July 28, 2007

Fixing Firefox

The guys at Samizdata mention a security fix for the Firefox browser, which you should definitely do if you're using Firefox in Windows.


To do this, start FireFox, enter the URL “about:config”, scroll down, and for each of the following entries make sure it is set to “true”.

If it isn’t, right-click the line and choose “Toggle”, which will set the value to “true”

network.protocol-handler.warn-external-default
network.protocol-handler.warn-external.mailto
network.protocol-handler.warn-external.news
network.protocol-handler.warn-external.nntp
network.protocol-handler.warn-external.snews

This will at least give you a warning that Firefox is being asked to do something suspicious; you will have to judge for yourself whether it is nasty.

Thanks to Lastango for the tip.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 10:39 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 107 words, total size 1 kb.

July 27, 2007

New Firefox tool

Ever go through the hassle of capturing your PC's screen, pasting it into paint and then saving the image? Well, things got a bit easier with Page Saver, a screen capture tool that works in Firefox; IE users need not apply. Excerpt:


Pearl Crescent Page Saver is an extension for Mozilla Firefox that lets you capture images of web pages. These images can be saved in PNG format or (with Firefox 2) in JPEG format. The entire page or just the visible portion may be captured. Options let you control whether images are captured at full size (which is the default) or scaled down to a smaller size. Page Saver uses the canvas feature that was introduced in Firefox 1.5.

Theres a Pro version for $15, but the Basic version is free and contains all of the things you're likely to need. Check it out.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 01:27 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 151 words, total size 1 kb.

July 26, 2007

One of my pet peeves

As a programmer from the almost dark ages (my first PC work was on a TRS-80 and my first college class used punch cards), I've long considered the goto statement an abomination, one which too easily leads to ugly, unreadable code. It also allows the programmer to avoid thinking through a problem's resolution, since he always has the crutch to fall back on. I've even stated to my students that I would fail anyone who used one in a program. However, I will reluctantly admit that there are times when a considered goto statement can be useful. For example, you're been told to update some large production code to fix a a recurring bug. You wade through the program for days and finally find the error, deep inside multiple layers of nested conditions and loops. Do you (a), rewrite thousands of lines of production code so that you can gracefully back out of every level of recursion and iteration, or do you (b), add in an error label and insert a "goto error label" statement? Personally, I'd opt for (b). However, if I were writing the code from scratch, my answer would probably be different, as I'd have taken great pains to design my error handling routines properly. Not that you can make any program truly idiot proof; nature seems intent on upgrading idiots faster than I can upgrade my code.

Why do I mention this at length? There's a pretty interesting discussion over here at Kernel Trap. One of the participants in the discussion is Linus Torvalds, the father of all things Linux. He thinks that gotos are fine and dandy. I respectfully disagree. While they can, as I've mentioned, prove useful in a pinch, I think that they can prove a crutch which prevents programmers from properly considering a problem before moving directly onto the coding. And I disagree about his "they are often more readable than large amounts of indentation" comment. Then again, what they heck do I know?

Update: Speaking of programming, here's a nifty chart that diagrams the evolution of programming languages.

Update: I'm one of those morons of whom Ace speak regularly. I typed Linux Torvalds instead of Linus. Fixed now.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 12:44 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
Post contains 377 words, total size 2 kb.

July 19, 2007

software! get your free software!

Interesting article over at Datamation called 100 Open Source Downloads. Excerpt:


o, it’s not the “Top 100,” nor does this list contain the “only” 100 open source downloads you should consider – there’s a big ocean out there, so please keep swimming.

But this list does reflect the growing vitality of the open source ecosystem. It just keeps growingÂ…and growingÂ…

Feel free to browse the list – heck, the whole darn thing spans just a handful of pages, so take a moment, would you? I mean, what are you, busy?
...
Audio Tools

3. Audacity

Audacity allows users to record live audio, convert tapes and records to digital formats, or mix pre-existing digital audio tracks. Supported formats include Ogg Vorbis, MP3, and WAV sound files. Operating system: Windows, Linux/Unix, OS X, Classic Mac.

4. AC3Filter

This audio decoder and processor filter allows media players to play AC3 and DTS audio tracks from movies. It also allows you to mix audio tracks and adjust sound quality. Operating system: Windows.

5. MP3Gain

Tired of constantly adjusting the volume on your MP3 player? MP3Gain uses statistical analysis to gauge how loud songs sound in the human ear, and then modifies the volume appropriately without degrading the quality of playback. Operating system: OS Independent.
...
Education

45. NASA World Wind

World Wind allows users to access satellite imagery to view the entire globe or zoom in on a particular area. It offers a number of different views and gives users the options of superimposing latitude and longitude lines, borders, and place name labels. Operating system: Windows.

There are a lot more. One hundred, remember? And while lots of them are Linux only, there are a large number that can be used on Windows and Mac OS. I use some of the tools at work. YMMV. Now go and look.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 10:21 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 315 words, total size 2 kb.

July 12, 2007

When you absolutely, positively have to get online

Let's suppose that you have a wireless enabled laptop. Let's also stipulate that you don't have an EVDO card and that there isn't a wifi hot spot in sight. Is it possible to get your computer online? It is: use your cell phone as a modem. Excerpt:


While specific setups will vary depending on your phone, plan and carrier's software, turning my Sprint PCS phone into a wireless modem for surfing on the go was just about as easy as pie.

What you'll need

A PC or Mac
A CDMA phone
A phone to computer data cable

First, plug the phone into your computer using an USB data cable. My Samsung came with the cable in the box. If yours didn't, do a quick search for the cable that fits your phone model on Froogle or Cellular Factory.

Windows knows you just plugged in something new and wants to know what it is, so the Add New Hardware wizard appears, eager to get the question settled. If you're lucky, your phone came with a handy CD that contains your drivers. I wasn't so lucky, so I had to Google up the drivers for my particular phone model, install them, and then point the Wizard in the driver's direction on my hard drive. Once Windows says, "Oh hey Samsung [or insert your model here] CDMA modem," you're practically there. My Mac (running Tiger) recognized the phone as a modem right away.

Next you'll need connection software provided by your carrier. Again this might be on that CD that came with your phone, or you can download it from your plan's web site. Me, I grabbed the Sprint PCS Connection Manager for phone as Modem software from the Sprint site. Once that baby was installed, it was a matter of hitting the "Go" button and I was online using Sprint's data network at 230k (translation: slower than broadband but way faster than dial up.) Of course, depending on your location, plan and service, your mileage may vary.

No more driving around searching for dumbass open network broadcasters.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 10:42 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 356 words, total size 2 kb.

July 02, 2007

Make Windows look like Ubuntu

No real functionality added, but if you have a dual boot system, the cosmetic changes added to your Windows system will make switching between Ubuntu and Windows more painless.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 07:36 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 39 words, total size 1 kb.

<< Page 1 of 1 >>
32kb generated in CPU 0.0156, elapsed 0.0691 seconds.
92 queries taking 0.0603 seconds, 221 records returned.
Powered by Minx 1.1.6c-pink.