All things
considered, these software-based proxies are probably marginally safer than
anonymous proxies, and less of a hassle than web-based proxies.
Now, you might be thinking, why not just use a router? Well, routers??”discussed
in Chapter 6??”offer terrific firewall production and indeed act as a layer
between your PC and the rest of the Web. But when you surf from behind a
router, web sites still see your router??™s IP address, and thus are still able to collect
all the same information about you and your geographical location.
See ???Lock Out Unauthorized PCs,??? earlier in this chapter, for a way to spoof
the MAC address of your PC (or your router).
448 | Chapter 7: Networking and Internet
Change the Default Email Reader
Just because email is ubiquitous doesn??™t mean it??™s irrelevant which email
software you use. Sure, Microsoft would love it if you used the Windows
Mail application that comes with Vista, or better yet, the Windows Live
Mail web site that??™s tied to its online corporate marketing strategy. And it
wants you to use Microsoft Office and Internet Explorer, rather than Open-
Office and Firefox. If Microsoft had its way, you??™d be brushing your teeth
with Microsoft Toothpaste. The good news is that you can have it your way;
Sinatra would be proud.
The most ceremonious place to start is the Email link at the top of your Start
menu. Right-click the Start button, select Properties, and choose the Start
Menu tab.
Pages:
603
604
605
606
607
608
609
610
611
612
613
614
615
616
617
618
619
620
621
622
623
624
625
626
627