Sam (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
l33tminion) wrote2005-08-25 12:22 am
l33tminion) wrote2005-08-25 12:22 am
Entry tags:
Virtual Grease
I've wasted spent a lot of time in the past few weeks frobbing with my computer, customizing various things on Firefox and so on. If you're interested, here are some of the cooler things I've found:
Yahoo recently bought Konfabulator (a program that lets you have all sorts of nifty widgets) and rereleased it for free (previously, it was shareware).
Google just released a new version of Google Desktop that includes a sidebar mode, so that can also incorporate various widgety things.
Also, check out Google Talk and Google Earth if you haven't done so yet. (I hope I can take it as a given that you've seen Google Maps and the variety of goodness at Google Labs already; if not, check it out.)
I've also found some really neat stuff for Firefox (aside from the usual extensions and themes).
First off, there's Greasemonkey, an extension that lets you run custom JavaScript to alter the behavior of web pages. (Why is this cool? Well, just think of it as the web equivalent of redecorating the mall everytime you walk in, except it doesn't require effort, you don't need the owner's permission, and it doesn't affect anyone except you. For example, have you ever wanted Amazon to list their competitors' prices? That's just the beginning...)
To use it, install the Greasemonkey extension here, restart Firefox, then download whatever scripts you want here (right click on the link to a script and select "Install user script..."; or click on the link to the script and then go to "Tools" > "Install This User Script..."). The Script Finder script here is also convenient. I've even done some scripting myself (for more info on programming scripts, I recommend this).
Secondly, for advanced users (or n00bs with guts) I found these tweaks that can be used to improve Firefox's performance by modifying user.js. (The same thing can be done by setting values in "about:config" (type it into the address bar), and I find this easier. The tweaks are listed as user_pref("[name]", [value]). Double click on the name in about:config to set the value (leave quotes off of the value if it's a string). If the name isn't there, right click on the main window and select "New" > [type of value you're adding].) The only other tweak that's really worth doing that I've found so far is to set "privacy.popups.disable_from_plugins" to 2 (which is the most restrictive setting).
Third, if you don't like annoying internet advertisements, go here and install Adblock Plus (the second extension, listed in the quote box in the first post) and Filterset.G Updater. Restart Firefox. Go to "Tools" > "Adblock Plus" > "Preferences", click "Adblock Options" and make sure everything listed under "Browser Window" is checked. Then go to "Tools" > "Adblock Plus" > "Filterset.G Updater", click "Settings", make sure "Extension Enabled" and "Use Whitelist" are checked, then click "Force Update Now".
Well, that's it. W00t!
Yahoo recently bought Konfabulator (a program that lets you have all sorts of nifty widgets) and rereleased it for free (previously, it was shareware).
Google just released a new version of Google Desktop that includes a sidebar mode, so that can also incorporate various widgety things.
Also, check out Google Talk and Google Earth if you haven't done so yet. (I hope I can take it as a given that you've seen Google Maps and the variety of goodness at Google Labs already; if not, check it out.)
I've also found some really neat stuff for Firefox (aside from the usual extensions and themes).
First off, there's Greasemonkey, an extension that lets you run custom JavaScript to alter the behavior of web pages. (Why is this cool? Well, just think of it as the web equivalent of redecorating the mall everytime you walk in, except it doesn't require effort, you don't need the owner's permission, and it doesn't affect anyone except you. For example, have you ever wanted Amazon to list their competitors' prices? That's just the beginning...)
To use it, install the Greasemonkey extension here, restart Firefox, then download whatever scripts you want here (right click on the link to a script and select "Install user script..."; or click on the link to the script and then go to "Tools" > "Install This User Script..."). The Script Finder script here is also convenient. I've even done some scripting myself (for more info on programming scripts, I recommend this).
Secondly, for advanced users (or n00bs with guts) I found these tweaks that can be used to improve Firefox's performance by modifying user.js. (The same thing can be done by setting values in "about:config" (type it into the address bar), and I find this easier. The tweaks are listed as user_pref("[name]", [value]). Double click on the name in about:config to set the value (leave quotes off of the value if it's a string). If the name isn't there, right click on the main window and select "New" > [type of value you're adding].) The only other tweak that's really worth doing that I've found so far is to set "privacy.popups.disable_from_plugins" to 2 (which is the most restrictive setting).
Third, if you don't like annoying internet advertisements, go here and install Adblock Plus (the second extension, listed in the quote box in the first post) and Filterset.G Updater. Restart Firefox. Go to "Tools" > "Adblock Plus" > "Preferences", click "Adblock Options" and make sure everything listed under "Browser Window" is checked. Then go to "Tools" > "Adblock Plus" > "Filterset.G Updater", click "Settings", make sure "Extension Enabled" and "Use Whitelist" are checked, then click "Force Update Now".
Well, that's it. W00t!