Tag: browsers

This site has an excellent collection of bookmarklets that help one overcome annoyances of some sites. This are simple and convenient tools that you can use when you get to one of those ugly sites. For example, you can quickly switch to black text over white background, disable marquee or blinking text, or make the textarea larger. You can even see passwords that are typed into password field as clear text.

All of these bookmarklets are advertised to work in both Netscape 7 and Mozilla. Most of them also work in MS Internet Explorer and Opera. Some even are applicable to Netscape 4. They are easy to save and use – simply drag and drop them to your bookmarks folder and then click while watching an annoying website.

Browser popup window has been a hot topic for few years now. There are sites that shamelessy open popup windows without asking your permission and even making those windows virtually impossible to close. Other sites have a more descent policy and they actually warn you about popups that they use or even give you an option to open link in a current window.

Because of so many sites abusing popup window technology, many browsers (like Mozilla) started to add popup blocking functionality. There are also standalone applications that limit the amount of nerves you lose while browsing.

PopupTest is the site that allows you to test how good your popup blocking software works. Many different technologies are implemented there. I have tried all of those with FireFox 0.8 and found that only three types of popups can get through to me – mouseOver, drop down, and sticky. I don’t know if it is possible to configure FireFox to block those, but I don’t mind much, since these are rear for the sites I visit.

Here is an interesting and complete article about Opera 7 browser. While I am a happy Mozilla / Firefox user on the desktop, my mobile (SonyEricsson P800) runs Opera. It is a stripped down version, but few points discussed in the article are still applicable.

I was doing plenty of browsing with my new affection – w3m web browser.

Firstly, It doesn’t need to be compiled by any Red Hat Linux user, since it’s in the distribution already. Of course, I’ve found that out after I compiled it and built the RPM.

Secondly, it behaves much like all other text-mode browsers that I’ve been using until now (lynx, links, etc). You can use lynx-, vi-, and/or emacs-style navigation. Tables, frames, cookies, SSL, and proxies are all well supported and nicely working. You’ve got colors even.

Thirdly, if you run it from a graphical terminal (xterm), you will even see graphics! That’s pretty impressive. You’ll have to get used to it, so give it few minutes.

Fourthly, and most importantly, you have a very nice integration with other programs. And I mean it. For example, you will use your favourite editor to fill all those TEXTAREAs! You are one button away to see current page in another browser (up to three other browsers are supported). You can fire up your favourite email client to communicate.

Still not interested? Well, I’ll stop with a mention of mouse support… Yes, you can click on links with all the different buttons that you have, and you can even scroll pages by dragging them up and/or down.

Sorry, I cannot tell you any more, since it’s my first day with the program and I haven’t yet even looked in the config file.

P.S.: Really nice bookmarks. Small, simple, with groups/categories. And I suspect they are stored in Plain Old HTML.