Tech Notes

Here are some general helpful tips for using the current version of Firefox.

http://sites.google.com/site/soetechteacher/firefox-tips

Is your browser getting old? Does it sometimes show web sites in peculiar ways? Do you receive warning messages that your type of browser is no longer supported? If so, it is probably time to upgrade your browser.

What Is Wrong With Old Browsers?
Technology has changed and improved greatly in the last three years. Older browsers do not understand the latest versions of HTML (a markup language that browser software can read) and do not have reliable implementations of stylesheets, a powerful feature used by most modern web designers. By working within the latest standards, web designers have more control of how a page displays, sites can be more accessible to wider range of devices (including cell phones and accessibility software).
Your students are creating projects with these powerful new tools in several of their classes that require up-to-date browsers for creating and viewing. If your browser is too old, you may not be able to access your students’ creations.

How can you upgrade your browser?

Downloading and installing a new browser is easy and free. Visit one of the following websites and select ‘Download.’ You will be able to follow simple directions after you download the browser software.
Microsoft Internet Explorer 7

Firefox 2.0

Netscape Navigator 9.0 (End of support and development as of March 1, 2008) Retrieved from [http://blog.netscape.com/2007/12/28/end-of-support-for-netscape-web-browsers/].

Safari 3.0

Opera 9.6

Camino 1.5.2

You might consider upgrading to any of the browsers listed above. Doing so will improve your web experience, enabling you to use and view sites as their creators intended.

At home, however, you need to be an educated consumer in order to make the best choices that meet your needs. These days, fake emails are getting more sophisticated, so it can be tough to know whether an email is real or not. One of the simplest and most important things you can do to protect yourself is to upgrade your browser to one with anti-phishing features.

“Phishing is an attempt to criminally and fraudulently acquire sensitive information, such as usernames, passwords and credit card details, by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication. eBay, PayPal and online banks are common targets” (Wikipedia, retrieved from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phishing].

Upgrade your browser as soon as possible. It’ll take just a few minutes and you’ll be protected with the most up-to-date security available.