EU accepts Microsoft deal on browser choice

The battle between the EU and Microsoft

After years of court battles, hefty fines and more fines in the future it looks like Microsoft have finally given the EU a solution they are happy with. If you use Internet Explorer in the EU you will be sent a small update giving you the choice of between 10 and 12 different browsers including some of the more common ones. This will happen on XP, Vista and windows 7 machines and is reportedly going to be in a neutral window and not in an Internet Explorer windows with the options in a random order.

The main browsers will be:

Internet Explorer , Firefox, Chrome, Opera and Safari on the main page but you can scroll to get AOL, Maxthon, K-Meleon, Flock, Avant Browser, Sleipnir and Slim Browser. This list will be reviewed every 6 months and Microsoft expects 100 million machines to have displayed the pop-up by mid-March.

Browser Popularity

The percentage of global internet traffic using the following browsers:
Internet Explorer - 56%
Mozilla Firefox - 32%
Google Chrome 5%
Safari - 4%
Opera - 2%


This could just be the beginning with other now wanting to challenge other default programs the Windows bundles, like notepad.


What browsers do you use and why?

I use Internet Explorer for Microsoft sites and go between Safari and Chrome form my main browsing. I used to like Firefox but I think it has went downhill in the last year.

How safe is public WIFI?

How often do you use a free WIFI service from a coffee company or restaurant and do you think it is secure?  I was asked this question recently.
The truth is not very safe at all.  If someone wanted to and you were not protecting yourself then they could quite easily by using programs available on the internet.  To see this in action goto the BBC watchdog website and see for yourself.

The solution is to use a VPN. 

You have a few options here

1. Buy VPN access, you can buy this which has a lot of security and one company I looked at had servers in Livingstone
2. Configure your server for VPN access and this will give you access to all your resources on your network
3. Configure your Windows operating system to act like a VPN server but this will only allow you access to this computer only

If you use public WIFI a lot and want the best performance then the best option is to buy your VPN access, while this will not give you access to your resources on your computer or network it is the easiest to do and again has the best performance.
If you want to have your own VPN access but do not have it yet then I will show, you links on how setup your own PC or laptop to act like a VPN server.  However if you want your server setup as a VPN server then I would get this done by your IT support provider (or me) as you can force better security which I would recommend.  While I advise you use VPN for better security I cannot guarantee you will be 100% safe.
Please remember that after you have setup Windows to act like a VPN server you will need to configure your router and firewall to allow these connections otherwise it will not work.  Due the large amount of routers and different firewalls available, I cannot go into detail on how to set these up but if your router does not support PPTN or VPN then you will need to create a port forward for port 1723.

VPN incoming connections

Windows XP VPN setup (not my page as I don’t have XP)

Windows Vista incoming VPN setup

Windows 7 incoming VPN setup
Depending on your firewall, you will need to allow access for port 1723.
Now that you have setup your connections, you need a way of finding your computer on the internet.  If you have bought a broadband package with a static IP address then you can use this but if not then you have a few options.  Download and setup a program called NO-IP, which is free for personal use and instructions can be found on their website or if your router supports it you can setup DDNS again instructions are on their website.

Now all you need to do is setup the VPN outgoing connection

XP out going VPN connection was shown above

Vista outgoing VPN connections follow these steps

1. Go to Start -> Connect To
2. Click the Set up a new connection or network Option.
3. Scroll down to the bottom of the list and select Connect to a workplace, then click Next.
4. Select the Use my Internet Connection option.
5. Type in your VPN internet address.
6. Enter a User name and password that has been granted access to the host computer.
7. You can use the Connect To option in the Start menu.

Windows 7 outgoing VPN connections follow these steps

1. First, go to Control Panel and open Network and Sharing Center.
2. Click on Set up a new connection or network.
3. Select Connect to a workplace then click on Next.
4. Select Use my internet connection (VPN).
5. Type the IP address or computer name where you wish to connect and your connection name under the Destination name field.
6. Enter a User name and password that has been granted access to the host computer.
7. For connecting your VPN connection, you can either right-click on the Network icon in the system tray and select Network and Sharing Center or go to Control Panel and open Network and Sharing Center, and click on Connect to a network.
8. Now connect VPN Connection windows will appears.

iPhone and iPod touch: Setting up VPN

Configure VPN<

Choose Settings > General > Network > VPN and then choose Add VPN Configuration. Ask your network administrator which settings to use. In most cases, if you have set up a similar VPN on your computer, you can use the same VPN settings for your device.
Turn VPN on or off

Once you've created a VPN configuration, the option to turn VPN on or off appears in the main Settings screen. When you are connected using VPN, the VPN icon appears in the status bar.

Who says nothing in life is free Part 1

If you search the internet you can find a lot of free programs but you are you left asking the following questions. Are they any good, are they safe, are they stable? these are only a few questions I have asked myself when looking for software but here are a few good ones that my help you either in business or at home.  This is just the first part and I will compose more free programs and websites another time.

It is worth stating that while some products allow you to use their free service for commercial use other don't, so please read the small print first as I will not be help responsible.

I will start with office products:

open office based on Sun Microsystems star office this can do most things MS office can including save your files to PDF. Open office is also available for most popular operating systems so you can have a consistent user experience no matter what operating system you are using.

OxygenOffice Professional This is based on open office but with bundled extras like several templates and sample documents are included, as well as over 90 fonts and additional tools like OOoWikipedia.

google docs If you want to share your documents quickly and easily or if you want to have access to all your files anywhere you have an internet connection then this is a good option. Although it does not have as much to offer as open office if all you want is a word processor, spreadsheets and a presentation tool then it is worth a try. The other advantage is if your computer breaks then you will not have lost any files.


Think free I have never used this product but after been given a good review by a friend I might try it. ThinkFree usability extends beyond PCs and is perfect for Internet-connected devices, including thin client and mobile computing platforms.
The award-winning ThinkFree Office is a Microsoft® Office compatible application suite comprised of word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation graphics software - all usable online and offline.
ThinkFree Office can automatically install and upgrade over the Web with features such as Internet-based file sharing and storage, as well as end-to-end security.
Built for cross-platform functionality, ThinkFree Office is compatible with Windows, Macintosh, Unix and Linux systems.

Now for some free music tools. I never use MS media player as it lacks at lot of functionality unless you look for and install codecs but there are tools out there that are better.

Winamp This takes me back to my early internet years with the latest 56K modem (I'm not old enough to remember the slower ones) and this was one of the first programs I downloaded and installed from the internet. What can I say really, it plays music but well, it is also highly customizable with thousands of "skins" to make if feel more personal and it can even sync with your Ipod and itunes.

ItunesThis really does not need much of an introduction so I will leave it there.

Video playback

Video lan I can only suggest one here as video lan can play all I have needed it to. Available for all operating systems I have yet to find a video file it can not play. On top of that it can also play streaming videos and play from tv capture cards. This also has a handy remote in the itunes store so you do not need to have your keyboards and mouse to watch a film.

Online storage

sky drive from Microsoft this offers 25 Gb of online storage that you can make private or share your files with either selected people or everyone. The only downside is you need to manually upload the files or if you are using internet explorer you can drag and drop but it does not accept folders.

Humyo Offers 10Gb free but with the option to add more for a fee. The free version is only accessible through the internet.

Adrive free for personal use but again with price plans the free plan offers 50Gb of storage and again the free version is only available by the internet but it does allow folder uploads.

This has only scratched the surface and if you would like more on a specific topic then please let me know.