Firefox Add-ons

One of the best things that the Firefox web browser has going for it is the ability to install useful add-ons that make the browsing experience that much better. Firefox is already a great browser, but the add-ons can add a lot to it. Internet Explorer 7 allows add-ons as well, but I’ve not had much experience with IE7 or its extensions.

I do have some experience with Firefox add-ons, so I thought I would write down some of my favorite add-ons that I often use. So here they are, with a link to where you can get each one. Most of these work with Windows and OS X. I haven’t checked to see if they work with Linux, but most probably do:

Linkification converts text links into normal, clickable links. This is great for message boards where people post a lot of links to stuff. The link will actually be clickable, saving you the hassle of having to copy and paste the link into the browser.
Download Here

Download Manager Tweak beefs up the download manager in Firefox. It adds the ability to change how the download manager looks, and also gives you the ability to open it in a new tab or different window.
Download Here

Fasterfox is an add-on that will allow you to tweak and boost the speed of Firefox. I haven’t really noticed web pages loading faster, but I have noticed an increased performance in Firefox.
Download Here

Smart Digg Button allows you to see if a web site has already been submitted to Digg. If it has, you can see how many people have dugg the story. If the story hasn’t been submitted to Digg, you can click the button in the lower corner of Firefox that will take you to the Digg submission page so you can submit the article.
Download Here

User Agent Switcher allows Firefox to appear as if it is another web browser. Some web site block Firefox automatically, even if the web site works fine with Firefox. This add-on will prevent the web site from blocking you if you’re using Firefox.
Download Here

Review: Forklift

Forklift is an advanced file manager from Binarynights.com. Forklift has several features built into, including file management, FTP, SFTP, and an app removal tool. While there are good stand alone programs for these applications, Forklift combines them all into one easy to use program.

The one thing that I like about Forklift is that everything is on one window. You don’t have to go clicking around to find what you need. The two side-by-side navigation windows makes moving files quick and easy. Just drag and drop. Navigating through your computer and all your files is painless.

The built in Delete App works great. I have seen other programs that do this, but they all cost money, and they’re not bundled with anything else. There are a few free applications out there that will delete apps, but I’ve not used one yet that does it as well as Forklift.

To access my web server at work, I have to use SFTP. Forklift makes this a breeze. I can connect to the server, view the server’s files in one window, and navigate through my files in the other. When I want to upload something, I just drag and drop and it’s there.

Forklift also integrates seamlessly with Spotlight. Just type in what you’re looking for, and Forklift will display the results in one of the two file windows.The navigation bar at the top put everything you need right at your finger tips.

Forklift is a great program with some wonderful features. Forklift isn’t free, but it’s worth the $29.99. There is a 15 day free demo available at http://www.binarynights.com.

Registry Hacks For Windows XP

This is a list of registry hacks that I usually use on public computers. These help to just lock things down a little more.

You have to be careful when working in the registry. Doing something wrong can result in a non-booting system, which sometimes isn’t recoverable. Use these with extreme caution.

To access the registry, you need to be using an account that has administrative privileges. You can set the Public account to be an administrator while you’re setting it up, then switch it to a limited account once everything is setup. Log into the account, then go to Start and choose Run. In the Run box, type regedit.

Disable right click on the Start menu:

Navigate to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Policies\Explorer

– Right click the empty space on the right hand pane, and chose new -> DWORD value

– Name the new value NoTrayContextMenu

– Double click the new value and set it to 1 (1 = On, 0 = Off)

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Restrict access to the Control Panel:

Navigate to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

– Right click the empty space on the right hand pane, and choose new -> DWORD value

– Name the new value NoControlPanel

– Double click the new value and set it to 1 (1 = On, 0 = Off)

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Stop Internet Explorer 7 from automatically installing:

Navigate to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Setup\7.0
(if the full path isn’t there, you can create it)

– Right click the empty space on the right hand pane, and choose new -> DWORD value

– Name the new value: DoNotAllowIE70

– Double click the new value and set it to 1 (1 = On, 0 = Off)

**This will only prevent IE7 from installing automatically via Windows Updates. You can still download and install IE7 via the executable available from Microsoft**

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Prevent MSN Messenger from running:

Navigate to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

– Right click the MSMSGS value, and select delete

Programs for the public

I thought I would take a few minutes and write down some of the programs I usually install on public access computers. There aren’t many of them, but these few programs are usually enough to meet the demands of the average user. As you can see, most revolve around the Internet.

I’ve split these up into free and non-free programs:

Free Programs:
– Adobe Reader
– Quicktime
– Windows Media Player
– Flash Plugin (for Internet Explorer and Firefox)
– Shockwave Player
– Firefox
– Java Runtime Environment

Non-free programs:
– Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher)
– Nero
– Antivirus software (I recommend NOD32 or AVG)
– Security software (Clean Slate or DeepFreeze)

Some other programs you might want to look into include:
– Realplayer
– Spyware Blaster
– iTunes

That’s about it. I usually don’t allow the users to install their own programs, but some people do allow this. It really depends on the amount of control you want to have over the computers. I don’t allow programs to be installed due to the risk of viruses and spyware.

You may have noticed that I didn’t include any instant messaging clients. I don’t include any of them because most of them can cause problems. The AIM client from AOL and the Yahoo! Messenger client don’t ever seem to want to work correctly, and there can be problems with privacy (auto login, chat logs, etc). This isn’t really a problem because there are great services out there such as Meebo. Meebo offers users the ability to log into any of the major IM networks via a web interface. This is perfect because the user isn’t limited and I don’t have to install unstable software on the computers.

Windows Apps

Well, since I am stuck on a Windows machine for the day, I figured I would be productive and write a little article on the Windows programs I find myself using when I’m actually on a Windows box. For my day to day operating system I usually use OS X, but sometimes I do find myself using Windows.

CCleaner is a great maintenance application for Windows. CCleaner will basically go through and clean the system for you. It’ll take care of temporary files, cookies, history and all of the other useless junk that seems to build up over time. There is also a built in registry cleaner. I run this for fun sometimes just to see the amount of stuff that has accumulated on the computer. You can get it here: http://www.ccleaner.com

Firefox is my browser of choice in Windows. The main thing I like about Firefox is tabbed browsing. I didn’t think it was so great until I actually started using it, then I just kind of fell in love with it. Firefox also allows you to use themes and plugins which add to the browsing experience. Internet Explorer 7 has the same abilities, I just haven’t had a chance to really sit down and use IE 7 extensively. Get Firefox here: http://www.mozilla.com

Spybot Search & Destroy is yet another system maintenance app. Spybot does a through scan of your system and detects spyware which has found it’s way onto your computer. Unfortunately, there is no real good way to avoid spyware, so scanners like this are a must. I usually run this about once a week. Spybot can be found here:
http://www.safer-networking.org

Notepad is one of the few built-in Windows programs that I actually use. I find myself opening it up to paste things into, or just make a quick note of something. It also works as a great HTML editor. A quick way to open notepad is to hold down the Windows key, and press R to cause the run dialogue box to pop up. Then just type notepad.

iTunes is one app I can’t forget. This is also one I use constantly on my Mac. I love the way iTunes organizes all my music files. I’ve got something playing all most all the time. iTunes is great because it has the ability to rip and organize all at once. You’ll find iTunes at http://www.apple.com

uTorrent is the best torrent client I’ve used on Windows. It seems to download faster, and take up less resources than other torrent clients I’ve used. I’m not a huge fan of downloading via torrents, but sometimes you have to. uTorrent is free, and it’s found here: http://www.utorrent.com

Pidgin (formerly known as Gaim) is an awesome IM client that allows you to connect to several different instant messaging services at once. Unlike Trillian, Pidgin is both free and open-source. I mainly use it because I never seem to have any luck with the AIM client from AOL—the newer versions seem to have way too many bugs. You’ll find Pidgin at http://www.pidgin.im

Well, that’s it for my list of Windows Apps, I may have to write one of these for OS X and Linux.