Firefox 3 RC 1 now available

(Screenshot via Alex's Thoughts blog)

Mozilla released Firefox 3 release candidate 1 on May 16th. Afer 33 months of development Firefox 3 is getting much closer to being officially released!


New Features:

• Faster page loading (through faster HTML and javascript rendering)
• Less Memory usage
  "Memory cycles are broken and collected by an automated cycle collector, a new memory allocator reduces fragmentation, hundreds of leaks have been fixed, and caching strategies have been tuned."
• Better auto-complete in the address bar
  Now when you type part of title, a tag, or an address, Firefox will instantly pull matches from both your browsing history and bookmarks. The results are displayed in order of frequency, so your most visited pages will appear first.
• Smart Bookmarks
  These new bookmarking feature will display your recent or most visited bookmarks. The smart bookmarks folder now appear in the bookmarks toolbar and gives you quick access to all your most visited websites.
  
• Multple page zoom options
  When zooming pages you now have to option to zoom text, images, and layout, or only text
• Multiple text selections
  Now you can make multiple, non-continuous text selections in Firefox by holding down the Control/Command key to easily make multiple selections.
• Native look for Mac OS X
  Firefox now sports a brand new theme to make the toolbars, icons, and buttons visually integrated with OS X.
• Bookmark Tagging
  If you're a fan of del.icio.us or any other social bookmarking service, you'll love Firefox's bookmark tagging feature.
• Resize the location and search bar
  You can now resize the location and search bar without installing any additional extensions.
  

Compatible extensions

If you can't live without your extensions, I would first recommend checking the Firefox Add-ons page to check that your must-have extensions have been updated for compatibility with Firefox 3.

The only reason I haven't completed switched over to Firefox 3 already is because the Del.icio.us extension has not been officially released yet. Gina Trapani of Lifehacker posted Del.icio.us Extension Beta Plays Nice in Firefox 3. She links to the Del.icio.us blog post about their new beta extension.

Here's some popular extensions compatible with Firefox 3

• 1Password Extension
  
• Web Developer (Toolbar)
  
• Adblock Plus
• NoScript
  
• PDF Download
• ColorZilla
  Firefox 3.0a2

Test Drive Firefox 3 and Keep Firefox 2 Safe

If you're running a Mac and would like to try out Firefox 3 and keep Firefox 2 intact, check out Install Firefox 2 an 3 on the same computer. Since Firefox 3 shares the same profile folder as Firefox 2, they also give instructions to create a new profile and keep your original intact.


Read More:

Mozilla's Firefox 3 Release Notes

Lifehacker - Top 10 Firefox 3 Features
Lifehacker - Complete Field Guide to Testing Firefox 3

Why is my computer so slow?

Why is your computer running slow? It could be due to a number of issues, but in the end it's either a software or hardware related issue. The big culprits are file fragmentation, spyware, and not enough RAM in your computer.

Hardware issues

• Computers running with less than 1GB of RAM are generally going to be slow
  Using a computer with less than 1GB RAM on Windows XP, and especially Vista can slow your programs to a crawl. Upgrading your RAM is the best and most cost-effective way to improve the speed of your computer. RAM memory upgrades are also cheap--typically less than $200, and should be closer to $100 for a decent upgrade.
  
  Mac users should not run OS X with less than 1GB of RAM, especially if they're planning on doing anything with music, movies, or photos.
  
  
• Your computer does not have a dual-core processor
  Dual-core processors are not a necessity, however, you'll notice a significant speed improvement with a dual-core processor.
  
  
• Your hard drive is overfilled
  If your hard drive has less than 20% of it's free space remaining, you could be noticing slowdowns because the computer has to look longer for files before opening them. With the size of today's hard drives, typically 320-500GB for a desktop computer, users should not have a problem with this. However, if you're running an older desktop, or an older laptop with less than an 60GB hard drive, you may have less free space than you think.
  

Software (operating system issues)

• Windows XP has a half life
  As a computer is used frequently, the Windows operating system degrades over time. File fragmentation across the hard drive slows down an otherwise OK machine. Every computer user should know this and be defragmenting on a regular basis, especially if the machine is used regularly. Another solution, which will make your computer seem brand new is to reinstall a fresh copy of Windows. Reinstalling Windows will be like starting with a new computer--no fragmentation, no spyware, no viruses, no trial software.
  
  
• Malware (Spyware, Viruses, Trojans)
  Most Windows users, unless savvy with their browsing habits, are likely to have spyware crawling on their machine slowing it down. Most computer users that complain that their machine is slow

I'd love to hear your comments and questions. . . .

How to protect your computer from spyware

Spyware is becoming a growing problem in the computer world. A little knowledge can go a long way to prevent spyware from invading your machine.

Here are some tips to avoid spyware:

1. Use the Firefox Browser. Most spyware can be prevented by simply switching to the Firefox web browser. Firefox is protected from drive-by-downloads, spyware toolbars, and other security issues that are prevalent in Internet Explorer. By using Firefox, your computer won't be vulnerable to ActiveX related spyware that can be installed without the user's knowledge.
   
   
2. Only download software from reputable sources. Millions of computer users are unknowingly installing spyware and adware on their machines because they are downloading "free software". Don't download software from websites unless it's a trusted source. Download.com is one of the best places to find free software. All their programs are tested to be spyware and adware free. Most spyware infections require that you download and install something onto your computer. By downloading free software from legitimate sources, you eliminate the possibility of most spyware infecting your computer.
   
   
3. Use an anti-spyware program. If you're having trouble with spyware slowing down your machine, crashing your computer, or flooding your screen with pop-ups, scan your computer to remove spyware and adware. (Are you using Firefox? Are you being careful about downloading free programs?) Download.com's list of popular downloads includes some good free anti-spyware programs, Spybot Search and Destroy and Ad-Aware. These programs can help clear out some of the spyware and adware lurking on your computer.
   
   
4. Don't click on internet pop-ups. You can take simple steps, such as not clicking on internet pop-ups to prevent spyware from infecting your machine. Lots of internet ads will offer to scan your machine for spyware. Don't click on these advertisements! By clicking, you're giving an open invitation for spyware and adware to get on your computer. There are many fake anti-spyware programs that will offer to scan your computer, or say that your computer is infected. These bogus programs will trick you into installing them and actually infect your computer with spyware and adware.
   
   
5. Check your browsing habits. If you're already using Firefox and you're careful about what you download, also be mindful of your browsing habits. Thousands of bogus websites will try to install spyware and adware on your machine without your knowledge. By avoiding websites with pornography, software cracks, and torrents you can reduce the chance that spyware will make it's way onto your machine.
   

DVD Shrink runs fast in Parallels

DVD Shrink performs fast while running in Parallels.*

* MacBook Pro
2.2GHz dual-core processor, 2GB of RAM, and a 128MB Geforce 8600 graphics card
* Using a Windows XP VM (virtual machine) with 512MB of RAM and up to 15GB allocated to the VM.

A backup of a DVD movie took only 10 minutes in Parallels (using a pre-ripped DVD Video folder). This is faster than any compression I've done on a PC. Usually it would take around 15 minutes to compress a DVD on my old Dell Latpop (1.86GHz centrino processor, 2GB of RAM). DVD Shrink is performing faster in a virtual machine than it was on my midrange laptop from 2005.

* Note: Copying the ISO file created by DVD Shrink into a Parallels shared folder took about five minutes, so this actually evens out the amount of time for the compression.

Bottom Line: If you're a PC user that misses DVD Shrink, definitely consider running it in Parallels, unless of course you are already running Bootcamp. Mac users: DVD Shrink is probably the best DVD Compression program available on PCs or Macs, and it's also free!!

Be aware that DVD Shrink has not been updated in the last three years, so it cannot remove the latest copy protections. Use MacTheRipper to rip the DVD Video files to your hard drive, and then compress them with DVD Shrink.

If you know of any DVD Shrink equivalent (free) programs for the mac, post a comment. DVD2OneX is the closest thing I've found for Mac, but it only allows the main movie to be extracted, and it costs around $40. I want to keep the menus and the chapters when backing up my DVDs.


Coming Soon:

Burn and Backup your DVD movies on a Mac

Tip: Take screenshots with keyboard shortcuts (Mac)

Mac OS X offers a quick and application-free way of taking screenshots of just about anything.

Here's a rundown of the keyboard shortcuts.

• Command-Shift-3:
  Take a screenshot of the screen, and save it as a file on the desktop
• Command-Shift-4, then select an area:
  Take a screenshot of an area and save it as a file on the desktop
• Command-Shift-4, then space, then click a window:
  Take a screenshot of a window and save it as a file on the desktop

• Command-Control-Shift-3:
  Take a screenshot of the screen, and save it to the clipboard
• Command-Control-Shift-4, then select an area:
  Take a screenshot of an area and save it to the clipboard
• Command-Control-Shift-4, then space, then click a window:
  Take a screenshot of a window and save it to the clipboard
  

When a using the first set of shortcuts (with #4), the screenshot will be saved to the desktop as a PNG file.

If you need to do any extra cropping afterwards, simply open the images in Preview, crop, and re-save them.

Also check out the freeware application Backdrop for masking any desktop icons, desktop backgrond, or other clutter before taking the screenshot.

Download of the Week: Block out distractions with Backdrop

If you regularly watch movies on a Mac with dual monitor, backdrop may be perfect for you. Backdrop is a nice little freeware program for Mac that will block out the rest of the screen with a solid color of your choice. I use this on my laptop when watching movies on my 19" LCD monitor connected to my laptop so that the other screen is black while watching the movie.

Backdrop is also great for taking screenshots without the clutter of other application, desktop icons, or background images to inflate the image file size of your screenshot. You won't have to worry about taking the time to clear off all your desktop icons before taking the screenshot

If you're running Windows, check out Dropcloth featured on Lifehacker.

Backdrop website

Tip: Save time with Firefox Bookmark Shortcuts

A little know feature of Firefox bookmarks can save you even clicking on them. You can assign custom text as keyboard shortcuts for Firefox Bookmarks.

Here's how:

After creating a bookmark, edit the properties of the bookmark (PC users right click, Mac users go to the Bookmarks Manager). Enter whatever custom letters you'd like into the "keyword" field. See in the screen shot above an example for using "ym" as a shortcut to Yahoo Mail. Now I simply type ym into the address bar and I instantly go to the Yahoo Mail login page.

Website of the Week: Google Notebook

Google Notebook serves as a convenient way to keep all sorts of notes stored online. It's perfect for keeping bits of web research together, or managing small slices of information. The interface is organized into "notebooks" which you can then divide into "sections".

The interface is user friendly, intuitive, and there's a even a Firefox extension to help you add clips of information from any website instantly.

Store a lot of small notes in text files? Google Notebook can help you eliminate the file clutter and get these notes organized online and whenever you have web access.

Google Notebook

Logins are so 2007!

It's the new year and it's time to make your online life a little easier. There are several programs available to manage all of your online logins. You won't ever have to remember a password again (except for your master password, of course). Try out either one of these programs and I guarantee you'll be hooked!

• Roboform (Windows, free for up to 10 saved logins)
  Save all of your logins, forms, etc, even keep small encrypted notes with extra information. RoboForm integrates with both Internet Explorer and Firefox. Once you've entered your master password, any login you have saved can be automatically entered, without any typing. RoboForm will go to the login page, enter the information, and login!
  
  RoboForm
  

• 1Password (Mac, $30)
  Essentials functions the same way as RoboForm, except you will have to manually drag all of your saved logins to the bookmarks bar in your browser to get to automatic login fuction like RoboForm.
  
  1Password
  

Both applications encrypt your stored logins and information. They also offer strong password generators with custom settings. In addition they offer a "timeout" feature where the logins are locked if any login is not used in a specified amount of time. This offers a good extra level of security.

The Save Mantra

You're working in Microsoft Word typing a multi-page document and it freezes. Yes, Word does have an auto-recovery feature, but that only works in some circumstances.

Here's the solution. The "Save Mantra". Save when start, save every 10 minutes, and save when you're finished. I guarantee if you get into this habit, it will save you many hassles and even headaches down the road.

Saving is not inconvenient, it's your friend. It's only a keystroke away. Control + S on a PC or Command + S on a Mac.

Look at it this way, it takes only seconds to save, but every time you don't remember to save you run the risk of loosing everything up the present that has not been saved. Nobody likes having to retype an essay because they forgot to save at the beginning. Even if the program crashes or freezes, you'll have everything from your last save.

Connect your Mac to a TV

How to Connect a Mac to a TV

You can connect your Mac to a TV for under $25, with the Apple's DVI to Video Adapter. This cable connects to the DVI port on the Mac Pro, Mac Mini, and MacBook Pro and outputs to either S-Video or Composite (yellow video cable). I bought one directly from Apple for $19 + $4 shipping. Excellent deal if you ask me! I would have bought it on Amazon but it's $20 plus $5.78 shipping--Yikes!

If you're using an Intel iMac, MacBook, or PowerBook g4, you can get Apple's Mini-DVI to Video Adapter for $19 + $4 shipping also.

Both of the these video cables will only cover the video portion. They do not send the audio to the TV. If you don't already have one, you can pick up an 1/8" inch to RCA cable for about $5-10 at your local RadioShack, Target, etc. This cable will go from the headphone jack of your computer to the red/white audio jacks of a TV or stereo system. You can also get this Belkin audio cable on Amazon.


Free those Office, Lost, and Heroes episodes from your Mac, and get them in your living room where they were meant to be watched!

Access your files quickly

Here's a quick rundown of things that both Windows and Mac users can do to access their files and applications quickly.

Windows users

• Use the Quicklaunch bar (Create folder shortcuts)
  The quicklaunch bar will appear directly to the right of the Start button if it's enabled. You can add both program shortcuts and shortcuts to folders to this menu. To add a folder shortcut, locate the folder, right click on it, and select "Create Shortcut" drag this shortcut just left of the double arrow in the quicklaunch bar to add it. If you don't see any icons immediately to the right of the start button, enable the Quicklaunch bar by right-clicking on the
  
• Use the Recent Documents in the Start Menu
• Keep files organized into folders
  Use the My Documents, My Music, and My Pictures Folders. Keeping your files organized into folders is an easy thing to overlook, but can be easily remedied. Create a new folder every time you have a project, or develop a personal hierarchy of folders that you know exactly where something is and you won't have to spend time looking for it.
  
• Clear the desktop
  Although it may seem convenient to save your files and folders on the desktop, it can also be just an problematic to store your folders here. With a multitude of files stored here it can take a while just to find a file that you need. I would only recommend keeping minimal shortcuts, including My Documents, the Recycle Bin, and maybe shortcuts to one or two folders that you use everyday. Instead, place shortcuts to folders in the Quicklaunch bar where they can be accessed without having to minimize every program to get to the desktop.
  
  Note: If you must use the desktop to store your files/folders, the "show desktop" shortcut in the Quicklaunch bar can save you a lot of clicks. Check it out.
  

Mac users

• Use the Finder Sidebar
  You can drag folders and even individual documents to the finder sidebar to access them quickly and keep your desktop clear from aliases. This should help keep your dock clear of any folders that you've added here
• Use Stacks (Leopard only)
  Your documents folder appears as a stack by default. Drag other folders to the stack area of the dock to create a stack.
• Use the search function in the Open/Save Dialogs
  The search toolbar is available in the open and save dialog boxes. It can find both files and folders and is probably the fastest way to save/open a file at a specific location.
  
• Create a New Smart Folder
  In the finder, go to File > New Smart Folder. You can add parameters for this new smart folder, such as "Last opened date" or "Late modified" date is today. This will enable you quick access to any files and documents that you've already worked on today. You could also change those options to encompass the entire week for files from recent projects. You can also add an extra parameter for only files that are Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, or any other file type. Add this folder to the dock or finder sidebar when you're finished, and now you have easy access to any recent files of your choice.
  
• Recent Items Menu
  Click on the Apple and you'll see the "Recent Items" option with an arrow. Hover your mouse over this option to see a list of documents and applications you've opened recently.
  

Useful Facebook Applications

I've already written about all of the junk Facebook applications clogging up user's profiles. On the other hand, there are some useful and worthwhile applications to check out.

List of useful Facebook Applications:

• Where I've been
  Shows a map you can customize for states and countries you've visited, live in, and want to visit. Remember all those places you've been.
• Books iRead
  Displays thumbnail images of books you've read, are currently reading, and books that you want to read.
• Flixter movies
  Keep a list Movies that you've seen and want to see. Write quick reviews and rate movies. See the ratings/reviews from your friends
  
• del.icio.us (bookmarks)
  See a feed of your most recent del.icio.us bookmarks
• Digg
  See a feed your most recent Diggs.
  
• Top Friends
  Keep a list of friends that you contact frequently. (I wouldn't normally use this except it can be useful)
• Free gifts
  This is a good alternative to paying for Facebook's gifts.
• iLike
  Display a list of songs you enjoy.
  

Games and other entertainment (good timewasters)

• Attack
  Risk clone that allows you to challenge your friends in world domination
• South Park Character Creator
  Create your south park characters. A good timewaster.
• Chess
  

Send me an email with any comments on Facebook applications you've found useful

Facebook Application Madness

Since Facebook added the feature to allow custom applications to be added, many Facebook users have gotten out of control with adding these annoying and mostly useless applications to their profiles. I don't mind a few apps here and there, but when you have to scroll down through ten pages of garbage just to post on a friend's wall, that's getting ridiculous.

Also see my list of Useful Facebook Applications.

If you have a friend who litters their Facebook profile with every application they can find, simply click on this little green icon below their profile picture to be taken directly to their wall. (See the image to the right)

If you absolutely must have all of these applications, do your friends a favor and simply drag them to the left hand column so we can get to your wall quickly!

Note to Facebook admins: end this madness before you succumb to mass, trashy feel of MySpace. I wouldn't go back to Myspace, but I'm beginning to get annoyed with the junk accumulating on Facebook. What happened to that clean, unadultered Facebook we all knew and loved?

Here's a short list of the culprit, junk Facebook applications:

• Vampires
• Zombies
• WereWolves
• Happy Hour
• Harry Potter Magic Spells
• Booze Mail
• I love Dogs
• Kind of Eyes
• Superwall
  (It's cool that you can post photos, but then people end up posting junk like they do on Myspace.)
  
• Funwall
• Youtube skins
• Fortune Cookie
• X-Me
• Astrology
• Horoscopes
• Games
• Knock Knock Jokes
• Superpoke (can be mildly entertaining and good timewaster)
• Causes
• Honesty Box
• Emote
• Tarot
• Numerology
• Compare People
• Pirates vs. Ninjas
• Superlatives
• No Mercy
• What's your stripper name
• Double Dare
• Food Fight
• Magic 8 Ball
• Social Profile
• Spark
• Beer!
• I wanna get Leid!
• Scrapbox
• Advanced wall
• Naughty gifts
• My Aquarium
• Jack-o-Lantern
• My Solar System
• Beer Pong
• Are you interested
• Circle of Friends
• Inner Circle
• What flower are you
• What kind of eyes do you have
  

This is just a sampling from one profile. The list could go on and on, there's junk and advertising laden applications being developed every day. Oh Joy!

A note the high school kids, you can show some maturity by NOT adding 100 useless and space-wasting applications to your profile.

Cheers and Happy Facebooking!

Mac Apps - Maybe Someday

There are a lot of great Mac apps out there, and many of them happen to be free to boot! Here's a rundown of the Macs I plan to install at some point in the future. Most, if not all of these applications have been featured on Lifehacker.

• Caffeine ("stay awake" Utility)
  When Caffeine is activated it prevents the computer from going into sleep turning on the screensaver, extremely useful when watching movies, slideshows, etc. After you're finished using it, simply turn if off to have normal sleep functions. I only let my Mac go to sleep once (in two weeks of use) My boss has told me that sometimes his mac is sluggish waking from sleep. I'm sure I'll end up using this to watch movies, and pass it along to friends who also watch lots of video content on their macs
• DiskInventoryX (Hard drive space usage)
  When my 120GB laptop hard drive has less than 40GB of free disk space, I'll probably install this one, or I might use it to analyze which folders on my large external hard drives are taking up the most space. Right now I don't need, but I'm sure I will come 6 months or a year from now. On my Windows computer I used JDiskReport, which is apparently also available for Mac.
• Quicksilver (Application launcher)
  Yes, I've read all about it's features on Lifehacker, but it's functionality for launching apps may not be neccessary with stacks of application aliases. Quicksilver's other features could prove to be useful, and I'm just the type of Geek that would love it for the sake of it's keyboard functionality.
• Handbrake (DVD video ripping)
  This handy application rips DVD to various video formats and has presets for iPods among other things. It's one of the simplest, free ways to get videos converted for your iPod. I've got the DMG saved, but I probably won't use this very often, because I prefer to "backup" DVD movie discs with DVD Shrink. I don't like the loss of quality when ripping below a 1GB video file and I'd rather have a disc that I can pop into any DVD player with the chapters and menus intact, not to mention a great quality boost!! If I run across some novelty movies, then I might install and it and fire it up.
• Backuplist+ 5.0 (Backup utility)
  It looks like a great free backup utility and it's the exact functionality I desire with backup, simply knowing that a few essential folders (pictures, music, documents, software) are backed-up on my external hard drive. I'll give this one a spin to backup the new photos on my laptop.
• Transmission (Torrent client)
  It was picked by Lifehacker in their "2007 Guide to Free Software and Webapps". It's open-source, and the only reason I don't currently have it is because I don't have high speed internet access. In a few weeks, I'll install this one to get some torrents up and running again.
• Google Earth
  I'll probably install this in a few weeks, but unless I'm bored or have some time kill, I would rarely use it all.
• Schoolhouse 2 (assignment/project organization)
  This would have been a great app to have in high school to keep track of all my assignments. I might use it before I finish my college degree, when I have lots of work to keep track of. Featured on Lifehacker here: Download of the Day: Schoolhouse 2 (Mac)

Other apps in the waiting list:

Writeroom (only text on the screen to help focus on writing, $25)
JDarkroom (free alternative to Writeroom, text only writing tool, Windows/Mac)
Celtx (Media pre-production and collaboration tool)
ImageWell (image viewer/editor)
Isolator (applcation focuser/isolator)
Celestia (free space simulation program Windows/Mac/Linux )
FreeDMG (make DMGs for free, and w/ more features than Disk Utility)
Renamer4Mac (free batch/bulk file renaming utility)
DVD2oneX (DVD video compression for burning)



I welcome any comments with applications you've tried, plan to try, or will get around to eventually. Send me a buzz by email.

Macs handle zip files out of the box

Mac can both unzip Zip files and create them, without any additional software!! It appears that this feature was made available with the release of Tiger.

To open a zip file, simply double clip on it and you'll see a new folder appear in the finder within a few seconds with the name of the zip file. Dead simple. No extractors or unzippers needed, unless you're dealing with .RAR files.

To create a zip file, simply select a file, folder, or group of files and right click on them. In Tiger choose Create Archive of . . . In Leopard choose Compress "your-filename" from the context menu. In a few seconds you'll have the zip file, which you can rename if neccessary.

See: Apple Pro Tip of the Week - Making ZIP Files (Compressed Files) in One Click

My essential Mac applications

Here's a list of my current essential Mac applications. Most of these applications I use on a daily basis, and some I couldn't live without!! I've seen lots of lists of "top Mac apps", but a good portions of those applications tend to be specialty items.

• Firefox
  Safari isn't bad, but for web design and a more customized surfing experience it's the only way to go. If you're on Windows this is a must to keep you secure from security holes in Internet Explorer.
  
• OmniFocus
  This GTD (Getting Things Done) based application is excellent for keeping track of every task and project you need to accomplish. Things can be organized by project, "context" or due date. I couldn't live without this at work, and it's helping me stay on track. A license will cost you $80, starting Janurary 8th, 2008.
  
• Thunderbird
  An excellent email client from Mozilla, the makers of Firefox. It's clean, simple, and a much appreciated alternative to Outlook and Outlook Express. If you're currently using Mail for Mac, it might not be worth the switch.
• Lock Desktop
  This automator application is the equivalent of locking the desktop on a Windows comptuer. It keeps all of the applications running, so you don't have to put the machine to sleep to protect it with your password. Stepping away from your desk for a few mintues? Lock Desktop is perfect for keeping your computer secure while you're away. It's compatible with Leopard!
• 1Password
  Have a hard time managing all your different passwords and logins. 1Password comes to the rescue, storing all your logins and encrypting them with one master password. You'll never have to try and guess what username and password combination you used. It integrates with Firefox and Safari among other web browsers. There's a strong password generator for times when you need a secure password on demand. Macworld is still offering a free license giveaway for 1password. It's normally a $30 license!
• Backdrop
  This application is essential for taking screenshots or even watching movies when using dual monitors. It covers your screen in the color of your choice. This will enable you to take screenshots that have smaller filesizes and eliminate distracting backgrounds. Watch movies on a laptop with second monitor? Use backdrop to cover the screen in black so you don't see anything on the screen.
• TextWrangler
  For a free code and text editor, Text Wrangler has some excellent features. Lifehacker has featured TextWrangler several times.
  Lifehacker's 2007 Guide to Free Software and Webapps
  Lifehacker: Rebuild your mac with 20 useful downloads

Coming soon:

Mac Apps - Maybe Someday
A list of great Mac apps that I'll haven't gotten around to trying yet.


Read more:

Lifehacker's Top 10 Free Mac Downloads
Lifehacker's Top 10 Mac utilities

Top reasons to love Macs

I've only had a new Mac laptop for about a week now, but it's been a great experience and a refreshing one after being a PC user for nine years. Without further ado, here are my top reasons why I love my new Mac.

• Stacks
  push away all those lesser used, but neccessary applications to a stock, or add the Adobe suite to a stack to restore valuble space to the dock (got this idea from Lifehacker)
  (Leopard only)
• Exposé
  One thing windows should try to copy. . PC users can get Switcher 2
  
• The Dock
  Essential to my launching apps fast. . .sorry quick launch bigger icons are better. Windows users can get Object Dock
  
• keyboard shortcuts
  see Switching to Mac - keyboard shortcuts
• Less digging through menus
  Mac menus are simplified, especially when dealing with preferences (options). Most things, like setting display preferences are much faster, and I can even open my system preferences with one click from the dock--it doesn't get any better than that.
• Run Windows Virtually, or in Boot Camp
  Parallels is an excellent way to run both Windows and OS X simultaneously. You can switch back and forth. . and don't worry, if Windows kicks the bucket, it's a short 30 minute virtual reinstall away. Boot Camp now lets gamers and others run more intensive PC apps natively, which requires a restart, but may entice many current PC users to make the switch to Mac.
• Learn Linux Virtually
  Someday I'll learn to use Ubuntu Linux or Knoppix through a Parallels virtual machine on my Mac.
  
• Frontrow
  For multimedia and a home theater experience, it doesn't get any better than this! All the new iMacs and laptops come with remotes to boot!!
  
• Built in functionality means less freeware apps to download
  On the PC I used Irfanview, Comodo Pro Firewall, and tried Object Dock for a while. Preview is a prime example of this--no acrobat reader necessary.
  
• No balloon notification madness
  I despised these on PC's. They would always interrupt my work and annoyed the hell out of me, even though I was a seasoned PC user they were an unnecessary evil.
• Mac OS updates are not an issue
  Updating Mac OS doesn't bother me, however by default on XP machines they will try to restart every five minutes after an update is downloaded unless the update settings are changed in the control panel. . I had to keep checking the machine to make sure it wouldn't turn off while I stepped away for ten minutes. The balloon icons to install the updates never stop bothering you!
• No Spyware/Adware
  Mac OS does not only have spyware, it's safeguarded against it by default. When applications want to install, or system changes are going to be made, you have to enter your account password. Microsoft are you listening?
  
• Preview
  No need to download acrobat reader to open PDF files, and it's a great image viewer and allows quick, easy slideshows, even for RAW images
• Screenshot Capability
  Just during the writing of this post, I've used the keyboard shortcuts to take several screenshots and select areas quickly. . .as a web designer and PC trainer easy screenshot capabilites are invaluable.
  
• Backlit Keyboard
  An excellent showcase for Apple. . .and a nice thing to have in dimly lit rooms.
  (MacBook Pro only)
  
• No pesky startup items
  Most common applications you install on a PC will place themselves into the startup, slowing down the machine when logging in, and lowering the user's available RAM. Shame on Microsoft for not making the startup items easily accessible and comprehensible, especially to the average user. My new Mac only has one startup item, the Microsoft Office updater--how ironic!! At this point I would have had to remove Quicktime, MSN Messenger, and other from my PC startup list. Whenever I help a Windows user who says their computer is running slow, I simply check the startup items in Msconfig and voila--after cleaning out several entries, their computer has some of its speed back.
  
• It's not Vista
  Vista has too many problems and a service pack to clean up the mess is still a few months away as of this writing (Dec. 2007). Apple is going to get a real shot in the arm from the Vista users bailing out on Microsoft. Leopard vs. Vista. . Leopard wins hands down. See The Road Ahead: Leopard and Vista
• No Drivers to install
  I have to hand it to Apple for this one. No drivers. That's impossible. Not on a Mac. I'm fairly comfortable with installing drivers, but if I don't know a computer's hardware, that makes the job much more difficult than a Google search for the manufacturer's website. Drivers are especially a pain with Vista. . .
  
• The new Finder Sidebar
  Not only does the new finder sidebar save me time, but it allows me to add my own folders for quick access and shows all my attached devices for easy access without going to the desktop. Yes, Vista does have this, but XP could have had a custom menu.
  (Leopard only)
  
• Display preferences appear on both monitors
  This is invaluable when configuring dual displays, and exceptionally user-friendly and straight forward. Good work Apple!!
• Searchable help
  I'm not sure if this is only in Leopard, but the searchable help is fantastic. Immediately after I start typing anything, a list pops up with the relevant topics in the help file. This means no more digging through help files to find an answer!
  
• Widgets
  They are great. . .I can check the weather for the two cities I live in, see stock quotes, and much more--and they can be displayed/hidden easily
• Less application crashes
  I'll admit, applications didn't crash on my PC that often, but I'm not an average user with spyware, viruses, and fragmented OS on my hands. I've been running my new Mac laptop for a week without an application crashing--that's almost impossible on PC.
  
• No crash reporting
  When applications do crash, I don't get asked to report it to Microsoft (I turned this feature off in XP immediately, it was irritating and wasted my time.) One of the worst annoyances in Windows--but hey, if it helps Microsoft's OS and software to crash less, all the better.
  

Other bonuses:

• Multimedia included
  I know that I have essential multimedia applications available even though I'll rarely use them. . . but PC's are extremely crippled out of the box when it comes to multimedia apps
• They're great for the whole family
  Photobooth, iPhoto, iTunes, iMovie, and GarageBand, are worth part of the extra premium you pay for Macs, with PC's you'd have to spend at least $50 on each type of application to get something even remotely comparable. . .
• The fun factor
  In the first 20 minutes that I was using my new mac, my family crowded around my laptop to have some fun with Photo Booth. . you just don't get this kind of experience on a PC. . .at least not before configuring the webcam, downloading the software for it, etc.
• Macs aren't ugly
  Most PC users will argue that some people like Macs just because of the way they look, and yes I'm sure some people buy Macs to be hip, but Macs are much more than just than just eye candy.
  

Share your experiences with Macs. Love them? Hate them? Do they help spend less time solving issues and more time getting work done?

Please email me with any comments and stories. (My email is on the right column).

Switching to the Mac - keyboard shortcuts

After eight years using PC's I was worried that my switch to the mac would be problematic because of my love and usage of keyboard shortcuts. Immediately after using the Mac I've already discovered several keyboard shorts that I use regularly. There's only a few shortcuts that I miss from the PC, but so many new ones that I use to save me time on my Mac laptop.

• Command + ,
  Open an application's preferences
• Command + Q
  Quit an application (saves time over going to dock or using the menu bar)
• Command + Tab
  Equivalent of Alt+tab on windows, easily switch between two applications or any applications. . .I couldn't work without this, especially in web design
  

F11 Show all Windows in Exposé (I custom set this key for this)
F12 Hide all Windows and show the desktop (custom set)

• Command + N
  Open a new finder window
• Shift + Command + N
  Create a new folder (one of my favorite shortcuts on the Mac, and unfortunately there's no equivalent on PC's)
  

Option + arrows Move a word left or right, helps to quickly get through a typed line


And of course. . . .

Command + C Copy
Command + V Paste
Command + X Cut

Thank God these basic commands are essentially identical on the Mac.

The only shortcut I really miss from the PC is F2 which allows you to quickly rename a file or folder. There's no keyboard shortcut for renaming something on a Mac, but click twice slowly a filename can be renamed.

Firefox shortcuts

• Command + T
  Open a new tab (this one saves a lot of time, I'm a tab-a-holic)
• Command + R
  Reload a page
• Command + arrows
  Use the left and right arrows to go back and forward in the history (can be a real timesaver on a website you just browsed when you're not using tabs)
• Scroll wheel click
  Yes, it's not a keyboard shortcut, but it will open a link, bookmark, etc. in a new tab, a college friend of mine showed me this one, and he's been my hero ever since. I feel pity for the poor souls that are control-clicking on links in web browser, or even worse, opening pages in a new window. I couldn't browse the internet without this one. . .
  

Maybe someday

Command + D
Bookmark a page in Firefox

Function (fn) + delete
equivalent of using the delete key on a PC keyboard. My laptop doesn't have a "delete" key so I might start using this eventually

Eject button
Apple's design prowess really shines with the eject button standard on all mac keyboards for several years back. It's faster than going to the desktop and dragging a disk to the trash


If you have any keyboard shortcuts you can't live without that I've missed, please feel free to send me a comment by email.

Guide to computer experience

Every person has to work their way up to becoming a power user or a "geek" on a computer. I would classify myself more in the power user category because I haven't taken the dive into Linux yet, and I don't build my own machines--which I plan to learn to do in the near future. If you want to learn what advanced or power users do with their computer, and also the things that novices learn along the way, look no further than this guide to progressive computer experience. I've tried to break the items into categories, but some may overlap so bear with me.

I welcome any suggested additions or changes to this list, especially for the Power User and Savvy user categories. Please see my email address to on the right hand column, or feel free to post a comment.

Beginner

• Uses their computer to type the occasional document and may send a few emails a week
• Don't use more than 3 or 4 programs on their computer
• Enlist someone else to help them buy a computer
• Purchases software they don't end up using, or only uses the software pre-installed on their computer.
• Don't know what degragmenting is and why it needs to be done
• Are using a computer with less than 1GB of RAM, especially a new Mac or Windows XP/Vista
• Are running Vista because a salesman told them it was the best new operating system
• Pays more than $60/month for high speed internet
• Pays for their anti-virus/anti-spyware software
• Are extremely wary of using the internet because of viruses, fraud, phishing (if they even know wha phishing is of course), etc.
• Have lots of unchecked spyware and adware sitting on their machine
• Open obviously SPAM messages.
• Pay for their email service
• Uses regular English words as passwords (not safe, time to get educated).

Novice

• Has switched to Firefox because a friend recommended it
• Uses a different photo editor beyond what came pre-insalled on their computer (or had someone add this for them)
• Uses software to burn an audio CD
• Uses software to burn mix CD's
• Has heard of Skype but is not convinced enough to use it
• Purchased an external hard drive to backup their photos (even though most people will never use more than 30-60GB to backup every photo)
• Knows what zip files are and possibly how they work
• Are aware of sales pitches when buying a computer
• Have heard of torrents, but don't know how to use them or what they are
• May have recently started using online banking
• Calls a flash drive a "thumbdrive" or even worse, a "zip drive"

Savvy user

• Uses Firefox
• Uses Firefox extensions for productivity
• Use Firefox search plugins
• Knows what open-source software is and may have used some OOS beyond Firefox.
• Doesn't pay for Anti-virus/Anti-spyware software and uses perfectly good alternatives like AVG Anti-Virus and Comodo Firewall Pro or ZoneAlarm (free)
• Use advanced search queies on google to search only education sites, pull up local information, or filter results with special operators
• Have used social bookmarking regularly
• Uses a webmail service other than Hotmail or some no-name email service
• Has used Gmail with POP or IMAP
• Got Gmail before 2006 when it was still by invitation only
• Has used online banking for at least a year, before it became all the rage and every adult discovered it.
• Have switched from an ISP's email service to something free or otherwise not from their ISP
• Rip songs from an iPod to another person's computer (or help someone recover the songs on their iPod)
• Upgrade the RAM on a computer (the easiest hardware upgrade to perform, and especialy simple on a laptop)
• Knows what Linux is
• Uses Skype and understands its benefits
• Purchased an external hard drive
• Has used DVD Shrink to copy DVD movies
• Rip DVD's to movies files
• Have successfully downloaded something with a torrent
• Has made minor registry tweaks discovered online
• Can recognize most file extensions
• Use or have tried an alternative IM client that supports multiple IM services
• Has purchased something on Newegg.com or Tigerdirect.com for computer hardware
• Purchased an external drive to store DVD rips, DVD ISO files, TV show downloads, software downloads, etc.
• Uses dual-monitors (also Power users and geeks)
• Use an extra monitor with their laptop
• Read RSS feeds (with an online or desktop reader)
• Does not use regular English words as passwords, may use strong passwords
• Understands why more people should be using Macs
• Have used msconfig to clean up their startup items (some savvy users don't know about this)
• Doesn't use Windows Media player
• Have changed their media player settings to rip music in an unprotected, higher bitrate format
• Use VLC or Mplayer to play video files (some savvy users have never heard of these, so Mplayer also extends to the Power User category).
• Doesn't pay for software very much.

Power User

• Have upgraded the optical drive (CD/DVD) on their desktop
• Knows what Linux is, why people use it, and may have dabbled in Linux
• Have reinstalled Windows before
• Has used DVD Shrink in conjunction with DVDfab Decrypter or DVD43 to copy a DVD movie
• Has burned an ISO/IMG or other disc image file to a CD/DVD
• Has made registry tweaks to clean up their system or tweak more advanced settings
• Knows just about every common file extesion and what can be used to open it
• Never uses Internet Explorer whenever possible and cringes at the thought of using it, Firefox is the only way to go. Sorry Mac-heads, Safari is still inferior, especially for web development
• Regularly reads articles on LifeHacker.com
• Purchased a flash drive before fall 2005 (AKA thumbdrive or incorrectly called a zip drive by newbies)
• Always uses strong passwords (min. 8 characters, alphanumeric, mixed case, with a symbol)
• Runs Windows virtually, or dual-boots with Bootcamp
• Uses the command line occassionally
• Rarely pays for software except when it's from a small developer, they want to go legit wit something professional like Photoshop, or something awesome like Parallels that's relatively cheap ($80 list) and extremely invaluable.
• Uses a separate FAT32 partition to store their data, drivers, etc. for faster Windows reinstalls and as a contingency in case Windows kicks the bucket
• Would like to own a Mac, but they're just too expensive for their budget most of the time

Geek
(Note that geeks can be lacking in some of the skills in the "Power User" Category because geeks tend to be especially proficient in a specific area, such as hardware, or linux for example. Just because someone is a Linux geek does not mean they know how to copy DVD movies.

• Build their own computers
• Have setup and use a dual-boot or triple boot machine (yes, it can be done)
• Can comfortably diagnose hardware problems
• Reinstall Windows more than twice per year (this
• Are completely comfortable with the registry and have no problem editing it
• Uses the command line frequently
• Have written their own software
• Use Linux, swear by Linux, or will avoid Microsoft products like the plague
• Program Java/C++
• backup their essential files regularly and without fail (even geeks can forget to do this and we should all strive to do this with our irreplaceable photos and home movies).