Free Software To Improve Your Life

Improve your Internet Browsing Experience

I spend most of my time on the internet in some way shape or form. Here is some free software that I use in order to make that whole experience more enjoyable:

Chrome/Firefox

I remember when I thought that Internet Explorer (IE) and Safari were the only way to use the internet, that was a scary time for me. Once I switched to Google Chrome my life was changed. The switch improved the experience of surfing to web from a slow chore to an fast intuitive process. I’m quite confident that there are a bunch of technical reasons on why Chrome is better than IE but to be completely honest I just use Chrome because it is easier and looks sleeker. I can open a new tab and immediately type something to google it, which is really all most people want to do on the internet. Chrome has a plethora of add ons, it’s intuitive to use, and there is a study out there that says Chrome/Firefox users make better employees[1]. If you haven’t already switched to Chrome then you can download it here. If you want Firefox which is basically an open source browser then you can download it here. I don’t mind Firefox, I used it in high school and I prefer it to IE, but I didn’t find it as intuitive as Chrome so I ditched it. Mozilla, the makers of Firefox, have other free open source software like Thunderbird which is a free open source email client like Microsoft’s Outlook.

Incognito mode

Incognito mode is a way to browse the internet without the browser saving your information. The sites you visit will save info that you give them but your searches and history won’t show up after you close out of the incognito window. I would expect this to be available in all browsers, but since I only use Chrome I can only confirm it’s existence there. Why would you want to use Incognito? Well the obvious answer that is on everyone’s mind is when one is trying to hide their use of risqué  websites[2]. I use the site, consume the content, close out the window then wash my hands of it. With incognito mode there is no need to manual clear browser history or worry about someone else seeing what kind of sites have been visited.  If that is your answer, you’re not wrong but come on, expand your horizons. This has the ability to not save log  in info too, so this means that if my friend ever wants to use my computer to log into a site and look something up I just open a new incognito window for them and neither of us have to worry about which account to use. They don’t have to log out of mine if I already have an account setup and I won’t have to worry about logging out of theirs once they’re done with my computer. In order to use this just right click on whatever icon you use to launch your browser and there should be an option for incognito mode.

Ad Block

This is a great software because I get annoyed seeing advertisement anywhere. I have been known for turning off the radio in my car when commercials come on and just forgetting to turn it back on when I think they should be over, I would prefer to sit in silence than listen to people rant about all the stuff I need to buy in order to improve my life. Adds on the internet are somehow even more annoying because they can make noise when you’re not expecting it, show videos and take up precious band width, and overall just take away from a sleek looking website. Whenever I use a computer that doesn’t have ad block or turn it off because a website forces me to I am always amazed by the dumb crap that shows up. I definitively believe that my life is constantly improved by this little app that I don’t even have to touch. It runs in the background while I don’t even have to think about it. This is an extension to your web browser and it can be downloaded wherever you download extensions. If you don’t know where that is go to their website adblockplus.org and they can help you out. If you use incognito mode in Chrome or any of your web browsers make sure you enable it to run for that mode too, that alone was a revelation to me.

Afterwards

[1] There’s a ton of other bloggers who have already rambled on about this weird statistic. If you’re a bad employee changing your browser won’t make you better. I chalk this one up to correlation doesn’t imply causation. Also what is a “better employee” from what I’ve read it means that they stick around longer, does that really make them better though? I guess the man just wants to get all the juice out of us as he can.

[2] If that wasn’t on your mind props to you!

Did You Enjoy This Article?

Subscribe For More Great Content!

* indicates required
Tags :