December
2006 Tidbits
This issue of Tidbits is dedicated to Internet Explorer 7.0. Many of you have downloaded the newest version of IE, so here are some highlights to help you make the best of the changes that came with it.
IE's new look
IE 7 has a new, more streamlined look. Less screen real estate goes to the buttons and toolbars at the top of the page. Here's how the top of the new browser looks:
It's pretty obvious what does what, but I've been a little perturbed by the move of the most used buttons. I'm used to the Refresh, Stop, and Home buttons being together in the upper left corner by Back and Forward. Now when I want to refresh or go home, I have to hunt around for where the buttons have been moved (see red circles above).
The other thing that has moved that you might be used to using is the Internet Options where you can set your cache, homepage, etc. There's no menu bar in IE 7, so you have to find TOOLS to set your options:
Click on the Tools button to the right of the Home button, and you'll see Internet Options at the bottom of the list. Once there, you'll see where you can set your homepage, delete your history, etc.
Tabs in IE (copying Firefox?)
Another major change in IE is the appearance of tabbed browsing. Firefox users are familiar with this feature, and I must say I prefer Firefox's implementation of tabbed browsing over what IE has come up with. At any rate, you'll now see tabs in IE's toolbar which allows you to keep multiple pages open, each on their own tab, so you can switch back and forth between sites.
One thing I like about IE's implementation is the Quick Tabs feature. When you click on the Quick Tabs button, you are shown mini screen shots of all of the sites you have open on different tabs. You can then click on the screen shot of the site you want to visit to return to that page in your browser. This is very handy for those of us who have a lot of tabs open at one time! Here's an example of what the Quick Tabs screen shots look like:
Cool!
In the Internet Options under Tools, you can set how your tabs will behave. Click on the Settings button next to Tabs on the General section of Internet Options:
Once in Tabs Settings, you can decide how you want your tabs to perform. Here are your options:
Experiment with your settings until you figure out what you like. Tabbed browsing can be tricky to get used to if you haven't used it before, but it's a great tool once you've set it up to work the way you want it to.
Improved printing features
Along with enhanced security features comes improved printing options. IE 7 will shrink text so that all of the content of a webpage fits on your final printed page. You can adjust margins, create customizable page layouts, remove headers and footers, and more. If you want to quickly print a page, simply click on the printer button as usual. To access print options, click on the down arrow next to the printer and select Print Preview (see below).
Once in Print Preview, you have several options. Some of my favorites are:
- Change the print size to fit more (or less) text on a page by playing with the Shrink to Fit feature. Just select the % view you want on each page and go!
- View multiple pages at once by changing your page view.
- Use Full Page View to easily change your page margins for printing. Click on the Full Page View button, then you'll see double arrows that you can drag around to change your margins. It's super easy!
A note about Firefox
Firefox is still my browser of choice even though IE 7 has some improvements that make it a bit more attractive than it used to be. If you are a Firefox addict like I am, be sure to download the latest version. A recent report indicated that there are some security vulnerabilities in Firefox that can be fixed with an update. To update your Firefox browser, go to HELP on the menu bar and click on CHECK FOR UPDATES. Firefox will take it from there.
Adieu
Farewell until next time from the library system where all the computers are fast, all the books are worth reading, and all the librarians are above average!
This issue of Tidbits was written by Beth Carpenter, Library Services Manager for the Outagamie Waupaca Library System. Please send any comments or questions about this issue to Beth.
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