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Great gifts for geeks, hand-picked by Download Squad
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Filed under: Browsers

Filed under: Web services, Open Source, Social Software, Browsers

MySpace, Flock and Vidoop release OpenID for Flock plugin

OpenID is a really great concept. The ability to use a single digital identity across the web and avoid having to sign up for yet another user account is a real productivity boon. More and more high profile sites and services are adopting OpenID, but the project still hasn't gained the traction that many of us think it deserves. This is partially because it still isn't easy to use OpenID -- or even find out if a site supports OpenID -- on all services. MySpace, Flock and Vidoop think they've come across a solution: let the browser handle it.

Back in June, MySpace announced support for OpenID and also became an OpenID provider. In order to help users more easily manage their online identity across other sites and services, MySpace teamed up with Flock and Vidoop to create OpenID for Flock, available today at https://extensions.flock.com. OpenID for Flock is an open source plugin, part of the larger Identity in the Browser (IDIB) project which is focused on having the browser, not the user handle, authenticate and mange multiple user identities.

I had the chance to demo the plugin yesterday and it is pretty cool. Essentially, once installed an OpenID icon appears on the right of Flock's chrome bar. The extension scans a page for OpenID compatibility, and if a site supports OpenID, the icon starts to glow. You can then automatically choose to populate the OpenID fields with your designated OpenID URL or associate that site with a specific OpenID account. You can manage all of your OpenIDs, choose what sites to associate certain profiles with and view the login history and OpenID-to-site-relationship with each site.


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Filed under: Internet, Productivity, Mozilla, Search, Browsers

URL Alias adds superpowers to the Firefox address bar


Good things really do come in small packages, as is the case with the URL Alias Firefox addon.
I originally installed it looking to make the address bar more launcher-like. For example, I wanted http://mail.google.com/mail/#inbox to open when I type mail or http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=SPORTS05 when I enter wings.

I prefer using words or abbreviations I can remember easily instead of hotkey combinations, and this experimental addon is the perfect tool for the job.

Since URL Alias also supports a variable (yep, just one), you can do a whole lot more with your aliases than just save keystrokes.

To manage aliases, type the following in your address bar: chrome://urlalias/content/urlalias.xul [enter]

Suppose you want to set up a Google search alias for results from downloadsquad.com.

dls http://www.google.com/search?q=%s%20site:downloadsquad.com

The %s is replaced by whatever text you enter after the keyword: dls firefox addons will return results for all matching DS posts. Change the alias text and url, and set up as many site-specific searches as you like.

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Filed under: Internet, Mozilla, Freeware, Social Software, Browsers

BuzzBox Fast Forward adds smarter "Stumbling" to Firefox

First off, let me clarify: I'm not saying that StumbleUpon isn't a very complex, smartly built addon. It's just that I don't go stumbling off to a (somewhat) randomly selected site all the time. Sometimes I'd like walk a path that has been trodden by others searching for the same things I am.

Fast Forward
by BuzzBox is an excellent alternative, suggesting possible destinations based on where other surfers clicked through. The addon installs as both a drop-down menu in the main toolbar and as a simple button in the status bar.

The dropdown presents the top destinations for you to choose from, while the status bar icon zips you off to the most popular one with a single click. Two other nice features of Fast Forward are its small size (the .xpi is only 69kb) and the fact that no registration is required.

There is a privacy policy that you may want to read - this is, after all, a recommendation engine and it needs to gather information about your browsing. According to the policy, "BuzzBox does not attempt to determine the identity of any BuzzBox user by analyzing Web usage paths. "

With only 245 total downloads from Mozilla's site, it's going to take a little while before you start seeing suggestions on every site you visit, but Fast Forward has tons of potential and is well worth a download.

[ via TechCrunch ]

Filed under: Browsers

Select multiple checkboxes with CheckBoxMate for Firefox

CheckBoxMateCheckBoxMate is a Firefox add-on that can save you a ton of time if you frequently need to select multiple check boxes when doing things like cleaning your email inbox or responding to surveys. The utility is considered an experimental Firefox plugin, but all that means is that you need to sign up for a free Mozilla account and login before downloading CheckBoxMate from the Firefox add-ons directory. You can also install it without an account by visiting the developer's homepage.

Once CheckBoxMate is installed, all you need to do to select multiple checkboxes is move your mouse over the first box and click to make a checkmark, and before you lift your finger from the mouse button, drag the mouse over all the other boxes you want to check. That's it.

I found that the plugin worked great with Gmail. But when I tried it with Google Docs and Zoho Docs, it was unable to identify the checkboxes. So it may not work on every web site you visit.

[via Firefox Facts]

Filed under: Internet, Utilities, Browsers

Safari updates messing with your ad blocker? Try GlimmerBlocker.


If you use some popular ad blocking add-ons for Safari (like the excellent PithHelmet), you may have run into problems when a new version of Safari was released. Updating can break your ad-blocker or cause Safari to crash until a new version of the plugin is released. This isn't a big deal to me, because Safari 3.2-compatible version of PithHelmet has already been released. If you're crazy about stability, though, GlimmerBlocker is offering an alternative.

GlimmerBlocker is downright derisive of other ad blocking options, explaining on their website that "The problem with other ad-blockers for Safari is that they are implemented as awful hacks ...This compromises the stability of Safari ..." Instead of using InputManagers, GlimmerBlocker works by http proxy. This is handy if you're using nightly builds of WebKit that other methods of adblocking can't keep up with. You do unfortunately have to make some small sacrifices for the stability: GlimmerBlocker won't stop pop-unders or filter cookies from 3rd-party sites.

Filed under: Mozilla, Beta, Browsers

Firefox 3.1 still not ready, another beta coming soon?

Firefox 3.1 beta
Mozilla is thinking about adding a third beta to the Firefox 3.1 development cycle. The original plan had been to release 2 betas and then move onto the release candidate phase. But Mozilla's Mike Beltzner says a third beta would give the team time to work out some existing bugs while giving people more time to kick the tires on new features like the new private browsing mode which allows you to surf the web without saving any data to disk.

The new beta wouldn't include any new features, but it will give the developers a chance to squash any major bugs before Firefox 3.1 is officially released early next year.

[via ComputerWorld]

Filed under: Windows, Google, Freeware, Beta, Browsers

Google Chrome gains a bookmark manager

Google Chrome Bookmark Manager
Google Chrome 0.4.154.25 is now available. Aside from having a nearly impossible to remember version number, the latest version of Google's web browser also has a few important updates, the most noticeable being the inclusion of a bookmark manager.

The bookmark manager allows you to import and export bookmarks in HTML format, which makes importing your bookmarks from Firefox or another web browser a snap. Of course, you run the risk of realizing just how out of date your bookmarks are when you do this, but that's another story for another day.

Google has also changed the way its pop-up manager works, by displaying the number of pop ups minimized in the corner of your screen. Google Gears and the V8 JavaScript Engine have also been updated in this release.

[via WebWare]

Filed under: Internet, Windows, Freeware, Browsers

Lunscape - 1 browser, 3 rendering engines

Lunascape5 Alpha
Lunascape is a web browser for people who just can't decide which web browser to use. That's because the latest Alpha version of Lunascape supports three of the most popular rendering engines used in other web browsers, including Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, and Google Chrome.

Upon setup, you can select your default rendering engine. Geck or WebKit are known for their blazing fast performance when loading many web pages and web apps,. Or you can choose Trident if you frequently visit web pages that only work with Internet Explorer.

The browser also supports bookmarklets, has a built in screen capture utility, skins, and has a full screen mode. Lunascape5 Alpha also supports add-ons, but right not there aren't a ton of plugins available. Unfortunately it will not work with plugins designed for Firefox, Safari, or Internet Explorer.

[via OStatic]

Filed under: Windows, Freeware, Browsers

FoxGLove is Firefox for Google addicts

FoxGLove
You would think that Google Chrome would be the perfect web browser for people who spend most of their day using Google applications like Gmail, Google Calendar, and GTalk. But Chrome lacks some of the features that draw many people to browsers like Firefox. So one Firefox user who uses a ton of Google services decided to mash the two together and create an alternate browser he calls FoxGLove, which you can download from Lifehacker.

The browser is based on the portable version of Firefox, which means you can run it without messing up your normal Firefox settings. You can also run it from a USB flash drive. At first glance, the browser looks a lot like Google Chrome, thanks to the ChromiFox theme. The home pages have been set to Gmail, Google Reader, and Google Docs, and there are bookmarklets that will open GTalk, Google Calendar, or Google Notes in your sidebar. But that's just the start.

FoxGLove also comes preloaded with a ton of Firefox addons that provide enhancements for Google applications. It also replaces the Firefox search bar with the Google Toolbar. And the developer even figured out how to make Google Gears portable so you can have online/offline access to web pages and applications that support Gears.

Filed under: Internet, Photo, Blogging, Mozilla, Browsers

Post screenshots to Wordpress blogs with a Firefox add-on

On my list of 14 extremely useful Firefox addons I included ScreenGrab for capturing web pages to PNG or JPG images.

Today, I replaced it with Screen Grab to Wordpress. As you probably guessed, it's got the same core functionality with one major addition: the ability to send images directly to your Wordpress-powered blog.

Configure the URL, username, and password to all your Wordpress blogs an you're ready to go (just make sure you have XML-RPC remote publishing enabled).

Click the icon in your Firefox status bar to display SGW's menu and choose what to capture and where to send it. You can save locally, copy to the clipboard, or post directly to Wordpress.

If you're blogging a capture, you can enter a title, tags, body text, and even set your new post to publish - if you don't check the box, the post defaults to draft status. After successfully uploading, you're taken directly to the Wordpress edit page to put the finishing touches on your new post.

With less than 600 downloads to date, this one is a bit of a diamond in the rough. It's a tremendous timesaver for anyone blogging about items discovered while browsing with Firefox.

Filed under: Internet, Mozilla, Freeware, Browsers

Thumbstrips adds visual browsing history to your Firefox


Though not as well-known as Microsoft's Office Labs, Intuit has a similar endeavor of their own. One of its slickest apps is Thumbstrips, a Firefox addon that records your browsing history as thumbnails.

It's currently featured in the Digital Pack Rat assortment on Fashion Your Firefox, and for good reason. Thumbstrips' snapshots make locating previously viewed pages much easier. Apart from the thumbnail, the site's domain name and the approximate time it's been since your visit are also displayed.

Now that I've shown my four-year-old son how to click the little overlapping box icon to show and hide it, it's cut down drastically on questions like "Daddy, how to I get my Scooby game back?" A less frustrating browsing experience for my family members is always a welcome change.

My only complaint about Thumbstrips is its limited customization. I want to be able to display the strip on the left or right side of my display: 1280x800 gives plenty of width, but not so much height. Still, it's a definite improvement over a text-only history listing and worth the install.

If you've used thumbstrips, share your thoughts! If you're using something similar, we'd like to hear about that, too!

Filed under: Internet, Linux, Adobe, Beta, Browsers

Adobe releases alpha 64-bit Flash plugin for Linux

What exactly is Adobe trying to prove? First, they release a 64-bit version of CS4. Now they're showing 64-bit Linux users some love by releasing an alpha version of the Flash player for their OSes.

It's been a long time coming. For ages, users have been forced to use nspluginwrapper to enable the 32-bit Flash player in their browser. With the official alpha release from Adobe, there's light at the end of the tunnel. Adobe's increased attention to Linux may have something to do with the fact that nearly a quarter of all Firefox crashes on Linux systems are related to the Flash plugin.

Availability of the 64-bit version is yet another boost for Flash on Linux. Version 10 made significant strides in terms of performance and compatability.

Linux users can get their hands on the plugin from this page at Adobe Labs.

Since I've recently installed Vista Ultimate x64 on my workstation, I'm hopeful that Adobe will do the right thing and roll out a Windows version as well. The company has stated that next major release the plugin will feature 64-bit versions for all three major platforms.

[ via Ars Technica ]

Filed under: Utilities, Macintosh, Browsers

Choosy app chooses browsers (in OS X)

If you're a Mac user, you'll probably have noticed OS X's default browser behavior. You choose a default browser, and links from all your other applications are automatically opened in it. But what if you want more control? An app called Choosy lets you pick a browser for each individual link.

You mean every time you click a link in one of your applications, you have to choose a browser? This sounds like it could be a pain, but Choosy can choose a browser for you automatically. It lets you set its behavior based on favorite browsers, or just which browsers you have open.

In any situation where you haven't specified a browser, Choosy will prompt you with a neat little panel that looks like the app picker that pops up when you hit Apple-Tab in OS X. It's an extra click, but at least you know your link will open in the correct browser.

Filed under: Utilities, Browsers, Mobile

BareSite tries to improve the mobile browsing experience

I recently wrote about Intersquash, a service that generates code to optimize your site for iPhone browsing. BareSite is the flipside of that: it allows mobile browsers to access a "bare" mobile version of any site, based on the RSS feed. The results aren't as pretty as what you'd see from a natively mobile site, but sometimes you don't have that choice. On the other hand, a decent mobile browser and RSS reader can achieve the same results.

So, does BareSite work? I actually had some trouble with it. It seems to be confused by RSS feeds without a pubDate element -- like, currently, Download Squad's. This definitely detracts from the BareSite's usefulness, especially considering that decent RSS readers already exist on several mobile platforms. The Google search function on BareSite is also useful, but kind of unnecessary, as Google has mobile versions of its sites, and some mobile browsers build a Google search function in already.

Filed under: Internet, Web services, Mozilla, Browsers

Fashion Your Firefox offers easier browser customization


Mozilla has launched a new service called Fashion Your Firefox. The aim of the project is to make the browser customization simpler for the average user.

When you visit the page, you'll be presented with a number of options that target specific browsing "personalities," like Finder and Seeker, Shutterbug, News Junkie, and others. Select a profile, and FYF displays a selection of the most popular relevant addons.

The Finder and Seeker, for example, offers Stumbleupon, Interclue, and the Mini Map Sidebar. News Junkies can select Wizz RSS, Morning Coffe, ReadItLater, and ForecastFox.

The installation process has also been streamlined. You don't have to add extensions one at a time - place a checkbox in each one that interests you and click the install my addons button when you're done. Firefox will process your queue en masse.

FYF is incredibly simple to use, its suggestions are right on the money, and it works well. Perhaps one day we'll be able to tag our preferred extensions and easily add them to new Firefox installs using a system like this.

Featured Time Waster

Forumwarz - a potentially offensive time waster

I pwn UAfter spending the better part of an hour on Forumwarz I still can't decide if it's just sick or if it's kind of fun. It's a bit like a car wreck on the highway. I know I shouldn't be looking but I can't quite turn away.

It's sick, it's twisted, it's the internet on it's worst level and darn it, it's kind of fun. At least for a little while.

Forumwarz is a parody role-playing game that takes place on the internet - or at least the Forumwarz version of it. Your goal is to complete missions that are given to you through a mock up of GoogleTalk called Sentrillion.

Your first "friend" is ShallowEsophagus who begins giving you missions to pwn various forums by being a troll. Depending on the character type you are assigned at start up, you have tools like drooling on the keyboard or bashing your head on the keyboard that you can use to destroy forum threads and eventually, pwn a forum.

Future missions involve buying illegal software from the Russians, pwning more difficult forums and other internet oddness.

Completing missions gives you cash, called Flezz in game, and items that you can pawn or use in other missions. The game is NOT for those easily offended. It's crass, coarse and there are frequent f-bombs in the fake chat sessions.

This is also a game for a more mature audience as it requires you to shop at the Drugs R Fun store to get various concoctions to improve your playing, engage in certain cyber activities to get more Flezz and just generally use a more adult perspective.

If you can get past that, here are the more enjoyable and time-wasting aspects.

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