On Windows XP, the installation needs two reboots – one after uninstalling IE8 Beta 2 and another after installing IE8 RC1. On Windows Vista, a single reboot after the installation will suffice. On Windows 7, this is not expected to work at all. (Windows 7 already comes preinstalled with an IE8 beta version.) Read the complete installation instructions here.

I installed the software on both my desktop and laptop, both currently running on Windows XP, and my biggest complaint is that after the first reboot (uninstalling IE8 Beta 2), when the installation of IE8 RC1 step ends, the second reboot takes place without a prompt. It is bad that a reboot is required in the first place. Any other work you may be doing in the meantime (because installation takes a few minutes) could be lost. Keep that in mind if you are trying to install it.

Another age-old issue is that IE automatically sets itself as the default browser though it is not much of a problem. That said, I welcome Microsoft’s new generosity to allow custom non-Microsoft search engines and accelerators to be set in the user preferences.

IE8 RC1 appears to be running faster than IE8 Beta 2, which itself has considerably improved over IE7. The software has been made more secure and Microsoft seems to be taking pains to be more compliant to the global web standards. The latest version is definitely a big step in the right direction for the future of the Internet Explorer.

Image Source: Internet Explorer.

Post from: EveryJoe

Internet Explorer 8 Release Candidate 1

During work, e.g., we open a web browser – because we are so used to it – but more importanly have several other programs opened simultaneously. While navigating from Microsoft Outlook to Eclipse to the work folders using Alt + Tab, it is irritating to find Mozilla Firefox in between. Also, the task bar has only this much place.

Still, most of the web browsers like the Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox continue to ignore our need for a “Minimize to system tray” option (Opera provides the option). And we don’t always know the registry hack to minimize Microsoft Outlook. Trayconizer comes to our rescue.

The “Mozilla Firefox” icon sitting in my system tray is not a photoshop gimmick. I used a miniscule utility called Trayconizer.exe to minimze Firefox to the system tray. It is only 10.5 KB in size and, hmm, doesn’t need installation.

All you have to do is invoke the target program, Mozilla Firefox in this example, through the utility. The easiest way to do this is to set the target of a shortcut you use like this:

Replace “C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe”
with C:\Downloads\Trayconizer.exe “C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe”

It may not be possible to Trayconize all programs and I am not sure if it works on Windows Vista, but it seems to work well enough on Windows XP. You can download it here. The page shows that the utility hasn’t had a newer version in over 5 years.

Image Source: Screenshots taken on my laptop running Windows XP.

Post from: EveryJoe

Trayconize Any Program to System Tray

While Internet Explorer still has over 70% market share, and while there is no straight answer to which web browser is the best, there are several reasons why users are preferring Firefox: open source, security, speed, and add-ons. In fact, the last factor is the most weighing factor for a majority of the users.

Following are a few Firefox add-ons that I depend quite a lot on:

Streaming videos from hundreds of youtube-like websites is easier thanks to DownloadHelper.

FireGestures enables mouse gestures. Customizable mouse gestures.

Flash ads are some of the most annoying critters on the Planet Web. Flashblock blocks all Flash content by default, replacing it with a simple ‘f’ icon. It costs an extra click when you want them running though.

Security is increasingly a concern when online. McAfee SiteAdvisor warns you immediately if a site is a dangerous destination. It gets its data from McAfee’s large dynamic library of websites and their statuses.

URL Fixer trusts our capability of typing erroneously and automatically fixes them for us, making us get used to the typos.

There are add-ons alternative to almost all these, and more. You can get them from the addons home page on Mozilla. If you’re new to Firefox, and are lost about finding and installing add-ons, let me be of service.

Which Firefox add-ons do you use?

Post from: EveryJoe

Which Firefox Add-ons Do You Use?