ie8 fix

proxies

Basic download manager

Sometimes it's enough to download a video or song by itself, but other times we find ourselves with multiple downloads going, which can get confusing and hard to manage. InstantGet is a download manager that helps organize downloads and claims to make them faster. Although we're not sure that the program's claims are accurate, overall, it seems to work well enough.

The program's interface is fairly basic, not differing significantly from that of other download managers we've encountered. It's not the most intuitive program we've ever seen, but with a bit of poking … Read more

On2 answers questions on Google merger

On2 Technologies has filed an update with the SEC on its proposed merger with Google, hoping to put to rest some key questions.

On2, which makes video compression software, announced Monday that the update includes certain key highlights about the merger and some frequently asked questions.

On2 agreed on August 5 to be acquired by Google for $106.5 million, a deal already approved by its board of directors. The terms call for each share of On2 to be exchanged for 60 cents worth of Google common stock.

With its board anxious for investors to approve the deal, On2 outlined some of the risksRead more

Confusing Internet monitor

You know it's never a good sign when a program's Quick Start tutorials and wizards are just as confusing as its user interface. Definitely not for the novice user, WebSpy Analyzer Premium lets you keep a watchful eye on e-mail and Internet usage--just be prepared to spend the entire 30-day trial period getting acquainted with it.

At first glance, the user interface appears fairly straightforward. But after a closer look, it wasn't obvious what we needed to do first. A Quick Start Tutorial is displayed in the center panel, but it was vague and didn't help … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 955: Wing and a prayer

Today's show may be held together by Duct tape and super glue, but Jeff Bakalar was kind enough to help us cover the day's news. Time Warner cancels its bandwidth cap plan, the Pirate Bay founders are thrown in the slammer, and YouTube is said to launch a pay-per-view model.

Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 955

Time Warner to shelf plan for pay-as-you-go broadband

Use of proxy server would increase jail time

New T-Mobile Sidekick

Some big Twitter announcement

Oprah about to Twitter

Caption tool for YouTube

YouTube to launch pay-per-view model

Pirate Bay founders get jail timeRead more

Microsoft, researcher spar over security patch

On Tuesday, Microsoft released a patch for a hole in Windows 2000 and Server 2003 and 2008 that could allow an attacker to redirect network traffic to a malicious site that has been set to serve as a proxy.

The vulnerability, rated important by Microsoft, allows IT managers to set a Windows Proxy Auto-Discovery, or WPAD, entry in the DNS. If IE or Firefox are configured to "automatically detect settings," the browser will connect to the proxy machine.

This is a useful feature for corporations that want to set up their own proxy server for monitoring employee Web … Read more

Snipe Swipe helps you win eBay auctions

Grizzled eBay veterans know all too well that the action on any auction doesn't heat up until the last few minutes. Bidding wars can be won and lost by who had the fastest click--or the highest auto-bid. To aid in this nail-biting process is Snipe Swipe, a "sniping" tool with a new Firefox add-on that does the bidding for you at the very last possible second.

Once installed you'll get a new button on any auction page that lets you set it to be sniped. After you've done this, it gets flagged in Snipe Swipe'… Read more

Very capable proxy manager

It's free and lets you easily manage a proxy list from Firefox, but you'll need to install another program to use everything that ProxySel has to offer.

ProxySel fits snugly into your Firefox menu bar and features a drop-down menu for editing, sorting, and importing proxy lists. There is also a feature for easily adjusting your browser anonymity settings. Your proxy list also is displayed in a drop-down menu. Each proxy has a star-based rating system, with one star being OK, and four stars being superior. You can add your own rating to each proxy server. Beyond that, … Read more

Anonymous surfing comes at the price of slow surfing

This free Firefox add-on keeps you a mouse-click away from tor-proxy.net, a Web site that lets you browse anonymously by hiding your IP address. It works, but the trade-off in speed is noticeable.

Tor-Proxy.NET Toolbar doesn't have typical toolbar features, such as e-mail notification, and a weather forecast, and there's a lot of wasted space, but you can easily hide the toolbar. A shortcut button on the toolbar takes you directly to tor-proxy.net. There also is a place to enter a URL, and two proxy options: JAP/JonDos and TOR. During our tests, we entered … Read more

Yahoo board sets eyes on Chapple and Biondi

Update at 7:34 a.m. PDT on August 14: Frank Biondi Jr.'s decline comment has been added.

Yahoo is close to appointing John Chapple and Frank Biondi Jr. as its two additional board members, as it nears its Friday deadline to expand its board as part of a settlement agreement with activist investor Carl Icahn, according to sources.

The Internet company had agreed to select two candidates from a pool that included Icahn's former slate of dissident directors. Icahn was also appointed to Yahoo's board as part of the proxy battle-ending agreement.

"We know who … Read more

Disapproval eases for Yahoo board in this year's vote

Update at 3:08 p.m. PDT, with Carl Icahn's appointment to the board and closing stock price.

The results are in on the re-election of Yahoo's directors, and the damage is not as bad as last year. No one received more than a 22.1 percent withhold vote, compared with a substantially higher 34 percent last year, according to the company.

Shareholders withhold votes to re-elect directors as a means to send a message of investor dissatisfaction to a company and its board.

Here's how each director stacked up on their re-election:

Roy Bostock, chairman, a … Read more