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Upgrade to Firefox 2 - SessionSaver Extension

June 9, 2007 by debbie T | Firefox Browser • Mac Software

I finally felt confident to upgrade my Mac PowerBook to Firefox 2 (version 2.0.0.4 to be exact) and it did seem to go smoothly.

Before the upgrade, I moved my 1.5 app file into a new sub-folder in the Applications folder (Mac OS X users only) just in case I needed to revert.

After the upgrade, I found one issue (besides the funky keyboard shortcut issue with Wordpress 2 - see my other article) with the SessionSaver extension. I couldn’t find my list of “SnapBack Tab” recently deleted tabs. Normally it is found under the Tools menu.

I am lost without the Snapback Tab feature, as I frequently close tabs and realize that I need to view them again. Yes, I can use the Undo Closed Tab option, but I prefer the Snapback Tab feature much more.

I tried launching Firefox 1.5 instead, and still no luck finding it. I think there might have even been a notice in Firefox 1.5 that the newly updated version of SessionSaver wouldn’t run in this older version.

I closed all instances of Firefox and found the extensions folder that was backed up prior to the upgrade. I replaced the folder in my Firefox profile folder, then re-launched Firefox 1.5. Checking the Tools menu, yep, there it was.

Okay, now close Firefox 1.5, and launch Firefox 2. Go through the process of upgrading extensions again, then view the Tools menu. Not there.

I checked SessionSaver preferences, and the checkbox next to “Allow me to reopen tabs” was checked.

The solution was to UNcheck the box, click OK, then go back into Preferences, and check it again. That worked, and my precious Snapback Tab was back in the the Tools menu!

If you haven’t used the SessionSaver extension yet, try it. I love it!

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WordPress 2 Keyboard Shortcuts Using Firefox 2

I recently upgraded to Firefox 2 on my Mac PowerBook. All seemed well, but I did keep an instance of Firefox 1.5 in my Applications folder just in case.

When posting in WordPress 2 using the simple text editor, I had been utilizing keyboard shortcuts for various html codes, such as the <a>anchor link</a> - which was Ctrl+Command+a.

Since upgrading to Firefox 2, the keyboard shortcuts did not work. They did work normally in Safari.

I searched online for answers, but no one else seemed to be having this issue. Finally, by trial and error, I realized that the keyboard shortcut was now fn+ctrl+a. I have no idea why it changed, but I am glad to have this feature again!

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SSH Connection Using Mac Terminal

June 9, 2007 by debbie T | Internet • Mac Software • Web Development

I found a very helpful tutorial to set up a SSH connection to your web host using Mac Terminal.

http://www.cmu.edu/computing/documentation/terminal/terminal.html

Simple instructions to connect and save your connection. Now that I am connected, I need to dig out all my old Unix commands!

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Dreamhost Security Leak

June 8, 2007 by debbie T | Internet • Web Development

It appears that 3500 FTP accounts hosted at Dreamhost were hacked. Mezzoblue was one of the hacked sites, along with Caydel’s SEO Blog.

The hackers added invisible links to files located on the server. Very unnerving. Thankfully I don’t host with Dreamhost, but I suppose something like this can happen anywhere.

Simple Machines - Spam Free Discussion Forum

May 23, 2007 by debbie T | Internet • Web Development

For the last few years I have been administrating a small discussion forum on one of my other web sites. I use Simple Machines forum software.

Simple Machines has served me well. It was easy to set up, and I loved the vast array of settings. Yeah, there were bugs, especially when upgrading, but I really liked what it offered. The best part it was free!

Starting last summer, spam membership was becoming an annoying problem. Blocking domains from certain countries helped some of it, but it was getting worst. I reluctantly made the decision to require membership approval; it wasn’t an ideal the solution, since it really hindered legit membership and it required too much time to figure out who to reject. I was getting frustrated, but wanted to stick with Simple Machines.

Simple Machines released version 1.1, with the addition of CAPTCHA.

I am happy to report that in the months since my upgrade, there has been not one speck of trouble with a spammer membership or posting. Hurray!

Note: Initially I had issues when upgrading to 1.1.2; mainly, the problem was that the copyright text located at the bottom of the forum was now in giant letters screaming to all my visitors that I was using the software illegally. I use a customized (non-default) template, and I found that temporarily switching to the default template before upgrading solved my problem.

Bottomline, if you are looking to install a discussion forum to your web site, add Simple Machines to your list of prospective candidates. Oh and I also have heard Vanilla Forum is quite interesting, although I haven’t had an opportunity to check it out. It always makes me hungry when I visit their site though.

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Google & Dell’s Sneaky Search Scheme

May 23, 2007 by debbie T | Internet

I just read a disturbing article from opendns.com this morning. It appears that Google and Dell have a partnership that places Google as the default search option for Dell computer systems. Great, that sounds simple enough, right?

Well consider that Dell also installs a difficult to remove bit of software that totally changes the google search experience, for the worst…

Normally, when a user mistypes a search phrase, google will display a “Did you mean…” correction, and the user can easily find what they are looking for.

Take a look at what a Dell customer will see on a mistyped search page:

http://www.opendns.com/img/dell-digg-xom-800×600.png

A long string of paid advertising!! And no sign of any true search results, unless the user scrolls down the page. sigh. I am no fan of Dell, but this is disappointing to hear about Google. As the article states, this borders on spyware.

Thankfully opendns is offering a fix.

Firefox Lost My Bookmarks

May 6, 2007 by debbie T | Firefox Browser

I have heard many users complain that Firefox lost their bookmarks for some reason or another. It can probably happen to anyone, although it has never happened to me. I don’t know if I am lucky, or perhaps it is because I empty the cache regularly.

(Read Mozilla’s Troubleshooting article on Lost Bookmarks)

Find Your Bookmarks & Resore Them

On a Windows XP system, it should be easy to find your bookmarks file, then restore it.

In the My Computer directory/folder, choose the C: Drive.
Choose the Documents and Settings folder;
Then your user folder (what ever your user name is, there will be a folder for it)
Next, Application Data folder
Choose Firefox
Then choose the Profiles folder.

IMPORTANT: If you do not see the Application Data, your system is probably not set up to view hidden files/folders. In that case, while in My Computer (or any Windows Explorer window), choose Tools > Folder Options > View > select the radio button next to Show hidden files and folders. The Application Data folder should now be viewable.

For Windows Vista users, follow this path to find the Firefox profile folder:

In My Computer, choose the C: drive:

Then, Users
Then your user folder (what ever your user name is, there will be a folder for it)
Followed by AppData
Roaming
Mozilla
Firefox
Profiles

IMPORTANT: If you do not see the AppData folder, your system is probably not set up to view hidden files/folders. In that case, while in My Computer (or any Windows Explorer window), choose Organize > Folder and Search Options > Folder Options > View > select the radio button next to Show hidden files and folders. The AppData folder should now be viewable.

For Mac OS X Users,

Launch the Finder
The bookmarks.html file is found in your user Library
Choose Application Support
Then Firefox
Next Profiles

If you lost your first profile, it is possible Firefox created a new one, so there could be two (or more) profile folders, you will have to check both of them for the specific bookmarks file you want.

Look for bookmarks.html; double click to open it, and it should launch the file in Firefox. If not, right click on the file and choose Open with>Firefox.

Check over the contents, and if it looks like all your original bookmarks, that is the file you want to backup.

Copy and paste the bookmarks.html file into your My Documents folder for save keeping.

Note: It is possible that Firefox might automatically back up your bookmarks for you….in that profile, you might also see a folder named “bookmarkbackups.” Open that folder, and check to see if one of those backup .html files contains all your original bookmarks.

Import Bookmarks Back into Firefox

Okay, now that your bookmarks file is safely backed up to your My Documents, you can easily import it back into Firefox.

While Firefox is open, choose Bookmarks>Organize Bookmarks. This will launch the Bookmark Manager.

In the Manager window, choose File>Import
Choose “From File”
Navigate to the file you copied into My Documents, and choose that file.
Click Open

This will import all the bookmarks from that file into Firefox.

Lesson learned: back up your Firefox bookmarks on a regular basis, and even if Firefox crashes and loses your bookmarks, you can easily restore the backup file.

Backing Up Firefox Bookmarks

An easy way to back up your Firefox bookmarks, in the Bookmark Manager, (remember? choose Bookmarks>Organize Bookmarks)

Choose File>Export

This will create a copy of the bookmarks.html file - navigate to the location on your hard drive where you keep your backup files.

Suggestion: save it in My Documents in a sub-folder named “Firefox Bookmarks.” Include the date when you name the file (ie bookmarks-05-06-07.html) so you know at a glance how old your back up is. Keep several backup files in case one doesn’t work.

Hopefully it won’t happen again, but if Firefox loses your bookmarks in the future, follow the same import instructions listed above.

Export your bookmarks every week or month, and also remember to back up the files to a CD or an external hard drive in case your hard drive dies.

Moving Your Firefox Files to a New Computer

NEW TIP: If you are moving to a new computer or reinstalling your operating system, it is easy to save your Firefox bookmarks, cookies, passwords, preferences, extensions, themes, etc.

Find the whole Firefox folder (including the profile subfolder) and just drag it to a CD or USB Flash drive for safe keeping.

On your new system, after you install Firefox, delete the newly created Firefox folder, and drag over the saved folder from your backup. Launch Firefox and your browser should be as it was.

Mac OS X users, you might also need to copy/save your preference file. Found in Library>Preferences> copy the file named “org.mozilla.firefox.plist” and replace it on the new system.

Good luck!

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Received My Paypal $15 Rebate

April 20, 2007 by debbie T | Internet

For those that participated in the Paypal Spring $15 Cash Rebate promotion, you should be receiving your rebate transfer shortly.

I just received an email from Paypal stating the first (of two) $15 rebates was deposited into my account.

The recent promotion promised a cash transfer to your Paypal account by May 28. I assume the rebates are being processed according to purchase date, so I should be getting the second rebate (into my other Paypal account) within a few days.

Good deal, Paypal!

EDIT: I should mention the qualifying purchase using my first Paypal account was on March 19, and the additional purchase using my second account was on March 24.

UPDATE (04/27/2007): Received the email for my second $15 rebate.

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