I have mixed feelings about the Windows 7 Start bar – sometimes it is really helpful and sometimes it’s a pain in the backside.

Anyway, if you don’t like the new chunky Start bar without the program text, here’s how to change it back to the traditional Windows Start bar.

• Right click on the Start bar and click Properties.
• On the Start Bar tab, tick the “Use small icons” tickbox.
• Then, on the Taskbar Buttons dropdown menu, select “Never combine”.
• Click OK, and the Vista style Start bar will return in all it’s glory, whilst keeping the new Windows 7 features.

In case you’re unsure, take a look at the screenshot below which shows what the Properties box should look like…

There you go!

Believe it or not – it was 5 years ago today that the initial release of Mozilla Firefox was made, according to the Wikipedia thread here.

Hasn’t it come a long way since launch. It is the main competitor to Internet Explorer and it used by millions. As of August 2009, it apparently had a market share of 22.98% which is the biggest of any open-source internet browser by far!

Yet it’s totally free and is well supported on many operating systems – most notably Windows and Linux.

It just shows how totally awesome open-source software is and how far it can get. I’m a big fan of open-source and I think that it’s one of those things that made the turn of the 21st century!

Great work to everyone who makes Firefox, bring this brilliant software on! Take on Internet Explorer!