Google Talk in Firefox?

Google is a great service. It allows me to do many things. Mail, Personalized Page, Talk, Search Engine, Calendar, Docs/Spreadsheets, Bookmark, Photo sharing, and Reader.I do all of those services. Once I sign in Google, I don’t have to log in every service I use. It is less hassle. What can I say about it ? It is WONDERFUL.

What Google does keep amazing me. Google is doing new many things. First, Google Search Engine. It was a wildly popular search engine of all the time! Then Gmail. I had been longed waiting for the Gmail signup. Thanks to one guy who invited me for Gmail private sign up. At first, I did not like it. Of course, it is very different. I stayed with Yahoo for a long time. Until I learned that Gmail can do Chat feature. I was like wow.
So I try Gmail again. The chat feature is okay. It was limited. I use Google Talk application for a short time. But I did use the Chat feature a lot with one friend of mine, who is a Google fan as I am, whenever I am using Gmail to check emails.

Of course Google keep improving the Gmail Beta constantly. I start to enjoy Gmail more and more. I am very pleasant with the Gmail’s constant improvement. At that time, Gmail is only by invitation. I did not have a lot of friends using Gmail or Gmail chat. It is fairly new. Last year, Gmail has grown to 10 millions users in US alone, comparing to Yahoo, with 60 millions users in US alone. (I cannot find the link for that statistic — and I was not sure if that statistic for Mail or IM. That is my vague answer.) I know that Yahoo has a higher number of users.

When Yahoo came with a new Beta, I decided to try that, and turned out that I did not like it. Yahoo Beta is very slow. Hey, Gmail is still in a beta. Gmail did a better job. Yahoo has a long way to go. Now Yahoo has a IM intergration, which I did not try. I have not used Yahoo Mail Beta in a while. Maybe, I won’t be qualified for their IM integration beta for a while. However, I did like the Yahoo Beta’s RSS feeds. I said I wish that Gmail had one as well. It would be a fucntional and wholesome email service!

Until later, Gmail added RSS feed, however, it is called Web Clip where you would see it above the buttons where says Archive, Report Spam and Delete. I did not like Web Clip. But Google offers the feed reader, which is very nice. I used Google Reader for a while, but at that time, I was disappointed that they do not show YouTube and Google Videos. I use another feed reader called Newshutch, then changed to GoBits. Again, like I said Google still amazes me. They fix the problem. Now Google Reader can view videos from YouTube and Google Videos. I am very pleasant, so I immediately came back to it again. Ever since then I am reading all feeds in one place. I am caught up with them, but some sites are going too fast and post many entries in one day. I had to catch up constantly, which is not easy! I have about 30 sites—with about 50 to 70 entries daily. But sometimes it goes over 100, when I did not read them for one day or two. Once, it would go over 300. Urgh. Hard to get caught up with it. Now, there is called Greasemonkey which I mentioned before a while ago here on my blog. It is a great extension. I added the Gmail/Reader integration in Gmail. It is nice. I love it. Now I can read email, read RSS and chat on one window!

Not long ago, I read somewhere said that the technology will have new information every 72 hours sometimes in 2020. I have to be ready and keep up with thousands of new information. I am glad that the Feed Reader is invented; otherwise, we would be truly LOST! Too many sites to read each. That is the reason why we have Feed Reader, so we can read all entries in one place, unless you want to see an actual website (only if it is necessary). Most of the time, texts, picture and videos are well-enough to get information for quick reading. The websites are usually designed to make them look good, like I do sometimes with my blog deign look. Heh.

Anyway, I will go on forever about Google’s great services, which I have not mentioned Calendar and Docs and Spreadsheets, but lets cut the chase here because I want to mention about a new and wonderful sidebar! It is called Google Talk Gadget Sidebar. It is only for Firefox. If you wonder what does it do, what does it look? You can see it below:

You see that now. You probably would understand why it is so wonderful. Sometimes, when I am on Gmail, and chat with a friend. But I want to surf while I am waiting on someone to reply back. Sometimes, I forgot that I was talking to someone there. I had to come back and saw messages, like saying “hello? hello?” or “are you there?” or sometimes he or she would sign off after a long wait for me to reply back. It does notifies on the tab, but it is not easily to be recognized. It is not like IM-flash like on the taskbar on any other IM programs outside the browser. Well, I gotta to thank Google for a wonderful gadget that you can add it on your Google personalized homepage or blogger, which I already have it in my personalized homepage and blogger. You are no longer required to be tied with Gmail Chat feature.

Not long ago, they created a Google Talk Sidebar for Firefox, by adding the bookmark and check it as a sidebar which allows you to open the Google Talk bookmark to the sidebar on the left as you see above on the image. Now, I wouljd never miss any IMs. I can easily see if someone ims me, so i can reply back quickly. I can surf and chat at the same time without delays or waiting! No more back and forth on tabs to check Gmail chats. You can go to the link where you can get a instruction how to add an specific url to be added in Firefox Bookmark here.

Enjoy surfing and use Google Talk at the same time!

Powered by ScribeFire.

PageBull

Not long ago, I mentioned about Snap Preview Anywhere. I talked about its own search engine a bit. The search engine is great and useful. It does like Google, Yahoo, or MSN, but it has a bigger thumbnail preview on the right. It saves your time rather than clicking every link page to look at it. The look of Snap search engine is very simple and modern. It also do images. You click one image, it will enlarge on the right for viewing.

Google, Yahoo, and MSN do have thumbnail preview on each link on the right via Firefox/Flock extension called BetterSearch. But they are small and hard to see. However, with Better Search, you have another option of previewing the website when you see the ‘P’ next to the link in any search engine. That ‘P’ is called Quick Preview. You can see the images below.

Thumnail Preview on Google:

Quick Preview:

It is a great extension. There is also another great extension called Cooliris or Browster. Both opens webpages real-life time when you point at the specific icon somewhere on the end (Cooliris) or in the front (Browster) of the link and it will pop up to the screen almost like a full page on the same tab/windows. I have mentioned that before. But Snap does not need any plugin or installation. It is nice and save your space on the computer.

You may wonder what does PageBull fit in this all?

Well, it is a another great Thumbnail Preview search engine. It shows thumbnail previews only, no listing like the the rest…I just found about that last week. I thought it is a nice search engine just to view webpages. You can view them in either 3×4, 2×6, or 4×3. Those means how many previews in the row and columns. I took a screenshot of the PageBull (3×4) search query: deanscyberspace. You may notice some of them. One is my current blog and other one is my former blog by Blogger.

Honestly every day, I found something cool, better, and more quick in googling something in the search engine. Thumbnail previews are wonderful. However, it is hard to make decisions, which search engine I would like to use — Google, Yahoo or MSN with BetterSearch or Cooliris and Browster extensions, Snap, and now PageBull. But it is a nice change for alternative search engines, rather than using same search engine every day. Well, I use Google.com more often. It has best search results. I use Cooliris for website previewing for now. I like it because I can share the links with anyone via Cooliris using its own email box. But I would use PageBull or Snap once in a while. I like to see what is happening to them and see them grow and become better search engines in the near future.

Blogged with Flock

WOT and SiteAdvisor

What is WOT?

It is better if I let WOT explained from mywot.com what it is (I copied and pasted):

WOT provides website reputation information for users. With WOT, you gain useful information on the trustworthiness of a website and you can see the results easily in your browser. Because WOT is a democratic system, you can use your expertise to help other users surf safer by giving votes to sites. WOT simply works. But don’t take our word for it, give it a try! Installation is only a matter of seconds.

WOT helps you detect if the site is very safe. Does it have spyware? Does it spam your email? Does it distribute your email to thiry party companies? Is it safe for children?

I have been using it since Sunday. It is a nice extension used in only Firefox or Flock. No IE or Opera yet. If you have flock, just say Yes when it asked if you still want to install it. Actually it is written for Firefox, but I am using Flock and the WOT extension works greatly on Flock.

It will show you the symbols which is shown below on all links on the site, and even in search engines.

Screenshot of the WOT (you will see the symbols of WOT at the end of the link as well) :

If you are a Firefox or Flock user, you can download that extenion here.

Also, there is another extension similiar to WOT. You can use that extenion to protect your Internet and computer as you surf … One site is called SiteAdvisor by McAfee. It is nice, too. You can install the extension to appear icons of security and privacy in search engines only or just copy a url address of the site and paste the url address on that SiteAdvisor’s analysis page and it will give you the information on that site. However, with the extension, it does not show the icons on links on any sites like WOT does. That one will work on both Firefox and IE. I don’t know about Flock. It may work, too.

You can see the screeshots below:

I will add more security and privacy stuff… I have to find a few things first. You can try either or both. Enjoy surfing and stay safe!

Blogged with Flock

Gran Paradiso and Teahupo’o

As many of you know, Firefox 2.0 was launched 6 weeks ago … Firefox 2.0 is a nice browser, though it is not my default/favorite web browser. Flock is my favorite web browser. However, Firefox and Flock use the same Internet engine, Gecko. That engine is also used in other Mozilla browsers and Netscape. I like the way Firefox looks. It is glossy and sleek. Also it is clean.

Maybe not many of you know that, Firefox had been quietly working on 3.0 Alpha codenamed Minefield while they were working on Firefox 2.0 Alpha 1 and 2 codenamed Bono Echo. That tells me that Firefox has been extremely busy with both Alpha versions. Last Friday, Firefox just released the 3.0 Alpha 2 codenamed Gran Paradiso. It looks the same as Firefox 2.0, but they are working on new features such as:

• -Cairo is now being used as the default graphics library, affecting all graphic and text rendering
• -Cocoa Widgets are now used in OS X builds
• -An updated threading model
• -Changes to how DOM events are dispatched (see bug 234455)
• -Changes to how <object> elements are loaded (see bug 1156)
• -Changes to how web pages are painted
• -New SVG elements and filters, and improved SVG specification compliance

Maybe some of you probably wouldn’t understand what they are or what they mean. Neither would I, too. But it sounds like it is going to be much improved when it is released. About Firefox 3.0 Alpha 1: Gran Paradiso can be found here.

Firefox Past and Current codenamed Alphas:

1.0 Alpha 1 and 2: Deer Park

2.0 Alpha 1 and 2: Bono Echo

3.0 Alpha: Minefield

3.0 Alpha 1: Gran Paradiso

Based on Google.com search, I have seen that they already talk very little about Firefox 4.0, but there is no codename or information on it yet. I will keep an eye for it.

Oh, I should mention that Firefox 3.0 just passed the Acid2 test… I believe that Opera was the first that passed the test.

A bit off the point: I have noticed one surprising thing, while I was surfing, that Internet Explorer is already working on 8.0 Alpha codenamed Teahupo’o, which is a famous surfing beach in Tahiti. The 7.0 Alpha codename was Rincon, a famous surfing beach in Puerto Rico. It probably would be dubbed “IE Next” when it is released after Alpha testing. It has not been decided yet. The 7.0 version just was released probably last month or two. It was in beta, then Alpha, and lastly Release Candidate in total of over 20 months. Now 7.0 is finally released a month or two ago and ready for the update through Windows Update.

You can check the IE 8.0 mockup (fake). You know that MsOffice 2007 is being worked on, still in the beta. It looks very nice. It said it may look like like that in IE 8.0, too. We will know soon what is the plan for Microsoft’s next IE version.

Blogged with Flock

Firefox 2.0 is here

I like Firefox. It is a great web browser. Firefox just released the final release; 2.0 last Tuesday But I just upgrade my Firefox to 2.0 on Monday evening (it was quietly released on on FTP). I don’t see much change, but it looks sleekier and glossier. However they did have a few new additions/features, such as:

• –Visual Refresh
• –Enhanced search capabilities
• –Improved tabbed browsing
• –Resuming your browsing session
• –Previewing and subscribing to Web feeds
• –Inline spell checking

You can explore on the expansion of each above, what the new Firefox can do here.

Actually I would expect more from FIrefox, such as adding social networking accounts and access, just like Flock does. I guess Firefox cannot steal the idea, right? Wait a minute, what do I mean by social networking accounts? Well, blogs; and photo and bookmark sharing are social networking. Flock able to provide the access to them. For bookmark, you can add either to del.icio.us or shadows.com. For photos, you can add either on Flickr or Photobucket. For blogs, you can access to any popular blog services such as WordPress, LiveJournal, Xanga, and Blogger. So I am using Flock to access my social networking accounts without going to their sites.

Anyway, Flock is not always for everyone. In fact, Flock uses Firefox engine. For Firefox users, you ought to think about upgrading your Firefox to the powerful 2.0 browser! You can click on that image above, and it will take you to the download page.

Enjoy it.

Blogged with Flock

No Need to Click and Go Back and Forth…

You wonder what do I mean by that?

You know when you go to google.com, and type in the search engine, then it comes up the result, and you click each link, and when you are done with it, you go back to the google, right?

Now you dont have to do that with Cooliris or Browster.  What is Cooliris or Browster?

Simply put: it is an extension for quick viewing or browsing without clicking and going back and forth. Once you point the link, you dont need to click — it will pop up for a quick site preview and browsing. It is nice. I have used both a lot. Sometimes when I click each link and found not what I am looking for. I have to go back to the search result list. It is a hassle. But with Cooliris or Browster (depending on which browser you use), you dont have to go back and forth ever again. You can use on any site with links (most will support that). For google search, you can point the link to another and it will load every site you point in the preview box.

Cooliris – all you have to point the link, and wait for the preview box to pop up and loads.

Browster – you have two options: first, you probably will see a yellow lightning icon next to the link, point to that box, and it will open the preview box and loads. Another way is, when you point the link, you would see the same lightning icon popping up next to your mouse point icon, point to that and it will popup a box and loads. (see the figures under Browster image)

I use it for browsing too, especially on my blog because the link will load in the same page, or to a new tab/window. I am too lazy to close all tabs and windows. I am too lazy to go back to my blog again. Cooliris and Browster saves my time and I surf faster with them.

Cooliris supports for Safari, Firefox, Flock, and Internet Explorer. You may not see Flock anywhere on their site, dont worry, just click download Cooliris, it will take you to the right site for each browser. I am using Cooliris for Flock and Safari.

Browster only supports Internet Explorer and Firefox. I use them in Internet Explorer and Firefox.

Cooliris images on Flock:

Cooliris menu

from my blog’s blogroll links

from google

from google image:

Browster images on Firefox:

Browster menu

Browster lightning icon 1 – from google

Browster yellow box 2 –from my blog’s blogroll

from my blog’s blogroll links

from google

from google image

NOTE: You may notice both flock and firefox images have same browser look. I use Flock Template inspiration on Firefox. That is why both look alike.

You can get either Cooliris here or Browster here. I am telling you it is very useful. I recommend either of them. I prefer Cooliris though. Browster is not bad either.

Blogged with Flock

What is Greasemonkey?

It is a new word for you today: Greasemonkey

According to en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greasemonkey:

Greasemonkey is a software implementation of a conceptcalled “Active Browsing”. It allows users of the Mozilla Firefox web browser to install user scripts which modify specific web pages. This web scripting was hither to reserved only for the authors of web sites. As the Greasemonkey scripts are persistent, the changes made to the webpages are permanent.

I am telling you Greasemonkey is a great extension, used only in Firefox and Flock. You can use Creammonkey for Safari. I have used Greasemonkey scripts for some sites. You would have to install Greasemonkey extension before you can install any scripts you find in the Internet. The installation can be found here. For Safari, it can be found here. No IE greasemonkey. It used to have one, but someone quits on that project, called GreasemonkIE.

You know, Google search engine looks plain and boring. White background. No style. Well, with Greasemonkey, you can change anything you want. However, you have to be good at writing scripts. I am not. I use scripts I found over the Internet.

Before Google without Greasemonkey:

After Google with Greasemonkey:

Is it cool? Something different! Nice… I have been using that Google new look. So refreshing. It is easy to install the script. You can install that script. It supports Firefox and Opera.I have a few greasemonkey scripts, most for Google… ie: Gmail. You know you don’t have to open the mail. You can click right button toward to the new or old mail messagel, and it will pop up the preview conversation, that is what Gmail likes to call. It is nice. The image of the preview conversation below:

I like this, why ? So I can search the email quickly without opening the mail. I don’t always want to read the whole e-mail. Just want to check it quickly. It is nice… you can install that script.

I am not sure if you know about the Lightbox javascript. It apparently is very popular in these days. It is good for building websites on your own and you can add those javascripts in your HTML. A few sites have used the Lightbox method. I cannot think of one yet… but I know Ridor of the Observe but Do Not Interfere used to have that script on his blog. I am not sure if he still uses it. There is a new Lightbox javascript 2.0, improved one; u can find it here.

When you click the image, and it will be shown in the front of the site you are on. First, it will show a loading icon, which means it is loading the image… then there will be aimage with a nice border and the rest is transparent black, like you can see the site through the transparent black. When you are done with viewing, you just click anywhere, and it will close and back to the site again.It is a very nice script. I plan to use on my webpage, when I build one. It also has Greasemonkey script, called Greased Lightbox. For a quick viewing of images before and after using Greasemonkey on my blog below:

before

after

Nice, huh? Yeah, it is… you can go to the site. Also, it has a mini video for you to watch in action.

I will add more greasemonkey scripts in the near future. There are many, many scripts that you can use to block ads, to pop up the photos, or to add new features that they should have. Greasemonkey will make your life easier. You can find scripts here.

Oh, you have to remember not all scripts will work… some will have bugs or errors, so don’t get too frustrated and thought maybe something is wrong with your Firefox or Greasemonkey script extension. It is not. It is the script itself. I have tried one or two that does not work right. If it does not work right, you can either remove it, or try to fix the script itself, if you know how to write one.

Enjoy it.

Blogged with Flock

The Great Evolution

You know today there is Web 2.0. What is Web 2.0? Well it is well best put by definition by wikipedia:

Web 2.0 is a term often applied to a perceived ongoing transition of the World Wide Web from a collection of websites to a full-fledged computing platform serving web applications to end users. Ultimately Web 2.0 services are expected to replace desktop computing applications for many purposes.

For example, Google is a Web 2.0 site. Google has Intergrated Chat in the E-mail. Google also has web application, ie: Writely and Spreadsheet. Blogging is a Web 2.0, too. Before they have personal site, like journal and dairy (more private). But blogging is more of public and sharing. More sites are sharing, like sharing calendars and documents to collerate.

Oh yes, RSS is one of the example of Web 2.0. For any of you who dont know what RSS means… It stands for Rich Site Summary or RDF (Resource Description Framework) Site Summary. It is written in XML. In other words, it is news feeds. Each site usually has RSS. That is the summary of the whole site with entries or articles. You can use RSS through email, blogging, online, or on the desktop using an application. I will list great RSS services you use to save your time than going to every site. RSS is a one place where you can read all sites. It is quick and easy.

Lastly, web instant messaging services, like Meebo or emessenger (or ebuddy) is one of them.

There is a few sites example that is Web 2.0, if you look the comparsion of Web 1.0 and Web 2.0.

Web 2.0 is a great thing. I use a lot of Web 2.0.

Now, Flock is a 2.0 Browser. Why is it 2.0? It has an intergrated social networking service, by a choice using Del.icio.us or Shadows, and photos, like Flickr or Photobucket, and blogging service (any blogger service). It also has a News Reader on the side. Soon, it will add YouTube intergration. Do any browser have done that? Not yet. It’s a new generation browser. It is useful.

Sure, Firefox is a great browser but not a 2.0 browser like Flock. Yes, Firefox has great extensions. Flock has them too. Flock and Firefox uses same engine and similiar type of extensions. But remember, Flock is very young (only a year old), while Firefox is about 5 years old. About. Flock will get there with great extensions like Firefox.

I found a great evolution of browsers over the years. i agree with this evolution!

Blogged with Flock

Hooray! Go, Firefox! Go, Firefox!

I was reading an entry on the blog of J. Andrew Morrison. He talked about Firefox, and said that Firefox is about 38% or less to go to meet 50%. It seems going well. Right now Internet Explorer (IE) is a leading Internet Web Browser on the market share, with 77.01%. Firefox is 13.71%. In July 2005, IE was 84.05% while Firefox was 10.89. Well, Firefox has been doing very well. Firefox will release 2.0 version sometime in late 2006 or early 2007. Right now, Firefox already have Beta 2. The Firefox team already has begun working on the Minefield code, the future Firefox 3.0. Firefox is very busy in these days. Soon, Firefox will release it first Release Candidate 1 this month, estimated around on September 19th.

Since Firefox is getting more users than using IE. IE, for years, always has problems with the web standard, especially Cascading Style Sheets (CSS); they don’t meet it well. However, IE 7.0 is supposed to get better, and meet the current web standard, but doubtedly it will. I have used IE 7.0 Beta 3 now. It is ok. Not bad. I also have tried Vista’s IE. It is nice. Not bad. See see, what happens with new IE in 2007.

Honestly, I think IE should be stopped because they are not getting any better. It also attracts too much on spywares and viruses. Firefox is mostly safe than IE. I have to say that IE is getting very dry! IE is not much of an improved web browser yet. It stays in the same cycle of problems. Read this entry, why IE should be stopped here. There is another article here, too, but it did not tell you why it should stop. He tells why he dumped IE.

I was puzzled when he said ‘Windoze’ in his entry. So I check the definition. It is a new word for me, so should be a new word for you, too. Also, i did not realize that Windows and Windoze pronounce the same.

The definition is:

Microsloth Windows – /mi:’kroh-sloth” win”dohz/ (Or “Windoze”, /win’dohz/) A derogatory term for Microsoft Windows which is so limited by bug-for-bug compatibility with mess-dos that is is agonisingly slow on anything less than a fast 486. Also called just “Windoze”, with the implicationthat you can fall asleep waiting for it to do anything; thelatter term is extremely common on Usenet.

For fun, you can check it out: http://www.hallikainen.org/windoze/winrg.swf.

Once you check that out, that is what happens to my Windows once in a while. It is really frustrating. It is harder to close a program when it crashes! With Mac OS, it is easy… just click “Force Quit” and it forcibly quits immediately. On Windows, I had to click “End Task” in Task Manager dialog a few times before it can be shut down. A few times, at least 6 times! That i know of. Now with new Vista, you would have to upgrade your computer, or buy a Vista compability computer to run Vista smoothly. Vista relies on a lot of graphic, including 3-D, like Open GL. I will write a review of Miscrosoft Vista one day soon after playing with it for a couple of days. I have Vista Ulitmate on my computer. It is still in a beta. Actually, it is now Release Candidate 1.

So, back to Firefox, I am looking forward to Firefox’s future. I still use them, even though Flock is my favorite web browser. Flock is based on a Firefox engine, more specificially on a Gecko engine.

You can download Firefox’s most current version here. But if you are interested in testing teh current Firefox 2.0 Beta, it can be found here. Before you download it, you can read more on Beta 2 here. Lastly, you can also download the latest Minefield version, Firefox 3.0, by clicking ‘download here’ on this site. Let’s surf with the Firefox!

Blogged with Flock

Did Alien Use Firefox?

I am a Firefox user; however, I am leaning to Flock right now because it has features that I used the most: blogging and photo and bookmark sharing. Flock uses Firefox engine. You can read my entries on Flock here, starting bottom to top. Right now, I am writing an entry in Flock’s blog post. It is really cool and easy. Flock will be going to be version 1.0. I hardly can wait! Firefox is still at 1.5.0.6. But it will release version 2.0 sometimes in October.

Anyway, back to here… Did Alien uses Firefox? It is a nice work!

You can click here to read more about this…

Blogged with Flock