Here's some input from Jim Hays, "In a recent posting David Passell mentioned using "duck duck go" to ensure search privacy. Another option is Startpage (https://startpage.com/) which claims to be 'the only third-party certified search engine in the world that does not record your IP address or track your searches.'
"StartPage is compatible with a broad range of browsers including Firefox, Safari and Chrome. StartPage can also be used to visit third-party websites with total privacy by using the StartPage Proxy."
Adware is Coming
"Here is a link to the story about adware on the Mac," David Passell writes. "I have noticed the 'Ask...' banner for search. I use Mozilla and i can select search engine. I use 'duck duck go.'
"I haven't used Safari for some time. I wonder if it defaults to the search engine and browser described in the article." Take a look and see how it affects you.
http://www.zdnet.com/article/oracle-extends-its-adware-bundling-to-include-java-for-macs/ tag=nl.e539&s_cid=e539&ttag=e539&ftag=TRE17cfd61
As always, keep aware and keep alert.
Yosemite is HERE!
You've heard about it, but John Carter has done it! Here's his report on updating his operating system to Yosemite 10.10. (Remember to click on each illustration to enlarge it, then click to go back to this report. And if this whole thing is hard to read do Command and the + to enlarge the page.) John says, "Everything changes appearances. Here's what my HOME page in Safari looks like:
"I have set it that way because I don't want to see ANYTHING on my homepage. You might have your home page to see something like this:
"The address bar at the top doubles as a search bar. You do NOT need that Google search bar in the middle of your page to do a search. But if you insist, either type in google.com in the address bar or click on the home icon (if you have your one page set to google.com.)
With the update to 10.10, Safari (and all other Apple apps) also gets updated, and the default search engine for Safari is now DuckDuckGo. It's a much safer way to browse the Internet because it doesn't track what you do.
And notice that the Favorites Bar is gone. When you click in the address bar, it comes back looking like this:
There's all my favorites. The icons with smaller icons in them are folders. Look at the Entertainment icon. It is a folder with multiple icons in it. When I click on that icon, I then see this:
And there's all the websites that I have saved in that folder.
I used to be able to right click on an item in the Favorites Bar and an option list would pop up. That doesn't happen anymore. If I want to change what's in my favorites, I have to edit bookmarks. Another way to access Favorites is to Show Bookmarks. That opens a sidebar with everything in it - which takes up more space.
I don't like this way of doing things, but for people with sight problems, this is great.
If you don't want to deal with the changes in Safari, use Firefox or Chrome. But I guarantee that one day those browsers will also change dramatically.
Things change. We either get used to the change, learn what's new, or lay down and let the world go by. Changes like this are actually beneficial to keeping our brains in shape. So it's best to let change be our daily lesson or find another way to communicate with the world - like go back to books, pen and paper.
The irony of it all is that this kind of change makes me feel like I am back in school. Every year is another grade to pass. I actually like it. It's a challenge. The only way out of this is to move in to an Amish village.
Noteboom Productions has a full video tutorial for Yosemite along with 20+ other very useful tutorials just for the Mac and iOS available in a subscription package (various rates apply). The tutorials are all online - nothing to download. There are lots of short videos on specific topics on the web. Study the tutorials, come to the PMUG meetings and SIGS, get comfortable with the changes, then do the update. Or just stay with what you have for the next five years. Frankly, if need to use your computer, eventually you may be forced to update because websites and applications will change to adopt to the new operating system and leave the old one in the dust.
Be brave. It's the only high we have left that's legal. Be curious. It burns more calories than sleeping. Be unafraid. Fear is the ego's only tool that keeps you in the dark. - Psychology 101.
For what it’s worth, here is a free online text tutorial that will help you get ready to do the update to Yosemite: tuts+
It doesn’t tell you how to download and install Yosemite. To do that, just open the App Store, click on the appropriate link, and just take all the defaults when it asks for information. Tuts+ has a lot of other free tutorials that you might find helpful.
Oh, yes. You WILL need to know your Apple ID and password as well as your computer login password. If you don’t know these things, call Apple Support. If you are out of warranty, it will cost you only $20 to get all the help you need. If you want my help, it will cost you $45/hr for a minimum of two hours." And here John Carter smiles as he leaves us with all of this to ponder.