Build a better browser: Get more out of your Internet sessions with add-on programs that enhance Internet Explorer and Netscape
BY JIM LYNCH Your Web browser is like a stripped-down version of an automobile. They both get you where you want to go, but your journeys would be more enjoyable if you customized them with extras. To help increase your browser's usefulness, we've assembled a list of some of the best Web surfing add-on utilities available for Internet Explorer and Netscape—many for free. These software tools help you find information faster, manage that information efficiently and navigate the Web more effectively (and in style).
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Customize the look:
NeoPlanet (http://www.neoplanet.com ; free) IE (W) NeoPlanet gives IE a face-lift by wrapping new "skins" around it, replacing Microsoft gray with neon blue, turning dull buttons into shiny metallic knobs or splotches of color, etc. More than 500 skins are available.
Internet Explorer Personalizer (http://accesscodes.hypermart.net ; free) IE (W) Change "Microsoft Internet Explorer" at the top of your browser to "Jim's Browser!" or whatever suits you. Replace the spinning logo, toolbar background, search button and more.
Hotbar (http://www.hotbar.com ; free) IE, N (W) Yeah, that gray toolbar starts to get a bit dull. Replace it with something more picturesque—an orange tropical sky, maybe. Choose from thousands of skins; themes include nature, sports, romance and kids. The Hotbar adds buttons for quick access to news and other services.
Manage your bookmarks
Blink (http://www.blink.com ; free) IE, N (W) (Mac)
Blink lets you get to your bookmarks, or favorites, from any computer with a Web connection. You can also share your bookmarks and access ones posted by other users.
HotLinks (http://www.hotlinks.com ; free) IE, N (W) Access your bookmarks from any Windows system anywhere, find sites similar to those you visit, arrange links by category and e-mail links to your friends.
URL Manager Pro (http:www.url-manager.com ; $25) IE, N (Mac) Drag links from your browser to the URL Manager window to add sites to your collection. Organize your URLs in a hierarchical structure and store bookmarks in folders.
Manage your research
SurfSaver (http://www.surfsaver.com ; free, $29.95 for pro version) IE, N (W) Save Web pages in searchable folders on your hard disk. An excellent tool if you use the Web for research and need to save pages locally, then find them quickly.
netXtract (http://www.netxtract.com ; free, $29.95 for ad-free version) IE (W) netXtract streamlines Web research by indexing all the words on a page displayed by Internet Explorer. You can click on a word in the index to see all the phrases that include that word and jump to any context you find interesting. Save the information you want in a database.
WebCopier (http://www.maximumsoft.com ; free but ad-supported) IE (W) WebCopier lets you download partial or entire Web sites to your hard disk and view them offline. You can schedule the time when the program downloads pages.
Get help searching
Google Toolbar (http://www.google.com/options/ toolbar.html ; free) IE (W) One of the best search engines now has its own add-on toolbar, so you can access its search functions from any Web site. You can search a site for particular words and see related pages at other sites.
Copernic 2000 (http://www.copernic.com ; free) IE, N (W), (Mac) Copernic seeks the needle in the haystack by using more than 80 search engines simultaneously. Search by keywords or ask questions in plain English. Terms you're looking for are highlighted in the list of results. Copernic is also good at weeding out dead links.
Glooton (http://www.glooton.com ; free) IE (W), (Mac) This metasearcher scours 110 search sites to find what you're looking for. You can choose the search sites it employs.
iRemember (http://www.seracsoftware.com/ iremember.html ; $25) IE (W), (Mac) When you visit a Web page, iRemember indexes it. Later, when you're searching for that item you know you've seen somewhere on your Net travels, give this add-on a few relevant words and it will take you to the pages you've visited that include those words.
Accelerate downloads
NetSonic (http://www.netsonic.com ; free) IE, N (W) Speeds up your surfing by caching, or storing, the main parts of Web pages (pictures, for instance) on your hard disk more effectively than your browser does, so there's less to download the next time you visit the page. The program can also prefetch links on a site, so those pages are cached before you visit them.
Download Accelerator (http://www.downloadaccelerator.com ; free) IE, N (W) This browser plug-in claims to speed up your downloads by up to 300 percent. We didn't see quite that kind of increase, but there was a significant reduction in download time over a DSL connection. The program lets interrupted downloads resume (if the server you've accessed supports that capability).
Speed Download (http://homepage.mac.com/fred_cheung ; $15) IE (Mac) Instead of transferring a file over just one connection, this program accelerates downloads by opening up to 32 simultaneous connections to the server you're getting the file from. In the event of interruption, all downloads can be resumed without losing any bits. It takes some tinkering to get it to work with IE, but program creator Frederick Cheung explains how in the documentation.
Find more information
Alexa (http://www.alexa.com ; free) IE, N (W) If you've ever been on a Web page and wondered if there were others related to it, you'll like Alexa. It displays information about a site, traffic numbers, related links and reviews.
Babylon (http://www.babylon.com ; free, $19.95 for ad-free version) IE, N (W) Get definitions, conversions, translations and other relevant information for just about any word you type into its interface. Babylon provides fast access to specialized glossaries in categories including language, science, computers, sports and government.
Flyswat (http://www.flyswat.com ; free) IE (W) Flyswat lets you click on words on a Web page to get more information. Click on "Homer," for example, and you might get a window of links to "Simpsons" sites.
UCmore (http://www.ucmore.com ; free) IE, N (W) UCmore provides additional information based on the subject of whatever Web page you're on. For example, if you visit a travel site, you'll get a menu of related sites displayed under Travel on the UCmore toolbar.
Fill in the blanks
Gator (http://www.gator.com ; free) IE (W) Gator can save you a lot of time, especially when you're shopping online, by automatically filling in forms with standard information such as name, e-mail address, credit card number, etc. (Gator tracks the sites you visit, so be sure to read the software privacy policy.)
AI RoboForm (http://www.roboform.com ; free) IE, N (W) Give AI RoboForm the information you want it to have, from log-in names to passwords to credit card numbers, and when a site requests it, click the Fill Forms button added to your browser. RoboForm will fill in the blanks for you.
Web Confidential (http://www.web-confidential.com ; $20) IE, N (W), (Mac) If you're a Mac user who frequently visits sites that require a name and password, you can save some keystrokes with Web Confidential, the best form-filler for the Macintosh. It will store and handle confidential information including serial numbers, PINs and credit card numbers. It's also available for Windows users.
Create a multipage page
Octopus (http://www.octopus.com ; free) IE (W) Octopus aggregates content from various Web sites and pulls it together in one browser page called a "View." News junkies will love Octopus; it's an easy way to get content from many sites delivered to just one page.
Block cookies, ads and eyes
AdShield (http://www.pcnet.com/~drbenway ; free) IE (W) AdShield blocks the download and display of ad images, ad pages and ad pop-up windows.
Ad-Aware (http://www.lavasoft.de/aaw ; free) IE (W) Ad-Aware scans your system for the most common "ad spyware" programs such as Adware, Comet Cursor and Web3000 (among others). It's useful if you want to find and remove programs that might be tracking your online behavior.
SurfSecret (http://www.surfsecret.com ; free for 30 days, then $29.99 to $39.99) IE, N (W) Erase your surfing history. SurfSecret eliminates items left on your computer that indicate where you've been online, such as browser cache files, cookies and even files left in the recycling bin. The Cookie Saver lets you keep the cookies you want.
WebFree (http://www.falken.net/webfree ; free for 30 days, then $20) IE, N (Mac) Choose what you want to see at the sites you visit. You can block flashing banners, images, cookies and links.
WebWasher (http://www.webwasher.com ; free) IE (W), (Mac) WebWasher lets you protect your online privacy by filtering cookies and other items you suspect of compromising your privacy. You can also eliminate unwanted pop-up windows.
Browse many windows
Katiesoft (http://www.katiesoft.com ; free) IE, N (W) Katiesoft lets you view multiple Web pages from within the same browser window. You have access to all of your usual browser navigation tools plus quick access to Windows Explorer and Media Player.
BroadPage (http://www.broadpage.com ; free) IE (W) This multipage browser lets you view and manage multiple Web pages, which you can switch between by clicking on convenient tabs. You can have as many as 100 windows open, if you dare.
WebCascader (http://mathtechassociates.bizland.com/ MTAShareWare.html ; free for 300 launches, then $15) IE, N (Mac) Part multipage viewer, part bookmark organizer, Web- Cascader lets you arrange all your favorite sites or related sites in a "project," then open them all at once with one click.
JIM LYNCH is a consultant who writes frequently for leading computer magazines.
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