According to the OpenOffice wiki, the release date of their new version 2.2 will be March 6th. That’s all I have now, I’ll test it on Vista when it comes out and post more about the software then.
WilksNet
Musings on Mozilla and open-source software
Posted in February 2007 …
Change Start Menu Power Button
Thanks to a tip from Paul Thurrott on the WinSuperSite, I finally found the way to change the start menu power button in Vista. By default, the power button puts your system to the new hybrid sleep mode. If you want the power button to actually go ahead and turn your computer off (like it should) you can do this:
- Open Control Panel
- Click on Hardware and Sound (default) or Power Options (classic)
- Click Change Plan Settings
- Change Advanced Power Settings
- Under Power buttons and lid, change start menu power button from sleep to shutdown
The start menu power button is now red instead of orange and will shut your computer down!
Traffic Conditions on Google and Windows Live
I’ve been a huge Google fan for over a year now and I use Google Maps for almost all of my mapping needs. However, I moved to Chicago and the traffic here is, well, crappy. So I had to find a map system that gave me visual traffic conditions. I found out that Windows Live Local has the traffic feature built into its maps.
Today, I noticed on the Google Blog that they have now added that functionality to Google Maps which is great. They have about 30 cities that will display the traffic conditions of the major interstates and highways.
Yahoo! Maps has traffic info too, but I’m not as much of a fan of Yahoo! anymore. 
The Future of Firefox 3.0
Mozilla is currently developing Firefox 3.0 and is claiming it will be released by the end of 2007. The new browser will include a host of new features that will likely delight the Mozilla fan base. The major updates to the browser are also considered the most important and will be speed enhancements and full web standards compliance.
A few other features likely to be included in the release:
- A new database based history and bookmarking system called “Places”
- A new graphics rendering engine called “Cairo” based on Gecko 1.9
- Innovative offline support
- Improved interaction with add-ons
- Better printing support
- Enhanced security and stability
- A better crash reporting tool
I think these features along with any others Mozilla ends up incorporating into the new browser will continue to make Firefox a better browser than IE 7. I like IE 7 but it just doesn’t compare to how powerful and innovative Firefox is.
“Places” and the underlying database for cache and bookmarks should be really exciting. It’s supposed to give bookmarks a more dynamic nature. Bookmarks could be sorted based on popularity or frequency of access.
[Sources: PCWorld; MozillaLinks]
ImgBurn Releases v2.2.0.0
ImgBurn is a free software program for burning CD/DVD images to disc, e.g. ISO images. This updated version has an extensive list of changes and bug fixes as well as more support for Windows Vista. Let me know what you think!
*Alternatively, if you need a free (and open source!) CD/DVD general use burning program for Windows you might want to try Infra Recorder.
Windows CD Key Finder
Have you ever wanted to know your Windows CD Key because you forgot it, or because of some other strange situation? Well the solution is the WinKeyFinder. Check out the page and you can download a few different versions of the program. I personally enjoy the simplistic WinKeyLite version.
Enjoy!
Windows Vista Wallpapers
I’ve found two sites where you can download the Windows Vista Wallpapers. If you already have Windows Vista the link just below will give you some extra wallpapers from the same photographer. Check it:
Hamad Darwish – Windows Vista – Just click on the two links named Part One and Part Two at the bottom of the page.
The next link will give people who don’t have Vista a chance to get the shipping wallpapers. You can search Google to find more if you like:
Official Windows Vista Wallpapers
Enjoy!
My Favorite Firefox Add-Ons
1.) Del.icio.us Extension – this is an extension you can install to give you easy access to your online bookmarks via del.icio.us. Very cool and it makes it so simple to tag a page (control+shift+/) and view your bookmarks with the del.icio.us icon button. Check it out.
2.) Firefox Showcase – this extension lets your add the functionality of IE 7′s awesome “Quick Tabs” feature. Showcase allows you to view all of your open tabs in a single window and allows you to then choose the tab you’d like to focus on. Very cool feature from IE 7 now easily available for Firefox (which is why extensions rock!).
3.) FireFTP – this allows you to connect to various FTP sites with an awesome and simple interface within Firefox. Check it out!
4.) Greasemonkey – this allows you to customize the web in ways you might not be able to imagine, highly recommended.
5.) FavLoc – allows you to set favorite download folders so you can easily download files into different directories!
6.) DownThemAll! – installs a much needed download manager.
All of the Firefox Recommended Add-ons are awesome as well and I suggest you check them out to add much needed functionality to Firefox. I don’t go overboard, for example right now I only have Del.icio.us and Showcase installed because I like to keep a few, stable extensions installed for stability and simplicity. I also just keep the classic Firefox 2 theme because most other themes are not good enough for me
The Problem with UAC in Vista
I’ve been using Windows Vista for a few months now and subsequently I’ve been exposed to the notorious User Account Control (UAC) of Vista.
The purpose of UAC is to add a layer of protection, a barrier between the user and the OS. The user is assigned a standard account and whenever the user tries to affect the system in some way that might alter a system setting, as in installing a piece of software or starting a program like anti-virus, UAC will prompt for a password to allow the action.
The problem with this is pretty big. First of all, Microsoft thought they could implement the system in some way that it would not need to be turned off, altered, or configured in any way. Second of all, Microsoft didn’t anticipate the reaction to UAC and therefore they have poor contingency planning. I’ve had several issues with UAC that put me out. The first is I can’t update Avast! Anti-Virus in standard user mode. Others thoughts are listed below:
- UAC doesn’t prompt me for access, it just won’t allow it.
- You can’t turn it off without affecting certain programs; i.e. some tax programs and others.
- You can’t configure it – i.e. to allow a program to not be affected by it if you wish to always allow it. The essence of UAC was designed to protect the user from rogue software and their own actions, so if the user is proficient and wants to always allow a program they trust through UAC they should be allowed to do so.
- UAC should be smart and grow in intelligence as the user uses the system. It should adapt to patterns and trends and be able to begin to understand what programs are harmless and what programs are harmful.
I’d say that Microsoft needs to re-evaluate UAC and maybe patch it with new functionality with Service Pack 1. I would say it should be a huge priority because I know my family members, when they upgrade, will not be happy with the current implementation of UAC.
[To turn UAC off, go to the control panel, find user accounts, then find the option that says turn UAC on or off.]
Firefox Security Update and Plugins Fix
Mozilla has surprisingly updated both Firefox 2 & 1.5 with their new security updates. Firefox is updated to 2.0.0.2 & 1.5.0.10 with various security, stability, and Windows Vista enhancements. All users are encouraged to update in order to benefit from these. You can get Firefox here.
Another cool fix I found today was enabling Windows Media plugins in Firefox 2. I have had issues with WMP plugins and Firefox and now I’ve found the fix!
You basically have to copy three DLL’s into your plugins folder for Firefox (instructions below). Which is typically: C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\plugins
