Internet | The Don's Craptastic World

30Aug/090

Using Firefox 3.x? Speed it up by vacuuming its SQLite database!

Firefox Recently I stumbled onto some tips how to speed up ones Firefox. Firefox, since the version 3, uses a SQLite database for various tasks such as storing bookmarks, histories, site specific preferences and backups.

Over time it's get filled up with unnecessary and old info if you want, and there's a simple method to ditch those useless info and speed up your Firefox considerably, or like most of the guides say to "vacuum" it.

Use it once in a while, I've seen an improvement on my Firefox since I used it.

Go to "Tools" -> "Error Console"

Paste this in the "Code" text box:

Components.classes["@mozilla.org/browser/nav-history-service;1"].getService(Components.interfaces.nsPIPlacesDatabase).DBConnection.executeSimpleSQL("VACUUM");

Press enter or click "evaluate"
Your Firefox will freeze for a short time, just wait
Enjoy your speed up Firefox!

Filed under: Internet, Software, Tips and Tricks No Comments

12Aug/090

Improve your search results with Google’s new Caffeine Sandbox!

A few days ago, Google released a new search engine infrastructure. Although you'll see nothing on the surface, because according to Google it operates "under the hood".

Yet deep down it DOES work differently and it most certainly delivers the promised improved search speed and better search results.

What does better mean? Well that's up to everybodys point of view, for me at least the newly structured search results are in fact way better structured than the old ones.

So without further ado, go on and test the new infrastructure: http://www2.sandbox.google.com

PS: Since it's in beta testing stage expect the new search engine to be down occasionally!

Filed under: Internet, Tips and Tricks, Web Services No Comments

4Jul/094

Firefox 3.5 Add-Ons Round-up!

Firefox 3.5 is out already a few days! Get if folks! Ditch your Opera, IE, Chrome and Safari!

I thought I'd share my Add-Ons I pretty much use on daily basis.

Adblock Plus:
Ads, oh how I loathe them. This addons takes care of every ad I came across until today. I'm 100% ad-free! Of course websites who rely on their only income, ads, will suffer from this.

So remember, if you have a favorite site you frequently visit and it relies on ad revenue to keep alive, un-block and support it!

Fasterfox Lite:
Remember the 5 tweaks I posted way back then? Well this Add-On takes care of it automatically. Except this LITE version, which is the only one functioning for 3.5, doesn't have prefetching.

If you don't like to do these manual tweaks this is the Add-On for you.

Edit 25.09.2009: Fasterfox has been updated to run with 3.5 since August 26th 2009. Not the Lite, the normal one!

Flagfox:
Since I sometime need to know about the location of a website or its server, Flagfox gives me their IP, location and ask whois detailed information, if needed to be.

Gmail Notifier:
If you own a single GMail account this is small addon to notify you if you got new mails in the inbox. There's a GMail Manager for those with multiple accounts.

NoScript:
Perhaps the most important Add-On for Firefox. It is, assumed it's correctly configured, what makes Firefox and in turn your computer so resilient to scripts, Keyloggers and viruses.

I can pretty much click any link I come across without fear of somehow installing malicious software, keyloggers or viruses.

This Add-On is constantly being updated to keep up against scripts, keyloggers and viruses who try to circumvent NoScript. 3 cheers to open-source!

PDF Download:
I think the name explains it all. It allows you to choose between downloading a PDF file or opening it up

Skipscreen:
With 1-click-hosters such as Rapidshare, Netload, Megaupload, etc. becoming widely popular this Add-On is pretty much a must have if you want to skip all the unnecessary pages to go directly to download.

Saved me a lot of time, this diamond!

Filed under: Internet, Software 4 Comments

24Apr/090

Mircoblogging, it ain’t so bad! Or is it?

Microblogging, almost everybody on the internet is aware of this new trend. As am I. I too am using Twitter and Identi.ca, Identi.ca primarily.

Identi.ca because I can link my Twitter account to Identi.ca and post only on Identi.ca to make my notices (identi.ca) also apear as tweets on Twitter.

The question, when I heard about such microblogging services, I asked myself was when should I be using it.

Then I looked at my blog and thought about it. It ain't that bad if you think about it.

I use Twitter and Identi.ca for distributing interesting links I stumble across while surfing and the occasional, unsubstantial notice/tweet.

So why would I waste a whole lot of blog space when I can put the links in 140 characters. Sure I can collect the links and present them in weekly or daily blog posts, but then it'll be lacking something only the microblogging services offer: immediateness (huh, that's some strange word I came up with).

You see microblogging services, unlike personal blogs, are available and know to millions of people. While I have to promote my blog to gain users, on Twitter and Identi.ca there already are millions of users ready to read.

When I share a link it becomes, on Identi.ca at least, visible to everybody right the second I posted it. (On Twitter you have to be registered and following me in order to immediately get the tweet I just posted!).

Microblogging services, they are great, ain't they? What say you, dear reader?

Filed under: Internet, Random-ness, Web Services No Comments

31Mar/090

How to share your email publicly and avoiding spam bots!

Protect your email! An interesting site I thought I'd mention it. We all know the dangers of publicly displaying our email address. Spam Bots! Once they have it you are pretty much doomed, except if you know how to set up your email-box against spam.

Anyway while surfing yesterday I stumbled on http://scr.im . A service which allows you to hide your email address until the person who wants to know it personally verifies a given code. This way Spam Bots are closed out!

All you have to do is enter your email address and choose your own URL like http://scr.im/WHATEVER ! Then share it. The person who clicks http://scr.im/WHATEVER will get a code and has to match from 8 random, and 1 exact match given.

http://mailhide.recaptcha.net is a similar service, expect you have to manually enter a given captcha.

Now we can carry on debating whether such services are useful or not. I say to each his/her own! No more stupid nocando(at)whateverservice dot com !

Filed under: Internet, Security, Web Services No Comments

9Mar/093

Shorten your URL – A small collection of URL shortening services

url

When I prank my friends and don't want them to get alerted by the URL I send them, then I use so called url shortener. I came across aplenty of them. Some bad ones, some very good ones.

I also often use URL shortener when I want to share some eBay auctions. They do have some ridiculous long URLs. There are way to many reasons to list as to why you could or should use an URL shortening service.

Now my favourite of all url shortening services is http://shuurl.com because you get a screenshoted "preview" of what the linked web site looks like. You also get security stats compiled by the SHUURL community (Folks who, eventually, visit and security-rate the site). It helps if you are one of the more paranoid ones (like me).[SHUURL Don Salva's Blog , SHUURL Don Salva's Gallery]

Then there are http://bit.ly, http://tinyarro.ws, http://tinyurl.com, http://is.gd and http://snipr.com who do just that, URL shortening. And many more who I probably forgot to mention.

http://1link.in and http://linkbun.ch on the other hand are special. They allow you to shorten multiple URLs into 1 tiny URL.

http://tr.im and http://burnurl.com also are special. Tr.im shortens your URL and updates your Twitter or Identi.ca status. This service also tracks stats and allows commenting on your URLs. BurnURL however allows stats and social sharing beyond Twitter.

Filed under: Internet, Web Services 3 Comments