Stories by: Preston Gralla

If you're looking for a Windows Web browser that bristles with power features, and don't mind a somewhat unattractive interface and some confusing configuration, then Maxthon 2.1 may be the browser for you.

Firefox 3.1 may only be a point release -- from 3.0 to 3.1 -- but its just-released Beta 2 version is a good indication that the final release will be a must-have upgrade for anyone using Firefox.

If you're looking for a free way to optimise your PC, Comodo Registry Cleaner is a great bet.

The Internet was built on a very simple idea: People should be able to communicate more easily with one another, using their computers. So it should be no surprise that communication -- particularly in the form of e-mail and instant messaging -- is still at the heart of why most people go online.

Get Windows humming again, supercharge your browser, and clear out the crud with these (mostly) free downloads.

Those who expect Internet Explorer 8.0 to be a warmed-over version of IE7, or a me-too response to Firefox 3.0, will be surprised by the just-released Beta 2 of IE8.

One of the worst privacy invaders the world has ever seen is the Internet. When you surf, Web sites can find out where you've been and can gather other information about you. Trojan horses and spyware can snoop on you. Key loggers can capture your keystrokes as you type. Eavesdroppers can steal your passwords.

Like most other computer owners in the world, you've probably become a network administrator by default, forced to handle the myriad problems that can bedevil your home network or small-office network. Pure Networks' software app, Speed Meter Pro, can help you do the job -- but only to a point. Speed Meter Pro focuses on network slowdowns and ignores other issues such as IP woes, making it only a partial salve for the beleaguered.

Like most people visiting this site, you most likely live on the Internet. And that means you need help -- help with your home or business network for accessing the Internet, help with troubleshooting, help with downloading, and with e-mail, instant messaging, and security.

With the impending retirement of Bill Gates from Microsoft comes an obvious question: How will history view him? As a founder of the world's most influential software vendor and one of the biggest creators of wealth ever? Or as a monopolist and digital robber baron?

OpenOffice 3.0 shows that you don't have to pay a bundle for a great office suite -- in fact, you don't even have to pay a penny.