If you work on Linux you’ll know that the command line is the way to go (in some cases at least). If you are in GUI mode than you can access the command line via the Terminal. Here are some applications/utilities that will transform your command line experience.
If you’ve ever played Quake you’ll know how we could bring down the console in the game and then type in the command. Bringing such functionalities to the Linux Terminal are Tilda and Guake. Both these applications perform similar functions viz allow you to show/hide a terminal windows with a hotkey. Guake is still in the early stages of development, Tilda offers somewhat more functions as compared to Guake.
Firefox is close to our hearts. In the past, we’ve reviewed a number of Firefox add-ons here on Make Use Of. Any guesses what this article is about? Yes, you’ve guessed it - it’s the ever popular Firefox add-ons list compilation.
However this time, its a list with a difference. The add-ons in this list are the Winners of the Extend Firefox contest organised by Mozilla Labs.
The add-ons are classified into three categories.
Pencil is a GUI prototyping and diagramming add-on. This means that you can use Pencil to create mockups of windows, buttons, panes etc. Some of the features of Pencil are:
Up until recently, I was using numerous Greasemonkey scripts to add separate tabs in FriendFeed so that I could access sites like Ping.fm, Kwippy & Google Reader directly from my account. The disadvantage to using separate tags though was that there were only certain ones available for me to use. For example, there are tabs for Plurk, Google Calendar, Remember the Milk, and Identi.ca, just to name a few.
Now, with the help of Better FriendFeed, there’s no longer a limit to the kind of tabs you can add to FriendFeed. In addition to being able to add any tab that you want, Better FriendFeed also helps to make FriendFeed “cleaner”.
Windows Explorer does do its job, but there is a lot left to be desired. Xplorer2 Lite gives you a more powerful alternative that makes browsing those folders quick and easy. Xplorer2 Lite is the free version of Xplorer2, but don’t let that worry you. The free version has a good feature set that still makes it a great option as your alternative to Windows Explorer.
Xplorer2 Lite isn’t a full replacement for Windows Explorer. What I mean by this is that if you click on a folder after Xplorer2 Lite is installed, it will still open with Windows Explorer. However, right clicking on a folder now gives you the option to open the folder in Xplorer2 Lite. This is a minor inconvenience, but it’s worth it. You’ll see.
I love Firefox and I love extensions!
There I said it. I am an extension junkie!
I did a clean install today on a new laptop and I decided to document some of my favorite Firefox extensions. But before we get into the list …
I wanted to warn you that each additional extension you install uses more memory and can slow down your Firefox or computer. So try out as many as you want, keep what you need and disable/uninstall the ones you don’t to keep your fox running nice and quick.
I have been a Windows user from the time I was a little tot. I am still a Windows user (and am perfectly happy with it), but sometimes I look over at a Mac and wish I had just a few of their features on my Windows machine. After doing some searching, I have been able to find four applications that give me the few things that I wanted to have on my Windows PC but has traditionally only been available on a Mac.
One thing that has always been a challenge in Windows XP is keeping track of multiple instances of a program or multiple windows. Even though I work on a high resolution screen which offers plenty of space and a wide taskbar, I often reach a limit upon which I (theoretically) need to scroll through the taskbar to find all open windows.
Now there are a few default Windows XP features to handle multiple instances of a program or even dozens of open windows, and of course there are tools that offer even more comfort.
Every Firefox user spends a lot of time dealing with tabs. Thus, improving the tabs directly adds to the browsing experience. You can make them better, faster, beautiful and lot less ovewhelming. So here you go, 7 powerful addons to improve your tabbed browsing.
(1) Vertigo - This awesome extension moves your tab bar to the left side of the browser window and stacks tabs vertically. Highly recommended for people with 20 and above inch screens. You can add a splitter to resize the tab bar to any width you want.
Being a writer that pumps out at least half a dozen articles a day, I have gradually developed a fondness for the Editor / Notepad application in Windows XP. In fact I prefer it a lot more than Microsoft Word due to the fact that a) it opens virtually instantaneously and b) it is easy to use. You just open it and start typing right away. It’s also perfect for making lists and writing simple HTML. But although I enjoy Notepad’s no-frills approach, there are times when I wish there were at least some other features available.
