bruceb news

LogMeIn has moved far ahead of its competitors for working with computers remotely. It introduced major changes to its product lineup a couple of days before Christmas – not a good time to get much attention but an appropriate time to deliver lovely presents, since the changes include new features that will be useful for many of you.

Let’s start with the basics.

COMPUTERS

LogMeIn provides a small bit of software that installs on your computer at home or the office. It’s tied to a LogMeIn account – an email address and a password. The basic program is free for connecting from one computer to another computer. […] continued

Keeping your computer up to date with patches has become the most important element of being secure online. New studies show that fully patched systems have significantly more protection against malware spread by poisoned web sites and the other forms of viruses and malware floating around.

The monitoring and updating service that I offer for a few dollars each month is just as important for your security as your antivirus program. If you haven’t signed up yet, give me a call or drop me a note. It takes seconds to install and gives you the peace of mind that Java, Flash, Adobe Acrobat/Reader, and other third party products are up to date all the time, in addition to Windows, Internet Explorer, Office programs, and more. […] continued

The Favorites Bar in Internet Explorer deserves some attention. It’s a simple concept that might turn out to be a good friend.

The Favorites Bar extends across the top of the browser window. It is intended to hold links to 6-8 websites that you visit most frequently.

Many of you have the Favorites Bar turned off. If you’re not going to use it, leave it turned off.

You can turn it on by right-clicking on an empty area at the top of Internet Explorer and clicking to put a checkmark in front of “Favorites bar.”

The important thing is to remember the difference between “Favorites” and the “Favorites Bar.”

• Your “Favorites” are under the star in the upper right corner of Internet Explorer 9.

[…] continued

[Addendum 08/13: after a day of harsh criticism, LinkedIn yanked the photos and names from their ads. There is still a checkmark that you might want to uncheck but it doesn’t feel as invasive any more.]

When web companies look at you, they don’t see people, they see wallets. You would think companies would have learned from Facebook’s long line of privacy gaffes but the lure of advertising money is too strong. LinkedIn is the latest company to experiment with the dangerous world of “opt-out” advertising.

LinkedIn decided it would be swell to serve up advertisements that include your name and your picture. […] continued

Previously:
Battle Of The Browser Updates
Comparing The New Internet Browsers
Syncing Bookmarks And Favorites With Firefox 4 And Chrome 10
Syncing Bookmarks And Favorites With Internet Explorer 9

Windows 7 and Vista users are also likely to be seeing prompts to install Internet Explorer 9. Like Windows 7 Service Pack 1, IE9 will not be installed automatically by Windows or by my monitoring service.

Although theoretically Internet Explorer 9 is optional, you should install it when you’re ready. It’s safer and faster than previous versions of Internet Explorer, and it supports new technology that will slowly come to be used on the web sites you visit. […] continued

Fun for the whole family! Try to figure out where the toolbars are that appear and disappear in Adobe Acrobat X when you open a PDF file in your web browser!

SUMMARY: When you open a PDF in your web browser after installing Acrobat X, it may not have any toolbar across the top for saving or printing the file. Adobe has moved the controls to a floating toolbar that only appears when you move your mouse to the bottom of the page. You can make the normal toolbars appear permanently by opening Acrobat, clicking on Edit / Preferences / Internet, and unchecking Display In Read Mode By Default. […] continued

These are the rules for being safe using a Windows computer in 2011. Memorize them, tape them to your refrigerator, pass them on to your friends!

Install updates from Microsoft promptly. Look in the lower right corner for the gold shield (WinXP) or update icon (Win7/Vista).

Install updates to Acrobat, Adobe Reader, Flash, Java, and Quicktime promptly. Each will alert you from the lower right corner.

• The best way to keep up with updates: sign up for the Bruceb Consulting monitoring service.

Install antivirus software and keep it up to date.

Know the name of your antivirus software. […] continued

Previously:
Battle Of The Browser Updates
Comparing The New Internet Browsers, aka Microsoft And The LastPass Problem
Syncing Bookmarks And Favorites With Firefox 4 And Chrome 10
Syncing Bookmarks And Favorites With Internet Explorer 9

I’m going to mention one third-party program, but with the caveat that I haven’t used it myself. Xmarks earned a loyal following after its introduction in 2006 but in September 2010 the company announced that it was closing due to lack of funds.

After an outcry a savior swooped in, set the company on a firm financial footing, and promised to give it a bright future. […] continued

Previously:
Battle Of The Browser Updates
Comparing The New Internet Browsers, aka Microsoft And The LastPass Problem
Syncing Bookmarks And Favorites With Firefox 4 And Chrome 10

Microsoft is bringing up the rear for a reason.

Since it’s not obvious how to do it, let’s type “IE9 sync favorites” into Google. The first choice takes us – well, it takes us to an obsolete third-party site. But the second choice! Ah, that must lead right to the official Microsoft answer: “Sync your favorites using Windows Live Toolbar.” Perfect!

We don’t want a toolbar but the page promises that favorites will be synced and stored in our Skydrive account for online access, and that’s good, right? […] continued

Previously:
Battle Of The Browser Updates
Comparing The New Internet Browsers, aka Microsoft And The LastPass Problem

Many people are building imposing lists of bookmarked web sites. Having access to that list from each of our computers is quickly moving from a convenience to a necessity.

The new browsers each take a crack at supplying a tool to sync your favorites from one computer to another. There is no shortage of third party apps to do the same chore, so these are by no means your only options. They do, however, provide another glimpse at the way the developers of each browser handled a simple task. […] continued