When
Microsoft unveiled Windows 8, one of the most interesting things about
it was the new iteration of Internet Explorer. If viewed via the Start
screen, the slimmed-down browser offers maximum space for viewing web
pages thanks to the position of buttons and the address bar striped
across the bottom of the screen (where people don’t usually read). It’s a
fascinating new approach, but Internet Explorer 10 is apparently low on
features and options.
In fact, you might think that it can’t do much other than browse the
web. Of course, you would be wrong. Thanks to the Desktop view in
Windows 8 you can configure both the Metro and traditional “views” of
the browser.
This article refers to the new-look Windows 8 as “Metro”, a term
popularised by Microsoft and technology journalists to describe the
tile-based interface seen in Windows 8 (and preceded on Windows Phone
devices). Although this is no longer the name given to the user
interface, it is the one that most people are familiar with.
Change The Default Search Engine
Recent figures have shown that Bing’s market share is growing – but
if you still prefer to use Google for search, you can reconfigure
Internet Explorer in the Windows 8 Desktop view. This is where the
options for both versions of the browser can be found, via
Tools > Internet Options. Once a change is made, it reflects on both the Start screen and the Desktop versions of the browser.
Using the gear/settings menu in the “full” Internet Explorer 10, open
Manage add-ons and select
Search Providers in the
Add-on Types pane; you will see Bing listed on its own. At the foot of the window, click the
Find more search providers… link and select your preferred search engine from the gallery of options. As well as Google, you’ll find DuckDuckGo listed.
Make your choice, click the
Add to Internet Explorer button and look out for the
Add Search Provider dialogue box. Check the
Make this my default search provider option, click
Add and close Internet Explorer. Now both versions will have your new search tool set as default.
Pinning & Favourites
On first glance, Internet Explorer 10 doesn’t appear to have a
favourites button/star. The reason for this is simple – there are now
two ways to add a website to your bookmarks.
In Windows 8, you can have both a traditional index of bookmarks and a
series of Start screen shortcuts, known as pins. Internet Explorer 10
features a Pin button, found to the right of the address bar. By
clicking or tapping this, you have the option of adding the website to
your favourites or pinning, using the
Add to favourites and
Pin to Start options that are displayed on a small pop-up menu.
Frequently Visited Sites & Internet History
Favourites and browser history are shared between the two versions of
IE10. These can be accessed in a variety of different ways depending on
the browser view.
If you’re using the streamlined Metro browser, favourite websites can be viewed by clicking the Address Bar or pressing
Alt + D. Although browsing history is not displayed in this view of the browser, it can be accessed through the Desktop version.
When using the Desktop Internet Explorer 10 browser, Favourites can
be viewed by clicking the star icon in the top right corner of the
window or by pressing the
Alt + C keyboard combination. This
displays the Favorites, Feeds, and History center. Browsing history can
be accessed from the History tab.
Internet Explorer 10 Add-ons
It should come as no surprise to learn that the Metro view of Internet Explorer 10 features no support for Add-ons.
Instead, these must be installed and used in the Desktop version. To
do this, switch to Desktop view, launch the browser and click the
gear/settings button in the top-right corner. In the resulting menu,
select
Manage add-ons and use the
Add-on Types list to
find the add-on (another term for “plugin”) that you want to use. It is
via this screen that you can enable, disable, or remove the add-ons.
Block Websites From Requesting Your Location
More and more websites rely on localization technology to tailor
content for your browsing experience. To offer you the ability to
opt-out of this sort of commercial surveillance, Microsoft has added a
useful localization control to Windows 8 and Internet Explorer 10.
In the Start screen, launch Internet Explorer and tap
Win + C or tap the right-edge of the display to open the Charms bar. Click
Settings > Internet Options and under
Permissions you will see the
Ask for location switch. Set to
On by default, a tap will disable the function.
Note also the
Clear option beneath the switch. This allows
you to prevent sites that you have previously shared your location with
from locating you.
Conclusion
Although on first glance Internet Explorer 10 in Metro view looks
like little more than a button-free window for fast browsing, the
browser remains as flexible as previous versions in Windows 8’s Desktop
view.
While history and configuration options are sparse in the Metro view,
these are all available in the traditional Internet Explorer window,
available through the desktop. Privacy options, add-ons and more can all
be managed here, and those that determine background settings for the
browser will impact both views, Desktop and Metro.
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Notepad, the text
editor that comes bundled in Windows is an excellent tool for text
editing. But that is not the only thing for which notepad is famous. It
is also famous for its tricks and hacks. Here is a roundup of some of
the best and coolest tricks that you can try using Notepad.
