I actually did get some work-type stuff done, so it’s not as if I’ve done nothing today. However, I also got some “computer housekeeping” things in order. I thought I would offer some comments to those of you who sometimes come to me for answers or conversations on things Geek. To the rest, this is not recommended reading…
Item 1—Firefox 2
I had upgraded my Firefox install, then rolled back to 1.5.0.7 (and I could go off on the version-naming rationale that people use) when one of my favorite extensions and my favorite theme did not work yet. Come to find out that support/work on Session Manager (https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/2324/) has ceased. This one provides functionality that exceeds the newly built-in crash recovery/restart option for installing new extensions, etc. I like being able to save a “session” at will, and go back to it much later if I want to. To be honest, I have no idea why this option was not included in the release of FF2.
Anyway, monkeying around with Firefox made me think that you may be interested in some of the extensions that I use in my browser. Here’s a list, with links.
Adblock – (I prefer it over Adblock Plus)
Adblock Filterset.G Updater – (must-have in conjunction with Adblock or ‘Plus’)
Bookmark Duplicate Detector – (self-explanatory)
CustomizeGoogle – (I don’t even like the text-ads, or the Google cookie)
Firefox Showcase – (I don’t find it that useful, but it’s kind of neat.)
Foxmarks Bookmark Synchronizer – (There used to be one that let you sync your bookmarks to any FTP server, but it was buggy and this is the best alternative I’ve found.)
Gmail Manager – (I think it’s nice to be able to manage a whole mess of accounts at once. Even if you just have one, it’s pretty sweet.)
GooglePreview – (If I’m not mistaken, it was Schrubbe who saw this one working on my laptop, and thought the little pictures were an enhancement from Google.)
IE Tab – (There are some sites that I use that still only work in Internet Explorer. This way I can open them in a Firefox tab.)
IE View – (Similar to IE Tab, but opens a separate IE window.)
Minimize to Tray – (Very nice if your taskbar real estate is at a premium.)
UnPlug – (My favorite thing to do with this one is download trailers from Apple.com.)
Item 2—Mac OS X
I like the look and feel of OS X. I also think that Macs are outrageously overpriced. These days, Windows XP is, IMO, as stable as its hipper chief commercial competitor (despite what the zealots on either side would have you believe), and a PC is (relatively) cheap. I tried to figure out a good way to make my Windows desktop as pretty as a Mac, and it was a real bitch to do so.
I found a link to something new that I’m going to test out on one of my computers at home later this week, and I’ll probably be back to talk about it a little:
http://www.flyakiteosx.com/
Item 3—I Swear There Was an Item 3
But I forgot what it was. That and it’s time to go home. Later skaters.
* – I just remembered..! free voicemail and fax service via email was number 3!