Your operating system is responsible for making your hardware work. This software controls and organizes information and schedules tasks for optimal performance. Sometimes, however, an operating system performance becomes sluggish causing programs to run slowly, especially Internet programs. There are several tips and tricks you might try using plug-ins and widgets to help improve the performance of your operating system so that your general computer usage and Internet browsing is more enjoyable. When trying to improve the performance of your system it is often helpful to consider some of the many free open source programs out there to make your life easier. Open Office is a full word processing suite and if you have issues with your Microsoft suite and need a word document or spreadsheet in a hurry, Open Office is up to the task.
When one is considering multimedia, then one should look no further than VLC which can download virtually any video or music file and in any format. Xvid is another excellent open source video player to download and view videos or music.
Plug-ins can be helpful when it comes to optimizing your computer, and they can also be a hindrance. For example, if you run Internet Explorer, you might find that disabling the Java plug-in 2 SSV results in a quicker loading time. On the other hand, if you have a tool bar, you might find that it slows down your system. Many web browsers come with plug-ins that provide all the tools you generally use in your toolbar, only they don’t slow down your entire system as much.
Some of the best programs out there are free and will have little impact on your operating system. File sharing programs are one example such as FileZilla which is cross platform FTP software and Ares, the largest and safest file sharing network available on the internet today.
You might also use plug-ins and widgets to monitor system performance. You can use the technology to test this speed and performance of a website. Tools such as Webslug can compare your website to others so you can see how your site’s performance compares to competitors. You can also download a performance widget such as Registry Reviver to scan your computer for problems and fix them for optimal performance. Filter to the programs that you use most frequently; if they have plug-ins, make sure the programs are up-to-date. Popular programs such as Flash and Photoshop use plug-ins.
People who know how to code can make their own plug-ins and widgets to optimize operating system performance when necessary. Those unfamiliar with coding can download plug-ins and widgets off of the Internet free of charge. Some of the plug-ins and widgets are unique to certain operating systems such as Windows or Mac OS X so read the specifications carefully before downloading.