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Browser adjustments

There are a couple of browser tricks that are useful for web surfers with post-teenaged visual or motor skills.  The most useful trick is text enlargement.  The other trick involves link TABbing.

Text enlargement

Newer web browsers can change magnification, either permanently or on the fly.  Microsoft Internet Explorer 4+ and Opera do this a bit better than Netscape Navigator 4+, but they all get it done.  

To enlarge text in

America Online, see the note at the bottom.

Microsoft Internet Explorer 4+, on the View/Fonts menu, choose an appropriate size.  Note that onscreen font changes (e.g. you select Larger fonts) will print the same way (with Larger fonts).

Netscape Navigator 4+, choose "Increase Font" in the View menu.  Note that the increase is fairly incremental; you may have to do this multiple times.

Opera is easily the most adjustable, with a slider at the bottom of the screen which can adjust any screen from 20% to 1000%.  Note that there is a separate enlargement menu for printing.

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Note: AOL's browser is really Microsoft Internet Explorer 4, but it does not have the same controls visible. To enlarge fonts in the AOL browser, you need to select Preferences from the browser menu

and then choose Fonts and Font Size.

A better solution, though, is just not to use AOL's browser.  After you connect to AOL, you can minimize it and run any Internet-related software you prefer.  This includes all the browsers above and e-mail programs like Eudora.


Link tabbing

This one's easy:

In all of the browsers, TAB moves you forwards through a web pages links, while SHIFT-TAB moves backwards.

The problem comes when a page has a hundred links - this method is not too efficient then.  

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