First shots of Windows 7 leaked? And by 7, we mean Vista.

Paul

There’s no telling how legitimate these shots might be, and it’s quite clear that these screens won’t be giving us any juicy details about Windows 7 anytime soon, but we couldn’t pass on images that purport to be the first from a super-secret test build of Windows 7 seeded to “key partners.” So, anything to see here? Not that we can tell, from the looks of things we’re looking at a copy of Vista with the name “Windows 7 Ultimate” tacked on, but there’s no telling what’s happening under the hood. We know we can’t wait to pay another few hundred dollars for a barely noticeable upgrade to Vista that will re-break all driver support, how about you?

[Via Engadget]

I am wondering if the rumor isn’t true that Microsoft will dump Vista for a new operating system. Any thoughts? It sure looks that way right now.

Add Multiple, Address-Specific HTML Signatures to New Gmail

Paul

gmailmultiplesig.png Firefox with Greasemonkey: If the upgrade to the new version of Gmail made you leave your HTML signatures behind, you’re in luck. The Gmail 2.0 Multiple HTML Signatures Greasemonkey user script (wow, that’s a mouthful) can associate rich text signatures to individual addresses in Gmail, and include them above the quoted text in replies. Unfortunately the user script requires that you edit its source to set up your sigs: once it’s installed, in Greasemonkey’s Manage Scripts dialog, hit the Edit button. In the area labeled “Setup/Configuration,” enter your email address(es), and your signature markup. Use the pre-filled examples to get started. Because this script requires hand source-editing, it’ll take some work to get it implemented in Better Gmail 2, but it’s on the roadmap. The Multiple HTML Signatures user script is a free download that works with Greasemonkey in Firefox.

Gmail 2.0 Multiple HTML Signatures [Userscripts.org]

[Via Lifehacker]

Here is a useful GreaseMoney script that helps with Gmail! I know anything that helps with Gmail makes my life easier!!

Get Informative File Tooltips with InfoTag Magic

Paul

infotag-magic.pngWindows only: Freeware application InfoTag Magic adds useful file information to the Windows mouse hover tooltip to give you a better idea of what’s going on inside the file you’re looking at without requiring you to open it up to find out. As you can see in the screenshot, for example, InfoTag Magic displays an MP3’s metadata so that even if a song doesn’t have an informative filename, you can still get a preview of what’s inside. Likewise, InfoTag Magic will preview the first seven or so lines of a text file when you hover over it. Infotag Magic is freeware, Windows only.

InfoTag Magic [via FreewareGenius]

[Via LifeHacker]

This is a useful item for people who have several MP3’s that need more information. I am going to try it out for myself.

The IE7 auto-rollout: fact and fiction

Paul


News is spreading that on February 12, Internet Explorer 7 will be flagged for “automatic installation” through Windows update. Microsoft has published a knowledgebase article detailing the push, but there’s plenty of misinformation out there stemming from flawed understandings of what the article actually says. In short, the Windows world isn’t about to be forced to upgrade to IE7 (although with few exceptions, the Windows world probably should upgrade from IE6 to something else, be it IE7, Firefox, or Opera).

What’s happening: come February 12, Microsoft will release IE7 as an “Update Rollup” to Windows Server Update Services (WSUS). By treating IE7 as an “update roll-up,” the package can be pushed from Microsoft to WSUS without a WGA antipiracy check. This, you may recall, stems in part from a decision Microsoft made last year to treat IE7 more like a critical security update than an application update.

[Via Arstechnica]

I thought people would like to Know about the IE 7 Forced install. I know I’m having to prevent that in some systems in my company!!

Make Firefox more responsive!! (Tweak)

Paul

Type about:config into the Firefox address bar, and then filter by the following:

content.switch.threshold

Most likely the key doesn’t exist yet, so you’ll have to set it by right-clicking in the empty area and selecting New \ Integer. Use these values when prompted:

  • Key Name: content.switch.threshold
  • Key Value: 1000000

The default value is 750000, or 3/4 of a second. The more time that you tell Firefox to wait before resuming high priority mode, the more responsive the application will feel… but it will obviously take a little longer to load the pages. You could reverse this if you were more worried about speeding up page load time.

[Via How-to-geek]

I’ve had trouble with Firefox with non-responsive webpages this might actually help. Thought people would like this little tip!!