gestures could be used, let’s take a look at a few of those already built in to the Opera browser. All of these gestures require you to hold down the right mouse button and then make the movement indicated:

Previous Page – Move mouse left

Next Page – Move mouse right

Home Page – Double click right mouse button

Open New Document – Move down

Reload Page – Move up, then down

Maximise Window – Move up, then right

Minimise Window – Move down, then left

Close Document – Move down, then right

For those of you that missed my review of this popular and capable browser check out www.computerarticles.co.uk to download a copy.

Opera has had mouse gesture support since way back in 2001 and unfortunately as of yet neither Firefox nor Internet Explorer include support straight out the box. Both applications can be upgraded through with the use of add-in applications; those using Firefox should head to http://optimoz.mozdev.org and for Internet Explorer check out www.ysgyfarnog.co.uk. Of course, both these utilities are very small downloads, completely free and don’t include any advertising.

Software support outside of the browser market is quite limited due to the fact that whilst most people use an Internet Browser in a similar fashion, most other applications are used in a very individual fashion and as such shortcuts for repetitive commands aren’t as relevant. I’d like to see more Operating System support for mouse gestures and I’m surprised that Vista didn’t have anything significant included; it wouldn’t revolutionise the user interface but would have been a nice touch.

I will also admit that I think the potential number of commands that can be accessed in this fashion is limited but once you’ve got used to using mouse gestures, it’s undeniable that they can reduce the amount of time taken performing repetitive tasks.

Whilst I’m not saying there is anything wrong with this new version, it does seem strange that Microsoft has taken so long to include features that have been freely available for years through alternative browsers. In the interests of a fair review however I will detail the new features this new browser will offer for users still using Internet Explorer 6.

The main emphasis on the new browser seems to revolve around four main features – Improved security, tabbed browsing, RSS feeds and simplicity.

With Internet Explorer 7 Microsoft has managed to close the numerous security vulnerabilities present in the previous version although how long it will be before numerous holes are found in the new browser is yet to be seen. The browser also benefits from a built in anti-phishing filter to protect users against fraudulent websites such as those that masquerade themselves as PayPal or an online banking service in an attempt to fool you in to giving them your personal information. The security issues present in the older version of Internet Explorer would explain why Microsoft will be making sure that this November anybody using automatic updates in Windows XP will have the new browser installed automatically.

Tabbed browsing which has been available for many years through the likes of Firefox and Opera allows users to have several different websites open in tabs using just one Internet Explorer window. The quickest way to open a new tab whilst browsing is to either hold <CTRL> whilst clicking a link or hit Alt & Enter if you wish to open up a new blank window. To navigate around the tabs simply click the relevant tab from the just below the address bar within Internet Explorer.

RSS feed support is present in the browser and rather than just matching the features present in the current version of Firefox Microsoft has actually improved on them. I have covered RSS feeds before in Click so won’t dwell too far but for those readers who are unaware, RSS feeds are an easy way to subscribe to news and articles websites and so this new addition is welcome.

In terms of simplicity the interface has been streamlined so that all the menus are hidden by default and instead have been logically replaced beneath several different icons – For example, the Page icons drops down a separate menu which lets you copy, paste, change the text size and so on. Personally I hate this new interface as it completely disregards the standardisation which makes most Windows applications so easy to navigate. Die hard users such as myself who prefer the old style can revert the interface to something more familiar although I have kept the new interface running for the time being to see if I can be converted.

All in all this new version of Internet Explorer doesn’t really do enough to put Microsoft ahead of alternative browsers available and whilst I have installed it on my machine I will probably stick with my old, faithful Firefox for now. If you are still using Internet Explorer 6 you should without fail download the newer version now from www.microsoft.com as to not do so would be denying yourself of several years of progress.

Whilst not all websites provide RSS feeds the format is rapidly growing in popularity with many of the most popular news sites such as the BBC and Sky News supporting it. Potential uses for the technology have expanded from just offering users the headlines to now offering a whole range of subjects such as Job Openings, Auction items, MP3 releases, celeb information and so on.

There are plenty of ways to begin using RSS. One is to use a compatible browser (such as Firefox or Internet Explorer 7) and to be honest this would probably be my preferred method. If your current browser doesn’t support RSS try downloading the latest version of FireFox (www.firefox.com) or Opera (www.opera.com) as these include RSS as standard. When you find a site that supports RSS you simply click on a subscribe button from then on you will be kept up to date with the latest developments.

For those that don’t have a compatible browser and don’t fancy the idea of changing there are plenty of alternatives. One would be in add a third party piece of software or plug in to your current browser in order to make it compatible – a popular option for this would be the Google Toolbar which can be downloaded free of charge from toolbar.google.co.uk.

Alternatively there are plenty of dedicated RSS readers available for a range different Operating Systems. A quick search on the Internet will yield results for many different readers and you should possibly try using a couple of them to see which one you prefer but possibly a good place to start would be to visit www.rssreader.com to download a program which is both compact and best of all free of charge.

Before RSS was created there were several similar formats available however none of these achieved widespread popularity or indeed still in common use today. Netscape initially developed the RSS format but then lost interest in it which essentially left the technology without an owner resulting in several different off-shoots being created over the coming years. This means that several different formats exist however most RSS readers should be compatible with all the existing variants.

Another good feature of the RSS technology is that if you run your own website you can use an RSS feed to display the latest news from your favourite sources on your own site. This allows you to provide your visitors with relevant on topic news that is continuously updated which as well as potentially making your site more interesting also gives it the impression of being continuously updated which wouldn’t have been easily achieved prior to RSS.

Whilst RSS will not interest everybody I would certainly recommend those with an interest in current events to look in to this flexible and free technology.

BitTorrent support: Opera 9 is the first mainstream browser to integrate BitTorrent support without any additional software. BitTorrent is a technology that uses distributed file networks to share large files such as movies over the Internet quickly and easily. Because you can download these files from multiple sources simultaneously it dramatically reduces your download times if used on a decent speed broadband connection.

Widgets: Opera 9 embraces AJAX technology by providing support for widgets which are tiny little programs with specific functionality. These small applications can include newsfeeds, games, multimedia applications and so forth. Time will tell quite how useful this feature will be in the long run. To download new widgets just visit widgets.opera.com.

The remaining features of the browser are pretty much standard to those used to using Firefox although current Internet Explorer users will still be in for a treat if they choose to upgrade as many of these features aren’t standard in IE.

Customisable search engine: Opera allows you to choose your default search engine should you choose to make a search directly from the browser itself.

Thumbnail Preview images: As well as including the fast becoming industry standard tabbed browsing Opera generates a preview image of all open tabs so that it’s easier to decide which one you want to switch to.

Pop-up blocker: Again, whilst this is pretty much standard in a browser nowadays Opera goes a little bit further by improving it to stop pretty much all intrusive content no matter how creative the advertiser is.

Site Specific Security – Opera can assign different security levels to different sites that you visit – Could be helpful to the slightly paranoid users out there but most home users probably won’t even touch this feature.

Using the browser is made slightly more unique in Opera thanks to features such as mouse gestures which allow you to navigate just by moving the mouse in a certain way, new keyboard shortcuts and voice control to access commonly used features in the browser.

As expected there is also a file transfer monitor and a password manager as well as the mandatory Opera mail, IRC chat client. The browser is extremely secure when compared with the likes of Internet Explorer which is an important consideration nowadays.

To summerise, Opera is an extremely competent browser and as well as being completely free of charge is only 4.6mb in size to download from www.opera.com. Whilst it is unlikely to win away many people currently using Firefox that doesn’t mean that it is any worse and those still using the hopelessly outdated Internet Explorer 6 should really consider giving Opera a try.