The CyberNet weblog details how to seamlessly share a Firefox profile between a dual boot Ubuntu Linux and Windows installation by sharing the same profile folder in both OSes. It’s a very simple trick that involves the Firefox Profile Manager, and it only takes a few steps to complete. On the other hand, if your goal is to share profiles between different computers, we’ve got you covered there, too.
I will have to try this in my Kubuntu settings!!
We’ve heard plenty about Stacks in the upcoming Mac OS X Leopard, but what you may not know is that Windows Vista users have their own Stacks worth checking out. Weblog CyberNet takes a look at the new groups and stacks features in Vista, highlighting how the new Explorer features can improve your file organization.
If I were to stack files by name, they would appear almost like they would with a group, except none of the file names are actually shown [see screenshot]. Instead you’d double click on the stack that you want and it will open up all of the corresponding files. The more files that correspond with a particular stack, the larger the “stack icon” will be.
Essentially, stacks offer a simple method for grouping similar filetypes so you can quickly narrow down the file you’re looking for by weeding out all the rest. The post describes in more detail how Vista’s new drop-down file organization options bring handy new levels of organization to your Explorer window. If you’ve got your own favorite Explorer view, let’s hear about it in the comments.
Nice tip for Windows Vista, I’ll have to try this out!!
Windows/Mac/Linux (All platforms): There are tons of great instant messaging applications available, but one nagging problem in the IM world is that there’s no great, fully cross-platform chat app (unless you count Meebo). Free, open source application Instantbird aims to do for chat what Firefox does for the browser. Based on the same tools used to create Firefox and Thunderbird, Instantbird should ultimately be just as extensible as the former—which means IM customization will be as simple as installing a Firefox extension. Right now Instantbird connects to virtually any IM network and supports a tabbed chat interface. Beyond that, the application is still very barebones, but its upcoming features are very exciting.Aside from the basics you’d expect from any chat app (like status notifications, contact management, and IM notifications), the ultimate roadmap for Instantbird includes video and voice support. What’s most exciting, though, is the possibility that the chat application will be subject to the same community of creative extension developers that make Firefox such a killer browser—so that Instantbird can easily be customized to deliver exactly what you want from it. Instantbird is free, works with Windows, Mac, and Linux. It’s still a very young app, so this one’s for the early adopters.
More very cool programs for people to use for everyday use. Integrate in Firefox.
Windows/Mac/Linux: Add clip art, advanced PDF functions, and in-editor Wikipedia searching to open source office suite OpenOffice.org with OxygenOffice Professional, a modified installation package and extension. Along with adding roughly 3,400 clip art files and templates, OxygenOffice’s extensions also add support for Microsoft’s Visual Basic for Applications in the Calc spreadsheet program and conversion tools for the Office Open XML format used in Office 2007. Combined with the Writer’s Tools package, this gives OO.org a number of exclusive features.To install, download the extension, open OO.org, go to Tools -> Extension Manager and click the “Add” button in the My Extensions section, or download a binary to make a fresh OO.org install. OxygenOffice is a free download that runs wherever OpenOffice.org does.
Some solution providers have reported that the pre-orders for Apple’s Leopard are more than double for the same time prior to Tiger’s release. They cite Leopard’s new features and customer dissatisfaction with Vista as key drivers, according to ChannelWeb on Thursday.
“We’ve probably doubled the backorders of Leopard, compared to what we did with Tiger,” said Patrick Brown, CEO of Brown Computer Solutions, in Brattleboro, Vermont, a solution provider and Apple specialist. “With the Intel Macs, Apple has significantly increased the installed base. We do expect a very successful launch.”
With Vista having so many flaws does that mean Apple will be the next Microsoft?
