Three quick ways to bring back the past

When you're browsing the web, it's easy to accidentally close a tab.  Bringing it back is almost as easy, but different, in Firefox and Chrome.

In Firefox, you just go to the Toolbar:

History > Recently Closed Tabs

If you prefer keystrokes, just hit Alt + S to open the History menu.

"Recently Closed Tabs" is second from the bottom (just above Recently Closed Windows).

Choose the tab you want from the list and click.  It will open as a new tab.  Or, actually, as an old tab -- the one you closed, in the same position as the one you closed and with the same history as the one you closed.  Cool.

In Chrome it's a little different.

To bring back the last tab you closed:

Shift+Ctrl+T

The last-closed tab will open right back where it was.  Use the same key combination again and the penultimately-closed tab will pop back open.

(Note to Ms. Shappenheimer: Ok, you were right, I did use that word. Note to everyone else: Please note what a capacious vocabulary I have).

If you want to chose from a list which recently-closed tab to open, you can do that too.  Just open a new tab by clicking on the + to the right of the open tabs.   You'll find the list right below the miniature versions of your most visited tabs.

A little farther down, on the right, you'll see a link to your browsing History.  That will take you to a list of all the web pages you've visited.

If you want the history of a single tab (the current tab), put the cursor on the Go Back arrow and right click.  This history list will drop down.

Actually, there's another way to do the same thing.  Instead of right clicking on the Go Back arrow, left click but hold the click until the list drops down.  If you don't hold the click you'll, you guessed it, go back.

Why two ways to do the same thing?  Google believes it's an important enough function that you'll want a backup in case the primary method wears out.

Trimming the Context for Firefox Context Menus

Extensions make Firefox a lot more useful. For some extensions, it's especially useful to reach them through the context menu that pops up when you right-click with your mouse.

That usefulness, though, can get eroded if you wind up with too many options on the context menu. That happened to me. I wound up having to right click, then scroll through the context menu to find the tool I needed. That's a pain.

The problem is that Firefox extensions often add themselves to the context menu whether they're useful to you there or not.

The solution? Edit the menu. How? With another extension.

If that sounds counter-productive, consider this: the extension you'll use doesn't add itself to the right click menu. In fact, it doesn't even add itself to the Firefox Tools menu. It just sits in the Add-ons dialog box waiting for you to want it.

The extension is called, appropriately, Menu Editor. You can get it here. See Extending Firefox if you need help.

Once it's installed, go to:

Tools > Ad-ons > Menu Editor > Preferences

There's a drop-down menu to select the menu you want to edit. If you choose Main Context Menu, you'll see all of the items that can be on a context menu.

I say "can" be on a context menu because there are actually a few different context menus depending on where you are when you right click. That's the "context" part of "context menu."

You'll get the significance of that when you see how many menu items there are. You probably don't see them all on any one menu, but they're lurking.

This makes designing your menus a little hit or miss. I hid a couple of items that I later added back on.

Tip: Before editing your menus, right click on a web page and see which of the menu items are useful. Do it in a few different contexts, like on white space, with text selected, on a tab, etc. Make a list of the items you want. That way, once you're in Menu Editor, you'll be able to quickly hide the items you don't want. It's amazing how many items wind up on the menu. I didn't remember some of them until I started editing the menu.

New Firefox - Shiretoko

There's a new version of Firefox. It's faster, rich with features and ready for prime time (even if Mozilla isn't admitting it yet).

Firefox 3.5 (code named Shiretoko) is still in beta -- beta release 4, to be exact, but I've been using the beta for a couple of weeks now without any problems.

In fact, Shiretoko is messing with the normal early-adopter experience. Usually, in search of some new advantage, I dump an existing, reliable app for a newer one that still in beta (or even alpha). Instead of getting an advantage, I get tripped up by bugs. My productivity plummets and I spend hours either getting the beta to work, or getting rid of it and returning to the earlier, stable version.

Shiretoko's a surprise, because the 3.5 beta is better than the Firefox 3.0.10 I had been using. It's quick, it uses a lot less memory and it doesn't lock up my computer.

Java with Caffeine
It's quicker because it has a new JavaScript engine called SpiderMonkey.

Since JavaScript everywhere on the web these days, anything that renders it faster is going to improve your entire online experience.

JavaScript is the code behind applications than run in your browser -- the so-called client-side apps. In tech-speak, you and your browser are on the client side of the web; the server that hosts the website site is on the server side.

JavaScript started out putting the motion in those animated ads, but it's become a lot more sophisticated and important. Today, JavaScript is the J in AJAX. AJAX is the bundle of code that powers online applications like Google Docs and Spreadsheets.

Hiding Your Tracks
Shiretoko also offers a feature to better protect your privacy. I didn't say "new" feature, because Mozilla is actually catching up to other browsers, but it's still nice to have.

Browsers help you get around by remembering where you've been on the web and what you've been doing. That makes it easier for you to retrace your steps, get back to key sites and breeze through security at, for instance, your online bank.

It also makes it easier for someone else to retrace your steps, get back to key sites you've visited and, potentially, do some online banking for you.

Firefox 3.5 offers an option to "Start Private Browsing." Once you click it, Firefox stops recording your history, cookies and any passwords you enter. That protects you from anyone who might want to follow your tracks.

When you stop private browsing, Firefox remembers were you were before you started. It opens up the same tabs to the same sites.

Where in the World are You
The new Firefox also offers you an options to have less privacy. Some websites are now "location aware." That's your location that you're aware of, they presumably always knew where they were.

These sites, with the help of Google Geolocation, can know where you are and tailor the information they offer accordingly.

You may have noticed that some sites already do that. I've been to a few blogs that list the locations of their current visitors in a sidebar. Firefox lets you decide whether to offer your location to a website or not.

If you want to try out Firefox 3.5 beta, you can download it here.

More Space in Firefox

My wife started using an eee for work. It's cool, but but there's one big (or small) inherent limitation: screen size. It's really hard to use some applications on a tiny screen.

Since browsers do just about everything now -- and even more once you start using a netbook computer -- making space on Firefox is crucial.

There's a lot you can do, but it's usually a trade off between convenience and screen space.


Space-saving Themes
The quick, comprehensive way to get more space is with a space-saving theme.

Classic Compact
Classic Compact is, well, the classic compact theme for Firefox. If gives you everything you have on your regular theme, but smaller. It can look a little squished, but that's because it makes all of the elements as big as possible within a smaller space. I liked it so much on the eee that I've started using it on my laptop, which has a 13" screen. Why not?

Classic Compact Options lets you tweak Classic Compact. Some tweaks are just cosmetic, but merging you menu bar into one button saves space.

Other Compact Themes
iFox Smooth, zblack and Littlefox do the same thing, but look a little different.

Tweaking Firefox
If you're committed to keeping your regular theme, you can tweak that for space. In fact, there are a few options you can choose without adding extensions.

Fullscreen
Push F11. It puts Firefox into full screen mode. Lots of room. Putting your cursor near the top of the screen gets you the tabs and Bookmark Toolbar back. Hitting F11 again restores your normal screen.

Hide Toolbars
Firefox usually has three toolbars across the top:

• Menubar
• Navigation Toolbar
• Bookmark Toolbar

And then there may be other toolbars added by extensions, like Web developer. You can get rid of toolbars.

View > Toolbars

Just uncheck the toolbars you can live without.

Remember that the Bookmark Toolbar is convenient, but you can almost as easily use the Bookmarks menu item.

Thin the Navigation Toolbar
If you need the navigation bar, but want to make it thinner:

View > Toolbars > Customize > Show: Icons > Check "Use small icons"

More space with very little loss of convenience.

Compact Menu2
This one's a little tricky. Compact Menu2 literally replaces your menu bar with a small, blue globe icon. It adds an option to hide the Menu Toolbar to View > Toolbars. That means you can hide the menu toolbar, but still have access to the menu items via the icon.

Clicking on the icon drops down a menu with the items that are usually on the menu bar (or those of them you chose to include).

Once you've installed the extension, go to:

View > Toolbars >Customize

Under "Select the menus you want to see in the Compact Menu" check the menu items you want. I chose all of them -- since the Compact version is a drop-down menu, it doesn't seem to matter much.

Then you find the small, blue globe icon in the icon area and drag it to whatever toolbar you want.

Literally replacing the menu bar has some interesting results. For instance, if you drag the icon to the Menu Toolbar it will replace all of the menu items, but what you'll have is the icon on the menu toolbar, which won't save you any space.

If you put it on the Navigation Toolbar, then you can hide the Menubar, but still have easy access to all of the menu options.

If you happen to hide the Menubar before you drag the icon somewhere, you'll lose access to the menu items -- including View which is the item you need to get the Menubar back. Of course only an idiot would do that. Fortunately I happen to know how to fix it. Find an empty part of the Navigation Toolbar (just to the right of the address bar works) and right click. That will bring up the toolbar menu and you just click the box by Menubar.

Tiny Menu does the same thing, but I haven't tried it.

Google Bookmarks in Firefox

Using your Google Bookmarks is a lot more convenient with some Firefox add-ons.

If you haven't tried them, Google Bookmarks are always available online as part of your Google account. They're also integrated into Google Notes. That makes them handy for citing stuff you grab from the web.

The Firefox extensions let you keep your Google Bookmarks as handy as regular bookmarks in your browser. I've tried three third-party extensions as well as the official Google Bookmark button. They're all usesul.

Folders? Subfolders?
The third-party extensions enhance what Google offers by adding folders and subfolders.

Google Bookmarks doesn't do folders -- it does labels (or tags). Initially Gmail only offered tags too, but the big G bowed to public pressure and switched to folders. The extensions do that same thing for bookmarks by adding a virtual folders system.

I say virtual because, when you're using the extension to browse your bookmarks, it looks for all the world like they're in folders and subfolders. But if you go the the regular Google Bookmarks site you don't see folders -- you just see labels. Some labels are just: Label. Other labels are Label/Sublabel. The extensions turn the Label/Sublabel into folders and subfolder.

Deng Google Bookmarks
Deng Google Bookmarks puts the Google Favorite star on your menu bar with a drop-down menu. Clicking it drops down all of your Google Bookmarks, plus links for managing, adding, reloading your bookmarks, and going to your Google Bookmarks page.

The bookmarks drop down as folders. Putting your cursor on one of the folders either reveals the bookmarks in the folder, or reveals subfolders, or both.

The Deng options panel lets you enter your Gmail address and password so it can log in to get your bookmarks.

GBookmarks
GBookmarks puts a dropdown menu on the Firefox menu bar and drops down your bookmarks in folders and subfolders, just like Deng.

Once you put in your Gmail address and password, you can select an option to have GBookmarks log into your bookmarks account as soon as you open Firefox. Otherwise it logs in the first time you click on the menu.

You can also have GBookmarks your bookmarks by date or title, and you can use the extension to import your Firefox bookmarks into Google.

Gmarks
Gmarks is the slickest and most adaptable of the extensions. At first glance, it looks like pure Google Bookmarks. When you click on the Gmarks menu, it drops down a list of your bookmarks by label. Some of the labels have "nested" labels within them. It's the Folder/Subfolder deal using Google terminology.

When you add a bookmark, it offers you the standard Google options: label and notes. To add a bookmark with a nested label, you put the label in this format: Label>Sublabel.

It's Organize Bookmarks box lets you change the name, change the url and add or delete a label. It doesn't offer virtual folders and subfolders, it gives you Google Bookmarks with labels the way Google intended.

Gmarks options menu lets you sort your bookmarks three ways:

• Title
• Date
• Number of visits to a site
  

It pulls the number of times you've visited a site from your Firefox history.

You can make a list of labels you don't want to show up on the dropdown menu. You can also make a default label that's applied to unlabeled bookmarks. Or, more accurately, bookmarks that would have been unlabeled were it not for the unlabeled bookmark label. Gmail also lets you select any key to open up a Search Bookmarks bar. Once you've selected a key, you just tap it twice and the search bar pop open.

Display options let you put at the top of your list labels for the most recent and most used bookmarks. The bookmarks show up as nested labels.

Extending Firefox

One of the great advantages of Firefox as a web browser is the way you can customize it. You can change the way it looks, you can open it with different profiles and you can add functions.

The new functions come in the form of Add-ons. Add-ons can be extensions or plug-ins. You don't really have to know the difference, but they're not the same.

Extensions and Plug-ins
Plug-ins add some new process to Firefox, like the ability to run Java code or play Flash videos. The plug-in is usually a program that can run on it's own; the plug-in just lets it operate from within Firefox. You often add add-ons when a website suggests it. For instance a page will say "You need the Flash Player to watch the video." It will usually offer you a link to the plug-in.

Extensions add to Firefox itself. You seek them out because there's something you want Firefox to do, or do more quickly or conveniently. Extensions let you do pretty much everything you can imagine -- and some things that I, at least, hadn't imagined.

Extensions change the way tabs work, add tools for easily downloading files, and let you write blog entries right from your browser.

Finding Add-ons
You can search through thousands of add-ons and try as many as you want.

A good place to start is Firefox's own add-ons site. Search or browse until you find something you'd like to try.

Adding Add-ons
Make sure it works on your operating system and your version of Firefox. The add on page will usually detect you operating system and tell you if the add-on won't work. Your version of Firefox is rarely a problem unless it's really old or brand new.

If it's that old, consider updating it. If it's that new (or a beta) you might have to wait a few weeks. A lot of developers wait until a new browser is out of development before rewriting their add-ons. And sometimes it just takes them a while to get around to it. Developing Firefox extensions is often a hobby.

The add-on page will have a green button that says Add to Firefox. Click on it. The Software Installation window will open.

It will warn you about possibly malicious add-ons (I've never had a problem with an add-on from the Firefox site). On the bottom right the Install button will be grayed-out for a few seconds. It's to give you time to change your mind. (If I'm not mistaken, there's an extension that will eliminate the wait for adding extensions).

When you can, click Install. Usually you'll have to exit Firefox and reload it before the extension will be available. Some extensions need a bit of setup. You can do that with:

Tools > Add-ons

Pick the extension and click on Preferences. This is the same box you use to disable or get rid of extensions.

Disabling is handy in two cases. One, if an extension is irritating you. Most don't do anything until you use them, but some can be intrusive, like ones that highlight words on web pages and pop up boxes. You might also want to disable extensions if Firefox gets buggy. Some extensions can conflict and cause problems. You can figure it out by disabling extensions one at a time until the problem goes away.

For the most part, though, extensions work flawlessly. They do exactly what the developer promised, they make browsing easier and more convenient, and they're regularly upgraded to add new functions.

Quick Notes

Finding fast ways to take notes is an obsession. I'm always looking for new ways to take, keep and keep organized different kinds of notes. Here's one for general information that you want to remember.

Google Docs
It assumes you use Google Documents and Firefox.

• In Google Docs, create a document called "Notes," or something like that.

• Bookmark it and save the bookmark to your Bookmarks Toolbar Folder.

• It should show up on your toolbar as Notes - Google Docs (If you named it "Notes")

Anytime you want to make a quick note, click on the bookmark and write it down. Be sure to hit Save or Ctrl+S to save your notes.

But wait, there's more.
If you want to make a quick note while you're using the keyboard, there's an easy way to do that too. You can use Firefox's autohotkey feature to open your notes pay fast.

• Click on Bookmarks

• Go down to Bookmarks Toolbar Folder and then to your Notes - Google Docs bookmark

• Right click on the bookmark

• Click on Properties

• In the Keywords box enter a letter or two (I use n for notes).

• Click Save Changes

Now you can quickly open the notes page from your keyboard. Here's how:

• Hit Ctrl+L (which moves you to the Firefox url bar)

• Type n (or whetever keyword you created)

• Hit Enter.

Your notes page will open.

But wait, there's even more.
Really.

When you were entering the Keyword into your bookmark's Properties box, you might have noticed a checkbox with "Load this bookmark in the sidebar" next to it. If you check that box, when you use the bookmark to open your notes page it will open in Firefox's sidebar -- a handy place to take a quick notes while you're reading a web page. This doesn't work with the Ctrl+L keyboard shortcut.

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Make Extensions Work in Latest Firefox Version

I'm using Firefox 3. Version 3.0a8 to be exact. Why? No, it's not that I couldn't stand the anticipation anymore. I needed to cut and paste a table in Google Docs.

There's a bug in previous versions of Firefox that prevents cutting or copying the tables. I couldn't find a way to fix it, so I upgraded. The good news is that cutting or copying tables in Google Docs works fine.

The bad news is that all of my extensions stopped working. Since Firefox 3 isn't out yet (at least not officially) it makes sense that extensions wouldn't be updated to work on it. Sensible or not, it isn't very convenient.

Actually this happens a lot when a new version comes out. At least a couple of the extensions I use don't get updated for a while.

That doesn't mean they don't work -- they usually work just fine. But extensions usually have a line of code that checks to see what version of Fireox is running. Just to avoid any problems, the extension is programmed not to work if it detects a Firefox version later than it's been tested on. To get it working, all you have to do is disable the checking.

You can do it by disabling the checking feature in Firefox, or by changing the latest version number in the extension, but there's an even easier way. It's another extension called Nightly Tester Tools.

The extension is designed to let people test new versions of Firefox, but part of that process is getting extensions to work. Here's what you do:

• Download and install Nightly Tester Tools the usual way.

• After you've installed it, restart Firefox.

• When Firefox restarts, click Tools --> Add-ons.

• Click on the new button that says: "Make all compatible"

• Restart Firefox

Any of your extensions that actually work with the new version of Firefox will start working again. It should be most of them. It's possible that forcing an old extension to work in a new version could cause problems, but it's never happened to me.

I've forced at least one extension to work each time a new Firefox comes out and the worst result has been that the extension still didn't work.

By the way, Firefox 3 is nice. You can install it from Softpedia. It's still in alpha testing, but it seems to work fine. The only problems I've had is that some estensions don't work even with Nightly Tester Tools.

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FasterFireFox

Or at least smaller.

If you use Firefox a lot and have a lot of add-ons, you've noticed that it can get kind of slow. Check your Process list under Windows Task Manager (ctrl+alt+delete then click on he Process tab)and you'll see that it takes up a lot of memory. It's using more than 300MB on my system right now.

Some people criticize Firefox for its size, but that's kind of unfair. It offers a lot of options and if you add-on a lot of them, of course it's going to get big. My 300MB at the moment includes two windows each with a half-dozen or more tabs.

In any case, here's a way you can save some memory space, at least when Firefox in minimized and possibly when it's open too. It comes from CypherHackz.

1. In the Firefox address bar (the place where you usually type http://www.somesite.com) type about:config. Nothing else, no http or anything, just about:config. Then hit Enter, or click the green arrow.
2. A page will open with a long list in it. Ignore the list, put your cursor on some white space in the page and right click. A little box will open up with a few options. Choose New. Another box will pop out from New. Choose Boolean.
3. This will get you -- guess what -- another box. But this box has a place to type. Type in: config.trim_on_minimize then click OK.
4. Yeah, another box. Choose True and click OK.
5. Close Firefox and then launch it again.

Here's what should happen: Firefox will still use a lot of memory, but if you minimize the window, it will clear out a lot of space. It can drop down to 10 or 20MB.

That's a big help if you're trying to work in another program with Firefox minimized. An added benefit is that when you open up the Firefox window again, it doesn't jump back to it's original size in memory. In fact, it may stay significantly smaller for some time.