We're all creatures of habit when it comes to computers. We get used to pulling down a particular menu for a given task, or clicking on a series of icons. Then a snappy add-on like Browster comes along and changes the normal order of business.

The free Browster works with Internet Explorer or Firefox. When you look at a Web page, you can place your cursor over a link and a smaller but readable view of the page it leads to will appear.

Browster (www.browster.com) is a real boost for those of us who spend most of the day on the Web. In my work, I often have 10 or 15 tabs open with a Web page in each, as I explore where links lead. Browster saves time because I don't have to close open windows or keep hitting the back button to return to my search results.

Great, say the skeptics, but now I have to wait for yet another page to load within the page I'm reading. Wrong. Browster's "pre-fetch" technology renders the new page all but instantly. Moreover, the page in the Browster window is interactive, so you can follow links inside it as you would in a normal browser. Because it's so fast, I can check pages to see if they have what I need and discard those that don't.

The only thing missing: still-pending versions supporting both the Mac and Linux versions of Firefox.

Speaking of browser add-ons, the number of tool bars seems to be growing exponentially. One I like is StumbleUpon (www.stumbleupon.com), a nifty way to add a bit of serendipity to your Web use (but be advised that it works only with Firefox).

Hit the "stumble" button and you're taken to a Web page on the topic of your choice that has been given a thumbs-up by other StumbleUpon users. It's an addictive way to turn up odds and ends on the Web, sort of like browsing the library stacks and finding books near the one you wanted that are actually more useful than what you came for.

But if it's raw functionality you want, another tool bar called Advanced Searchbar (www.advancedsearchbar.com) is packed with features. These include a vast number of search options and utilities for your PC, such as popup blockers, a calendar, an RSS newsfeed reader, a form filler, adult-content blocker and even a file shredder. Instant messaging and e-mail options are also provided in a tool bar that takes up little screen space but works only with Internet Explorer, a limitation the company should reconsider.

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Those of us who spend more time than we should on eBay can take solace from the fact we're hardly alone.

The company just signed up its 200 millionth registered user, and visitors at eBay's annual user conference in Los Vegas were told that 12 million sellers now ply their wares online. But those hoping to learn the ropes without making a trip to the desert should check out Michael Banks' book "The eBay Survival Guide: How to Make Money and Avoid Losing Your Shirt" ($19.95, No Starch Press), a nifty paperback that gets down to essentials and provides plenty of sound advice.

EBay, despite well-designed help functions and a bevy of tools from third-party developers, isn't always as intuitive as it looks. What do you do, for example, when after auctioning off that funky antique you found in a garage sale, the buyer doesn't pay? How do you handle a buyer who claims the item you sent arrived damaged? Banks offers a variety of strategies, along with useful tips on how to block bidders who develop a record at this kind of thing.

One thing Banks can't provide is a change that eBay should consider in its own practice. Buyers and sellers leave publicly viewable feedback for each other, but the system can be used as a kind of shakedown -- I'll leave good feedback for you but only if you do the same for me. Feedback loses meaning, since neither party wants to take a hit that would compromise his or her online reputation.

I don't have the solution, but surely a company as canny as eBay can find a better way for its members to establish their credibility.