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Archive: Internet Explorer

Middle click

26 October 2006 00:33

The Firefox 2 feature that seems to have got people most excited is the fact that each individual tab now has its own X button.

But come on. Why did you even use the X button anyway. Did you not realise that middle clicking on a tab closes it?

Infact, middle clicking is probably one of the greatest things about Firefox, yet nobody seems to know anything about it. Middle clicking on a link makes it open in a new tab. That’s right. Those webmasters forcing links to open in a new window or in the same tab and suck it. I have control over where my links open.

It’s so great, yet nobody else seems to do it. It’s not very well-known. I think I discovered it by accident. But I thought it was so great that I now click just about every link with the scroll wheel, even if I’m not bothered about keeping the current tab open. You know why? Because I can easily close the tab by middle clicking on it.

See how great this is? I think this is the real reason why I don’t use IE. My beloved middle clicking would be gone.

Do I get too excited about a mouse button?

Update: One thing that sucks about Firefox 2 is the spell checker. Colour is wrong. Labour is wrong. Realise is wrong. Defense is right. What sort of fucked up dictionary are these people using?! Amusingly, also wrong are ‘img’ ‘src’ and ‘jpg’. Doh! Wait a minute. ‘Doh’ is aswell! And so is aswell! I should just switch this spell checker off, shouldn’t I?

Update again: By the way, I love the fact that I can set it to subscribe to RSS feeds using Google Reader (or any other feed reader I want). Nice!

Update: Found out, via Gordon McLean, how to get rid of that Go button. I had been wondering about that! Now, does anybody know how to get rid of the search go button (with the magnifying glass)?

18 comments

Browzar on the back foot

3 September 2006 21:13

Categories: Current affairs, General, Internet, Personal, Technology

At last, BBC News have removed that effusive story about the highly dodgy Browzar software. I almost complained to the BBC about it yesterday, but luckily I didn’t need to. Today they’ve replaced it with a new, much more probing story.

It’s clear that Browzar is on the back foot now. I particularly like this bit:

Mr Ahmed said at the time of its release: “Although it’s possible to delete history folders and empty cache with existing internet browsers, the majority of internet users worldwide don’t have the time or expertise to do this.

It could hardly be simpler to delete history folders and empty your cache. In Firefox it a simple matter of going to Tools → Clear Private Data. And that’s it! As I recall, it is similarly easy to delete your history and cache even in Internet Explorer.

Yet Ajaz Ahmed thinks that people will find it easier to go out, download and install his scam IE shell? In a world where so many people still think that the only way to browse the web is through Internet Explorer? A friend recently said to me that he didn’t understand why he could need Firefox because “with Internet Explorer you just type in the address and that’s it.”

Every opportunity should be taken to warn people away from Internet Explorer, so I’ll do it right now.

Or at least Browse Happy.

6 comments

I love Firefox

25 February 2006 13:26

Categories: General, Technology

No real news there, except that I’ve just found out about a nifty Firefox plugin for smelly students like me who use the Athens authentication system, via Spontaneous Monotony.

It is an official Athens toolbar which lets you log in and log out easily, which is a godsend really because there have been many times when I have been left ripping my hair off in frustration because I’ve forgotten the convoluted log in system. It also shows you a list of the resources you can access through Athens. I didn’t know we could access the Oxford English Dictionary or The Scotsman Digital Archive. And I bet there’s loads of other dead important stuff in that list that I don’t understand yet.

While we’re talking about Firefox, I may as well mention that two thirds of visitors to this blog still use Internet Explorer. And the new design of this blog probably looks like absolute gash on Internet Exploder. It doesn’t look to great in Opera either, but I suppose that’s what you get for designing the whole thing in Firefox with the assistance of the Web Developer Toolbar.

Here’s how it looks on Firefox: