Feb 25, 2008 | blog
I’ve been enjoying some of the Adobe AIR apps during it’s development over the past year. Among several Twitter clients that have popped up in the last few months running on AIR, I’ve really enjoyed Twhirl.
Now, if you’re a Twitter user, you know that its a great way to share links and more. Works great – except when you’ve set a browser other than Microsoft’s Internet Explorer as the default web browser. I happen to be partial to Firefox, and use it constantly, so when an Adobe AIR based app launches IE when I click a shared link – it’s upsetting.
Luckily in the final version there is an Adobe KB article with instructions on how to fix that problem. Personally I think their reason that it doesn’t work in the first place is lame:
Windows Vista does not make the required additional registry entries correctly when a browser other than Internet Explorer is set as the default browser. When an attempt to load the URL is made, Adobe AIR uses Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) to connect to an open instance of the browser registered for URL requests. If that fails, Adobe AIR falls back on Shell Execution.
Other non-Microsoft (and Microsoft!) applications have consistently and successfully launched the correct browser for me. Why not AIR?
At any rate, here is how to fix the problem.
- Launch “Default Programs” off the Vista Start Menu
- Click on “Set Program Access And Computer Defaults” in the Default Programs dialog
- Select “Custom” from the list and choose your preferred browser from the list of recognized installed browsers.
- Click OK and your done.
Next time you launch your AIR app, you will be able to follow links and have them load in your preferred browser.
Mar 7, 2007 | blog
I’ve been using FireFox as my main browser now for about 9 months (maybe a little more) and have become a true convert from IE. Since there is much more expandability on the FF side, I’ve really started depending on a select group of plug-ins. This expandability that was never available in IE, has allowed my browser to take on new functionality that I never dreamed could be possible. So here is a list of my current FF plug-ins.
- FireFTP – FireFTP is a free, secure, cross-platform FTP client for Mozilla Firefox.
- del.icio.us (classic version) – Keep, share and discover all your favorite things.
- ClipMarks – With Clipmarks, you can clip the best parts of web pages.
- GUtil – Google® Utilities in your Firefox Menu and Toolbar
- Cooliris – Cooliris Previews 2.1 for Firefox gives you the power to browse faster and send links instantly.
- Foxmarks Bookmark Synchronizer – Install Foxmarks on each computer, and it will work silently in the background to keep your bookmarks synchronized.
- Blog This for Firefox – The Blog This for Firefox adds a button to Firefox which starts a new Windows Live Writer blog post.
- Google Notebook – GNotebook allows you to clip & collect information in private & shared notebooks.
So there you have it – the mainstays of my FF add-ons. The one other really powerful tool in FF for me is the bookmark toolbar. I wish there was a way to make a second toolbar for bookmarks as I have trimmed each entry down to one or two letters with the “favicon” for the site.
Do you have any great FF add-in suggestions? There are thousands out there and I know I’ve only scratched the surface.
Technorati tags: FireFox, FireFTP, ClipMarks, GUtil, Cooliris, Foxmarks, Google Notebook
Oct 24, 2006 | blog
Nice upgrade, though it seems to be more of a security and small feature update than a larger release. Of course the changes in IE7 compared to IE6 are huge and are attracting a bit of press, as it should – it took MS long enough to upgrade the browser!
However, for daily browsing, Firefox seems to work best for me. I happen to use three browsers, the obvious two and Opera. Firefox is my “work” browser, meaning that I open all my email, blogging, Feed Reader, Search, and other task-based services in it. IE is my “default” browser – its just that, click on a link in email, opens in IE. I also use IE for additional research and news link following.
Opera is not used as much as FF & IE, its mainly for obscure sites – meaning that if the site is suspect, I paste the URL in Opera and see what happens – this simple trick has kept my IE install healthier than any other I have tried.
Anyway, FF2’s got game. Its not any one thing, just a great combination of usability in a browser. The only plugin that isn’t compatible at the moment is my Windows Live Writer “Blog It” plugin. Its a shame too, because that’s my most often used plugin! 
Oct 23, 2006 | blog
Ah, only days after IE7 is made available in final form, Firefox 2.0 is now released as well. Great news!
Via BetaNews – Mozilla Launches Firefox 2.0 Browser
Jul 10, 2006 | blog
Now here is a nice trend – Firefox usage is on the rise again. According to this article by Nate Mook at BetaNews, Mozilla’s Firefox browser is gaining additional significant market share.
With over 15% of the US market and just shy of 13% worldwide, Firefox has become a significant force in Internet browsing. Opera is also doing quite well in the current “browser wars” at a solid 1% of the worldwide market. Firefox will be releasing v2.0 later this year (around the same time as IE7) that should push the bar even further for browser innovation.
While I wish I could say that IE7 is just as good, the reality is that it still has a lot of room for improvement. The enhancements and new features such as tabs and RSS support make a big difference, but overall IE still lags on a number of areas – especially performance and expandability.
Via: BetaNews
