As many of you already know, my browser of preference is Mozilla Firefox. Although Internet Explorer 9 has come a long way and is a fantastic browser, the customization available to Firefox through it’s thousands of Add-ons always has me returning to it as my primary browser.

What do Add-ons do?

They add additional features to your browser and allow you to customize your browsing experience.

Firefox has plenty of add-ons, grouped into 14 Categories, available at the Mozilla Add-ons website.

Mozilla has just released Firefox 10. If you’re using an older version, now is the perfect time to upgrade. Firefox 10 is much faster than it’s predecessors, more secure, uses less memory and is more stable as well.

To upgrade just go to Help, About Firefox and click the Check for Update button. Firefox will download the update and you will be prompted to install the latest version.

If you don’t currently use Firefox and want to see what all the fanfare is about, you can read more (and download it) at the Mozilla Firefox website.

Once upon a time, if you wanted to keep your PC safe online, you needed to have an updated version of a favorite paid Antivirus program. Freeware Antivirus programs were not recommended because their detection and removal rates were subpar. Lucky for us consumers, today that is no longer the case.

Free Antivirus programs no longer offer mediocre protection. Detection rates and cleanup routines have improved considerably. Many free Antivirus programs rank as well as Top-notch paid programs. In today’s economy where every penny saved counts, there are quite a few excellent freeware Antivirus solutions to choose from.

If you have Windows XP or Vista and you're currently using Internet Explorer 6 or 7, you need to upgrade to 8 without delay.

There is a new vulnerability being exploited that only affects Internet Explorer 6 and 7. With support for those older versions coming to an end, it's important to upgrade to the latest version.

Keeping track of software updates has become so much easier thanks to FileHippo.com Update Checker . This is a simple program that does it's job beautifully. It scans your computer, then presents a list of all the programs you have installed that have updated versions available for download.

The newest version of Firefox has arrived. Firefox 3.5 boasts improved anti-phishing, anti-malware, bookmark organization, session restore and is actually faster than previous versions. It also includes a new Private Browsing mode similar to Internet Explorer 8's InPrivate.

Here are the latest Security Patches and updates issued by software vendors:

Adobe Reader & Acrobat: Adobe Reader and Acrobat suffer from javaScript vulnerabilities that have been patched in version 9.1.1.

QuickTime: Apple released a security update for QuickTime that fixes 10 vulnerabilities which can allow code execution. As usual when these types of vulnerabilities are patched it is recommended that you update the software as soon as possible.

Firefox: Mozilla has updated Firefox to version 3.0.10. The new version fixes a stability issue and a security vulnerability.

Windows News:

Windows 7 RC (Release Candidate) is scheduled for May 5 and the final version of Widows 7 is expected to ship during late summer/early fall.

Users currently using Windows Vista will be able to purchase an upgrade version of Windows 7 and upgrade easily to the latest Operating System.

If you currently use Firefox, you'll want to update to version 3.0.8 (just released by Mozilla). This latest version fixes two critical security issues.

Mozilla continues to impress by issuing updates quickly whenever it becomes aware of vulnerabilities in it's browser.

In addition to the two security vulnerabilities, there were also a few bug fixed.

Yesterday, Microsoft released the final version of Internet Explorer 8. I previously described some notable IE 8 features in the beta version and want to urge those currently using older versions of Internet Explorer to take the plunge and upgrade to Internet Explorer 8.

Security and performance improvements in this latest version are vast when compared to older versions and the upgrade is simple as can be. Just download Internet Explorer 8 and run set-up. Your settings, favorites and cookies are easily transferred and the improvements are well worth the time it takes to download and install.