Netscape Communicator Tips #7



*1. BOOKMARK COMPOSER

Want to edit one of your bookmarked sites? Open the bookmark 
file (Ctrl-B), select the bookmark, then right-click. From the 
context menu, choose Open Link In Composer. The Web page 
launches in Composer (Communicator's HTML editor). Of course, 
you won't be able to make changes to sites you don't own, but 
you can get an idea of how the site works.


*2. TOP PRIORITY

Communicator includes a way to indicate the importance of your 
message. You probably want the recipient to know if it's high 
priority, for example. To set the priority, compose the new 
message. Then click the drop-down arrow from the Priority list 
and select an option. If you select Highest, the message 
includes this designation in the message headers (some e-mail 
programs indicate the priority graphically).


*3. SPEAK AND SPELL

Nothing's more embarrassing than sending a message that 
contains spelling errors--even in these casual e-mail days. 
Before you send that message, always check the spelling. In 
Communicator's Composition window, just select Tools, Check 
Spelling (or click the Spelling button if you have the Message 
Toolbar displayed). The Composition spelling checker quickly 
shows you the error of your ways and allows you to 
correct matters.


*4. REGISTER FOR THE DRAFT

Sometimes you may compose messages you don't quite finish or 
don't want to send right away. No problem--just click Save in 
the Message Composition window. Communicator moves the message 
to the Drafts folder. When you want to work on it again, click 
the Drafts folder and select the message; this opens it in the 
Composition window.


*5. CHOCOLATE CHIP OR PEANUT BUTTER?

Cookies are files Web sites use to identify you each time you 
visit. The Web server generates cookies and stores them on your 
computer. They usually record information such as the sites you 
visit and what you do while you're there. For example, if you 
shop at an e-commerce site such as Amazon, the site gives you a 
cookie for each item you add to your "cart." Because of this, 
the site knows which items you have in the cart. Cookies are 
sometimes characterized as a security or privacy risk, but 
they're really pretty innocuous. Communicator gives you a 
couple of ways to handle cookies.

Select Edit, Preferences, then click Advanced from the Category 
list. Under Cookies, you can choose to accept all cookies, 
accept them only if they get sent back to the originating 
server (not some other URL), or disable cookies. Unless you 
have a specific reason for concern, go ahead and accept them 
all. You also have the option to receive a warning before you 
accept a cookie, but beware if you choose this: You'll spend 
most of your Web site visit clicking the box to accept or deny 
the cookies.


*6. COOKIE JAR

As you may know, a Web server sends cookies and stores them on 
your computer. If you're curious to see which cookies you have, 
just find the cookie file on your system. Look for the Cookies 
folder in the Windows folder (often found in 
C:\Windows\Cookies), or search for the folder by selecting 
Start, Find, Files or Folders, typing

Cookies 

in the Named box, and selecting Find Now.


*7. IS IT SAFE OUT THERE?

The Internet can be a pretty wild place. Therefore, it makes 
sense to be careful about the sites you visit and the pages you 
download. After all, you don't allow just anyone into your 
house, do you? If you want to verify that a page really comes 
from the site it's supposed to, click the Security icon (it 
looks like a padlock and appears in the bottom left corner of 
the screen) when you have the page open. The Verification 
section tells you what site hosts the page. If this is not what 
you expected, be very careful about downloading anything from 
the site.


*8. WHOSE CERTIFICATE?

When you access a secure site, the Security icon (it looks like 
a padlock and appears at the bottom left of the screen) changes 
to a locked position. When you click the icon, the Security Info
page shows you the encryption information about the page. Click 
View Certificate to see information about the digital security 
certificate used to "sign" the document. The most important 
information here is to whom the certificate belongs and who 
issued it.


*9. SCRAMBLED INFO

A secure Internet document uses a process called encryption to 
scramble its contents, which prevents unauthorized users from 
seeing them. There are a few different types of encryption, and 
you can see the type a particular document uses in the Security 
Info page. To see this, click the Security icon (it looks like 
a padlock and appears in the bottom left corner of the screen) 
when you have a secure document open. Click Open Page Info, 
then look in the bottom frame for the Security field. This 
tells you the type of encryption used for the page.


*10. SOUND THE ALERT

Communicator allows you to control how it notifies you about 
security issues. To set these options, click the Security icon 
(it looks like a padlock in the bottom left corner of the 
screen). When the Security Info page opens, click Navigator. As 
you see in the section Show A Warning Before, you can ask for a 
warning when you enter and leave encrypted sites and when you 
view pages that mix encrypted and unencrypted information. 
Generally speaking, you should leave these alerts on. However, 
if you work on a secure network (such as an intranet) or are 
confident that the sites you visit are secure, you can uncheck 
these warnings.
