Re-associate FireFox 3 with Thunderbird links

After upgrading to FireFox 3, I noticed that ThunderBird was no longer opening links in FireFox. Unfortunately, there are no Preference entries to modify how ThunderBird opens links, which means going into the Advanced Config Editor (the ThunderBird version of about:config). Just Another Tech Blog (among others) details how to configure ThunderBird to open links in FireFox. My problem? I had pointed ThunderBird to /usr/bin/firefox-2 when FF3 came out (I was still using FF2 at the time). FireFox 3, however, is located at /usr/bin/firefox.

First Impressions of FireFox 3 on Linux

I've been using the latest version of FireFox 2 (version 2.0.0.14) since it hit the Ubuntu repos. On June 27, I decided to upgrade to 3.0 final. I didn't want to, really, until certain addons (not to mention my absolute favorite FF2 theme) had been upgraded with 3.0 compatibility. But FF2 was being so slow with the "memory leaks" that it's become known for lately, I figured I owed it to myself to try it.

First, the deal breakers for me. Obviously, the Vista Black theme by Internauta2000 on DeviantArt. I've loved this theme since I first discovered it, and haven't been satisfied with any other theme I've tried. My most used extension recently, Tab Groups, does one thing and does it well. It simply adds a second row of tabs that group main tabs together. Unfortunately, it does not support FF3 yet. And I can't wait until it does.

When I upgraded to FF3, I made sure to have my system monitor (KSysGuard) open to monitor memory usage. Typically, after a period of sustained usage, FF2 would reach roughly 450MB of memory on linux; on Windows, I've seen it eating up to 800MB. Just a few hours after running around with FF3, though, I noticed it was creeping into the 400MB range. Needless to say, I was starting to be disappointed. Right now, though, and without a restart, I'm seeing only 152MB usage. And the overall experience is much smoother. With FF2, especially during a large memory footprint, it would constantly lock up. When it wasn't locked up, it would hesitantly load and scroll pages. No longer. FF3 loads pages perceivably faster, and there are no glitches in scrolling.

But there's still the matter of those deal breakers. Until Tab Groups gets an update, I've started using FaviconizeTab, which reduces tabs from icon-and-text to icon-only, on a tab-by-tab basis. Mainly just a way to keep all my tabs (which often reach double digits) visible on the tab bar. For my theme, I've converted (oh, so temporarily, mind you ;) ) to the AquaTint Black Gloss theme. It doesn't hold a candle to Vista Black, but it's close enough for now.

Overall, though, the upgrade to FF3 is one that everyone should make. If you have a favorite extension that isn't yet compatible, find an equivalent or an alternative. Or, in the case of FireBug, find the latest development version. If you have a favorite theme that isn't compatible yet, contact the author and ask if they have an update planned (and be sure to say please and thank you ;) ). Most importantly, just do it. You won't regret it.

Cleaning a FireFox profile

I'm an avid user of FireFox. I've set my installation up to sync across dual-boot, mainly as part of the Widows-to-Ubuntu crossover process. I can't pinpoint the exact date I started using FireFox, but it's been years...and in those years, I've certainly gathered a fair bit of junk.

Most of that junk is leftover configuration data and files from extensions that I've tried and subsequently gotten rid of. For some reason, the uninstall process of most (if not all) extensions leaves all the about:config preferences. In the case of GreaseMonkey (yes, I do not use GreaseMonkey), it leaves a gm_scripts directory in your profile, containing all the script files you've installed. At the worst, this is simply developer oversight. "Why would they want to uninstall this great extension?? They don't need an uninstall routine!"

At any rate, I've found a short and simple way to clean your FireFox profile. The only things I did differently was 1) leave my bookmarks.html file behind (I use Netvouz :D ) and 2) copy over various tweaks from my old prefs.js to my new prefs.js. A final note: You don't want to copy the entire prefs.js file over; it'll contain all the about:config junk mentioned earlier. Either open both old and new prefs.js files and copy over specific tweaks, or google them up again and re-apply them in the new profile.

Cleaning a FireFox Profile

Backing up Thunderbird or Firefox profiles

The mantra of the Linux world is "Always backup important data!!!" This is usually instructed directly before installing Linux onto a system, or otherwise doing anything that could even remotely corrupt anything. Better to be safe than sorry.

Backing up a Thunderbird or Firefox profile is important, too. Especially if you're like me, and it would take hours to get Firefox just perfect again after having your profile wiped (if, for example, the drive it was sitting on were to fall to minor corruption). Hunting down that perfect theme (what was it called again?), rounding up all those can't-live-without extensions...

Under Windows

Under Windows XP (and presumably Vista as well), the default profile for Firefox is found under C:\Documents and Settings\<user>\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\XXXXXX.default, where that last XXXXX is a random string of numbers. Thunderbird's profile is located under C:\Documents and Settings\<user>\Application Data\Thunderbird\Profiles\XXXXXX.default. If you've used "firefox -ProfileManager" or "thunderbird -ProfileManager" to change your profiles around, these will be different.

Under X/K/Ubuntu

Under Kubuntu (and presumably most or all flavors of linux), Firefox's default profile is under ~/.mozilla/firefox/XXXXXX.Default User. For Thunderbird, it's ~/.mozilla-thunderbird/XXXXXXX.Default User.

Methods of backup

A quick google search can turn up lots of methods of backup, including MozBackup. While I haven't used this extension myself, I've no doubt that it works to some extent (or else it wouldn't have lasted as long as it has). If you prefer GUI solutions, by all means, try it out.

My preferred method, however, is to make a .7z archive of my profile directory (make sure TBird or FireFox is shut down before you zip the archive, though!) This essentially takes a snapshot of the program (including extensions, skins, even open tabs and windows if the "Show my windows and tabs from last time" option is set!); if your profile ever gets corrupted, you can simply unzip the "saved profile" over the current profile, restoring it to the "last known good configuration", to quote windows.

Another advantage to the zip-it-up method is that you can create "holes" in the profile. For example, with the "Show my windows and tabs from last time" option set, Firefox will leave a sessionstore.js file inside the profile directory; the next time Firefox opens, it reads this file and re-opens all your tabs from last session. Deleting this file from the zip archive creates a profile hole that the more up-to-date sessionstore.js can fit into. Very handy at times.

The best laid plans...

While it appeared that I had found the social bookmarker for me...it appears that that site is dead and abandoned. After waiting 48 hours for my bookmarks to be imported, I sent an email to Spurl.net support asking if the site was, indeed, dead. I also found a post on their support forum in response to an importing delay complaint, which basically said "Spurl is apparently dead and abandoned. Try this site instead." I never got a reply to the email, and, better still, the entire site seems to have been taken down, meaning I couldn't find that post to quote here for you ;) So, back to square one. After searching some Digg and some Google, I stumbled upon Netvouz.com. Remember what my "desirables" were?

1. Hierarchy
2. Easy on the eyes
3. Privacy when I want it
4. Buttons!
5. Import/Export capabilities

Well, Netvous meets all of them satisfactorily. It supports hierarchy in the form of folders (and subfolders -- it only lacks the tree visual representation). It has a google-esque color scheme, which is much better than Del.icio.us's. It supports privacy, but not on a bookmark-by-bookmark basis (all your private stuff and all your public stuff go under completely unique Public and Private folders). Netvouz FireFox buttons are available, though I've not tested them yet. And the import function finished in a matter of seconds over my high-speed connection. So, providing Netvouz doesn't go down in smoke anytime soon, I'll settle here. Also, I found a good RSS Aggregator that I like. It may not meet the "social" aspect...but who cares? :) <<update>> Spurl.net seems to be back up...not sure why I was getting blank pages last time. Here is the post mentioning the death of Spurl. And, seeing that my 'marks still aren't imported, I would tend to agree. Too bad :(

Social Bookmarkers - which one do you use?

With the use of FireFox Portable comes the issue of syncing bookmarks. While there probably are apps and FireFox extensions that can sync your bookmarks, all of these (plus the bookmarks) take up more and more space on the flash drive. So I've decided to give "social bookmarking" a go. The thing is, all social bookmarking sites are not alike. Digg.com, while I do use it, is more of a popularity contest than a bookmarking site. Del.ico.us is a good option, but the colors and layout are harsh on the eyes. Since I've used my browser for bookmarks up until this point, I want my social bookmarker to have a few basic qualities:

1. Hierarchy. I want to be able to organize my bookmarks not only by tags, but also by folders and subfolders.
2. Easy on the eyes. Using a custom skin would be nice, but I'll settle for something that doesn't melt my eyeballs.
3. Privacy when I want it. There are bookmarks that I want to keep to myself. Mainly the syllabus pages for my college courses.
4. Buttons! If at all possible, I want an in-browser button that I can click to bookmark the current page.
5. Import/Export capabilities. I don't want to have to add my bookmarks manually. And, should I decide to change services, I don't want to transfer them manually.

Yes, I know, I'm picky. But you already knew that :P When I first thought "Hmm, I need a social bookmarking account," naturally the first place I looked was Del.ico.us. Importing the bookmarks was wonderfully quick and painless, I got some neat FireFox buttons during the setup process, and privacy comes standard. However, as I mentioned before, the color choice was painful. Light blue and gray on a white background? Ow! Worse yet, there was no hierarchy option. The next place I went was to digg to try to find a list of social bookmarking sites. From there I found a rather extensive list of bookmarking sites. Skimming through, the first name that caught my eye was Ma.gnolia.com (or maybe it was the pic). It had all of the Delicious pluses (though I had to search google for the buttons), but it had a nice color scheme and layout. Downsides: it took longer to import my 'marks and, still, no hierarchy feature. Skimming down the same list, the image for Spurl caught my eye. While I'm still waiting for my FireFox bookmarks to be imported (I'm supposed to allow 24 hours on this one), I've added this blog as a bookmark, and there appears to be a decent hierarchical feature. The colors and layout are nice (I like blue-black, and the layout is moderately spacious). A Spurl FireFox addon is available, and seems to work well. Privacy is an option, though the option isn't as obvious as I would like it to be after I've submitted a 'mark. Overall, (and if my 'marks ever get imported,) I think I'll be sticking with Spurl for now. Though, of course, I'll still use Delicious to boost my traffic ;) On a usability/design note: At the time of writing, Spurl's front page says "We are currently forced to offer reduced functionality due to heavy spam attacks." Actually, maybe they should keep this "clean" front page. I can imagine what the front page would normally look like, cluttered with 'mark feeds, but I like the near-emptiness that is currently "up". If I want to see the latest, hottest bookmarks, I'll try to find a page that offers them. So, what bookmark service do you use? If you're not satisfied with what you've found, what do you look for in social bookmarks? Also...anyone know a good RSS aggregator that respects my preferences?

Your Life on a Stick

College courses that involve essays, reports, presentations, and other communications-related assignments -- most of them, that is -- make flash drives essential, especially if you don't own your own computer/laptop. And even if you do have your own little workstation, a portable flash drive is very handy for accessing the campus printers.

But those little storage devices can store more than documents. Duh.

I'm working on getting a business running where I basically come to your computer and clean it. Take out the trash, clean up the spyware, spank the viruses, polish the CPU. Kinda like Geek Squad. Anyway. In this business there are a few essential programs that I will be using, but it'll get very old very quickly if I have to download each and every one to my client's computer to run it. Not to mention it'll take more of their disk space, which is NOT a good thing. One alternative is to lug my laptop around to each person, setup a local file sharing network (somehow) and work on their drive from my comp.

No, thank you.

My solution: portable apps on a 1-gig flash drive. There are LOTS of programs that work from a flash drive, many of them free.

However, in choosing programs for your flash drive, you have to keep a few things in mind.

Size: Programs, along with all their add-on dll files and lengthy EULAs, can take up a good chunk of drive space. And with flash drives, you are limited to the drive's capacity. So, obviously enough, the smaller the better.

Storage methods: How does the app store information? Most programs use files, but way too many programs use the Windows Registry. This is a BIG no-no for portable apps. On one hand your registry settings won't be available on another person's computer, and on the other hand you don't want to inadvertently edit your client's registry. As such, you want to make sure any program you bring won't make registry changes.

Relative path support: Life on a flash drive means never knowing what drive letter you'll be assigned. Therefore your programs have to be able to cope with changing letters, and they can't be using absolute paths.

So here's what my life-on-a-stick currently looks like:

Dock: With many programs come many directories. My file structure is pretty deep. As such, I don't want to go hunting for my apps with my client's Windows Explorer. So I downloaded RKLauncher. Yes, you could probably go with another dock program, or even a floating menu app, but I prefer RKL because 1) it's a dock, and I like docks, 2) it supports both ObjectDock and Yz Dock docklets (don't worry if that didn't make sense), 3) it's a standalone executable, 4) it supports relative paths, meaning it can find my programs even when my flash drive's letter changes, and 5) it's FREE!!! Free is very important to me.
Total size of RKLauncher + Dock Icons for all my apps + the following docklet: 3.24MB

Menu Docklet: When traveling, you can't be sure what resolution the computer you visit will be working with, and you don't often want to mess with the settings (if you can). As such, your traveling dock will ideally be as small as possible. Enter the menu docklet, KKMenu. It's not really a docklet anymore, it's a standalone executable, but as such it should work with any dock that supports shortcuts. The download includes a DOC subfolder with a file help.html that gives a rundown of how to use the program, along with a couple of menu skins. In my installation, I've deleted the DOC folder all but one skin (one INI file and one PNG file), and all extraneous files (everything in the root docklet folder other than kkmenu.exe and kkmenueditor.exe). My RKLauncher has 4 links to KKMenu, one for each category Internet, Utilities, Security, and Office. Put together with the two links to local copies of Windows Explorer and Task Manager, it's a very small dock.

Internet

Internet Browsing: Yes, chances are any computer I walk up to these days will have high-speed internet connected to a browser of the owner's choice -- but I'm not the owner, and their choice may not be mine. I prefer FireFox (along with my choice of skins and extensions), so I downloaded FireFox Portable. The owner has even kindly put up instructions for copying your current FireFox settings for use under the portable version. Must-have extensions I take with me include DownThemAll!, SearchBar Autosizer, Cooliris, and PDF Download for use with Foxit Reader (more later), but it doesn't yet support relative paths :(
Of course, since space is limited, you want to set some settings that prevent FFP from using more than it absolutely needs. Mainly this means turning off cookies, disk cache, and history.
Total file size of FFP, extensions, and one theme: 26.4MB Edit: I talked with the author of PDF Download, and we managed to get relative paths working ^_^ In order to do this, open the PDFD options. Under the "General", select "Open PDF". Under the "PDF Opening" tab, select "Use this viewer:". In the text field to the right, put the relative path to your PDF reader executable, starting at the directory where FFP starts. This method uses a lot of "dot-dot" directory specifications ("../", meaning "one directory up"), but it is also set-and-forget; once you find the right path, you don't have to modify it again (unless you're switching PDF viewers).

Email: While it's true that most email services have a web interface, I prefer a program that brings all my accounts to the same place. Enter ThunderBird Portable. Along with the Webmail Extension, it can bring just about any account type to the desktop. And, of course, you'll have to explore the settings to reduce disk writing to a bare minimum.
Total size of TBP and two extensions: 27.6MB

Utilities

Advanced Text Editing: A good program that works like Notepad and has a little extra kick is Notepad++, but for flash drives go with Notepad++ Portable.
Total size: 2.25MB

File Compression: Let's face it: the ZIP compression format stinks. For all the other formats, the best program out there is 7-Zip, with a portable version. Supports almost every compression format out there.
Total size: 2.08MB

SSH Client: My college career involves a lot of work on Linux computers through SSH clients. All I did here was copy over the SshClient.exe file from my local SSH installation, and it seems to work fine.
Total size: 3.07MB
There is also a portable PuTTY, if that's your app of choice.

Lightweight PDF Viewer: Down with bulky Adobe Reader, long live Foxit Reader! Download and extract the ZIP file from Foxit's site, and you have a standalone, lightweight PDF viewer!
Total size: 3.85MB

Other utilities: I have a few other small programs that might come in handy. These are Process Explorer (a bulked-up Task Manager), TightVNC Viewer (viewer executable only, along with a personalized build of UltraVNC Single Click, though I haven't tried the combo yet), FolderSize, and a small program that creates a System Restore Point (edits the registry, yes, but in this case you want it to ;) ).
Total size of all four apps: 4.91MB

Security

Antivirus: My app of choice for antivirus is actually AVG Free, but I haven't yet figured out how to run it from a flash drive. Until then, I will use ClamWin Portable.

Antispyware/malware: At the moment, my spyware apps include only files copied over from local installations of Ad-Aware SE and Spybot SD. I have NOT tested these for registry modification yet, however!

Office
My portable office suite is OpenOffice.org Portable. Unfortunately, the installation program doesn't let you choose which parts to install, and there's really not much you can remove to save space. I've managed to slim my install down to 76MB total, but it's still bigger than I like, when I'll only occasionally use Writer and Calc.
Total size: 76MB slimmed, 181MB full install

Last, but not least, I have two files on the root of my flash drive: an autorun.inf and an rklauncher.bat. The autorun.inf is setup to automatically run RKLauncher (setup with some help from lazycoder.com). The rklauncher.bat file is essentially a shortcut in the case that autorun doesn't autorun. With flash drives (and, therefore, changing drive letters), file shortcuts don't work, so simple windows batch scripts have to be used instead (setup with a template found on a fatwallet.com post -- be sure to use relative paths!).

Altogether, my 1GB flash drive shows 225MB used space, 747MB free space. Plenty of free space for any documents or relatively small downloads I may want to grab :)

Other sites for portable apps:
portableapps.com has a wide range of programs specifically built to be run from a flash drive.
That fatwallet.com post also has an exhaustive list of programs that can run from your flash drive.