Synchronizing Bookmarks in Firefox
There's no other major item most of us own that is as confusing, unpredictable and unreliable as our personal computers. Everybody has questions about them, and we aim to help.
Here are a few questions about computers I've received recently from people like you, and my answers. I have edited and restated the questions a bit, for readability. This week my mailbox contained questions about synchronizing bookmarks in Firefox among multiple computers, balancing performance and price when buying a computer and permanently deleting files.
If you have a question, send it to me at
mossberg@wsj.com, and I may select it to be answered here in Mossberg's Mailbox.
Q: I was wondering if there is software or a plug-in that would allow me to synchronize my bookmarks in Firefox among multiple computers. I've looked but couldn't find anything.
A: You can add functionality to the Firefox Web browser by installing small add-ons called extensions. Some of these are designed to synchronize bookmarks among multiple Firefox-equipped computers, over the Internet. I haven't tested any of them, so I can't recommend any particular one. But here's how to find one.
In Firefox, go to the Tools menu, select Extensions, and then click on the link at the bottom of the window that says "Get More Extensions." This will take you to a Web page filled with extensions and other add-ons of every type. In the search box, type in the word "synchronize," and you'll see some choices. You can also browse the category at the left of the page called "Bookmarks."
Q: Will a high-end computer perform concurrent multiple office tasks (i.e., Word, Quicken, Internet search) faster and more efficiently than a budget computer?
A: Sure, because a high-end computer, costing more than $1,500, will have more memory, a faster processor and faster internal pathways through which data can flow. Budget models, costing under $500, have slower, smaller, more bare-bones versions of these components. However, there's a middle path. If you don't need the very fastest switching among windows or concurrent programs, a midrange, $600-$800 computer with at least 512 megabytes of memory should do the trick. It will handle concurrent programs and switch between them with a delay so slight as to be fine for most users.
Q: How do I delete files on a computer so that they can't be recovered by anyone else?
A: When a file is deleted on a computer, the actual contents of the file aren't immediately wiped out or overwritten. They can still be recovered by an expert, or even a mainstream user with the right software. To completely delete a file, you need a utility that overwrites the space on your hard disk formerly occupied by the files with multiple layers of nonsense data.
On a Mac, this function is built as an optional deletion method. On a Windows PC, you need to obtain an add-on program that does this. The best one I've tried is Window Washer from Webroot, available for $30 at webroot.com. It has multiple functions, but the one you need is the "bleaching" function, which permanently erases files.
让Firefox书签实现同步
在我们大多数人拥有的大件电器中，再没有什么比个人电脑更令人费解、更变幻莫测的了。每个人或许都有些关于电脑的问题，而《莫博士信箱》将为您提供帮助。
本周我将回答读者有关如何使不同电脑的Firefox书签实现同步、高端电脑是否更高效及怎样才能永久性删除文件等问题。
问：我想知道是否有某种软件、或者某种插件能让我将不同电脑的Firefox书签实现同步？我找不到这样的软件。
答：你可以给Firefox网络浏览器增添功能，安装一些小的扩展功能程序。在这些扩展功能中，有的可以通过网络来同步处理多台电脑的Firefox书签。我没有测试过这些程序，因此我无法向你推荐。不过我可以告诉你在哪能找到这样的程序。
打开Firefox，进入工具栏，选择“扩展功能”(Extensions)，然后点击窗口下方的“获得更多扩展功能”。于是你可以看到一个网页，上面列有各种各样的扩展功能，在搜索栏中键入“同步”，就能找到相关的程序了。你还可以到网页左边一个名为“书签”的栏目中看看。
问：在同时进行多项日常办公操作时（比如Word、Quicken和网络搜索等），高端电脑是否比经济型电脑更快、更高效呢？
答：当然。因为售价在1,500美元以上的高端电脑内存更大，处理器运行速度更快，并拥有快捷顺畅的便于数据流动的内部路径。而售价不足500美元的经济型电脑其功能则相对较弱。不过你可以选择中间路线。如果你并不需要非常迅速地从各个窗口或同时运行的程序中进行切换，600-800美元512兆内存的电脑也许就足够了。它同样可以实现程序切换，只是速度稍慢，对多数用户而言仍然是不错的。
问：我怎样删除文件才能让别人无法对它进行恢复呢？
答：当你删除电脑文件时，文件的内容实际上并未马上被擦掉或者覆盖。借助特定的软件，电脑专家或者赶潮流的玩家仍然可以将它恢复。要想彻底删除文件，你需要有一个可以改写硬盘空间的设备，覆盖掉那些文件占有的空间。
在Mac上，有一个可选的删除模式可以帮助你做到这一点。而对于装有Windows的电脑，你则需要借助一个添加程序来实现。我曾经用过的最好的程序是Webroot的Window Washer，可以在webroot.com网站上以30美元买到。它有很多功能，而你所需要的只是“'bleaching”功能，它可以永久性删掉你的文件。
