Alternative Software: [Part 1]

So you got yourself a brand new Core 2 something PC... Or are you still working on that old P4. Well, no matter what is the configuration of your PC this article is for YOU!
All of us use some software which is considered somewhat standard in its field. We believe that this is the best possible option available to us. We use it just because everyone else is using it! A large portion of the computing world relies on pirated software. Let me tell you. THERE ARE ALTERNATIVES AVAILABLE. And at no cost at all. We'll be spending the next few minutes discussing some alternative options which are either Open Source or FreeWare.

Lets start with the browser...

Software – Microsoft Internet Explorer
Alternative - Mozilla Firefox

As of Dec 2007 a whopping 55.9% of net surfers use Microsoft's Internet Explorer. 36.3% use Mozilla Firefox. The remainder primarily use Opera, Safari, Konqueror etc.*
*Source http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_stats.asp

Internet Explorer faces a no. of problems.

Security:
It is very easy to attack computers with IE as the browser. This is due to the large no. of security flaws present in it. This compromises the user's privacy and may give access of the users filesystem to hackers. Virus, trojans, malware and adware are more likely to infect a system if IE is used.

No support for 3rd party plugins:
The usability, functionality or even the look and feel of the browser cannot be changed as desired. You have to use what the Microsoft develepors are throwing at you!

Speed:
Believe it not... IE is much much slower than Firefox and Opera in terms of browsing . Just try out firefox once and you'll come to know the difference!

No timely updates:
As IE is developed and maintained by Microsoft alone, the browser isn't updated and its security holes aren't patched up as quickly as Firefox.

The best thing about Firefox is that it is Open Source! This means that the source code is available free for download! Anyone can modify it and help in its development. Even You! :)

For those who don't want anything to do with the development still benefit from Firefox being open source as it is available FREE OF COST.
Firefox has a HUGE library of Plugins, themes and extensions. You can customize it to meet your needs and requirements.
Firefox releases timely updates as it is maintained by the community. This makes the browser more secure.

In Short
Dump the old IE... USE FIREFOX
Get it at
http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/
Available on a no. of platforms in a large no. of languages.
Get The Add-ons from
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/