Daily Bits

Weird and Useful Browser Extensions

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There is an article over at TechCult titled 10 Weird Browser Extensions. The list does include some really odd extensions, like one to block YouTube comments with ALL CAPS or excessive punctuation!!!

There are some useful ones in the middle of the pack though. Like the FireNES one:

You don’t need extreme hackery to protect yourself from the rest of humanity – just find something better to do and you’ll never need to deal with those annoying fleshbags again, and it doesn’t come much better than FireNES. Two thousand ROMS all ready to go in a browser toolbar. Claim that isn’t better than constantly refreshing an e-mail window and you’re a filthy liar.

The Java application doesn’t deliver the smooth emulation of Nestopia, but for somebody stuck in some kind of work-like environment where they can’t install software, it’s perfect. Not that we encourage reliving the joys of your childhood rather than doing those really interesting spreadsheets, of course.

Check out the full article to see all the other extensions that were included in the list.

Windows 7 To Kill Linux on Desktop? Oh Really?

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As Microsoft keeps working on the development of Windows 7, I am starting to hear all sorts of reviews and feedback. Most people that tried it are happy with the OS, I won’t deny that. But then another day I came across an article on The Inquirer titled Windows 7 is enough to kill Linux on the desktop.

I didn’t want to be a basher, so I took the time to read it despite getting annoyed by the title.

So what are the arguments of the author? Basically he says that Windows 7 is somewhat stable, has some nice graphics, and also runs fine with open source applications. Then, and don’t ask me how on Earth, the guy concludes that given those factors, user friendly Linux distributions like Ubuntu won’t be worthwhile anymore.

Say what?

I do believe that Windows 7 will be an improvement for Microsft. After all they are launching an OS after Vista, so it is not like it would be too hard to achieve that…

Regardless, I don’t see Windows 7 removing the main two advantages that Linux has over Windows, even if you consider desktop users.

One: Linux is open source, and therefore free and supported by the community
Two: Linux is one of the most secure desktop operating systems out there

If you then consider the fact that with each new release most Linux distros are also getting very user friendly and graphically appealing, well, I don’t see how Windows 7 is going to hurt it.

Now I am not arguing that Linux on desktop is mainstream, or that it will become anytime soon. But you can’t deny that is does have its market, and its market share (albeit small) has been growing steadily.

I wonder why that guy has not checked the numbers, in fact.

The W3Counter reports that in May 2007 1,26% of the Internet users from around the world were using Linux as their OS. In December 2008 this number is up to 2,13%, with a growth of almost 70%.

The overall number might not seem big, but Apple’s OS X is not far away, with 5,24% of market share.

If anything, therefore, Linux is growing steadily, and I don’t think Windows 7 will change this pattern.

All About Mobile Search

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Search engines certainly revolutionized the web. Mobile devices, similarly, are also revolutionizing the search marketplace. Thinking this very important trend the guys from CellPhones.org created an extensive guide about mobile search. Here is why this segment matters according to them:

Mobile Search is an ever growing part of the larger search market. Last year, according to ComScore, more then 20 million people searched from a mobile device in the USA alone. That’s an increase of 68% from the year previous. This is a fraction of all cell phones in the United States, and as wireless internet speeds and smart handset penetration increase, so will the number of users using search from a Mobile device.

Check the full article if you want to know more about it. It includes tips to optimize for mobile search, how to advertise on it and so on.

Why We Need Google

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Some people love Google. Others love to hate it. Regardless of where you sit, though, you can’t deny that Google represents one of the most influential companies around the world.

The folks from Geekpreneur, in fact, wrote an article titled Why We Need Google. Here is the first point that they mention:

1. They made the Web easier to use with Google Search. There were search engines before Google (I worked for one such), but Google seemed to achieve market share where others could not, and has since indexed a greater share of online content. (Now they’re trying to index offline content, too. E.g., through the controversial Google Books project, which of course irks many authors and publishers – all of whom have lost income since the spread of Internet use. Librarians, too, have expressed concern about the value of their own existence.)

Check out the full article for the other 9 points.

Gmail Backup Tool

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If don’t use Gmail, you are with the minority. Google’s email service is undoubtedly the most advanced and user friendly one on the web. It is also very reliable and has a huge disk space. That being said, if you rely on it for all your email communications, it would be a good idea to back it up once in a while right?

gmail backup

For this purpose there is a tool called Gmail Backup. You need to download the software to your computer (Windows or Linux), and it will backup your account with one click.

Daily Bits: Best of 2008

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If you missed any of our posts in 2008, below you will find a list with the most popular of them. Best 2009 wishes for all our readers, too!

  • 17 Sensational, Free and Downloadable Graphic Novels: The web is home to a treasure-trove of free culture. Thousands of artists, writers, film-makers, poets and illustrators craft impressive creative works and share them freely online, in the interests of making their work accessible to as many people as possible. We thank them for that.
  • 18 Undiscovered Websites Every Gamer Should Know: The gaming niche is characterized by its haves and have-nots. You’ve seen Kotaku, IGN, GameSpot, Joystiq, 1UP and the others, but what about the great, lesser-known gaming sites?
  • 25 Incredible Skins, Resources & Tools for the Gmail Power User: Gmail is one of those rare things unanimously loved by everyday web users and tech-heads alike. The possibilities are endless. It can be anything from a simple email client to your central nervous system on the web. How far you take it is up to you.
  • 8 Freeware Alternatives Every Windows User Should Install: Paid Windows software like Norton AntiVirus, Adobe Photoshop and Nero are etched into the minds of users thanks to years of advertising by the powerful corporations that own them.
  • 10 Best, Free Programs to keep Windows Protected: Windows isn’t secure as you might have known. You’ve probably faced threats and trojans on your computer. There are loads of programs that are targeted at keeping your Windows computer safe from intrusions, here’s a pick of the best of them.
  • Who Spent $10 For These Domain Names? Seriously!: Sure, domain names are the real estate of the future, but that does not justify spending $10 on crazy stuff. Below you will find some of the craziest (and crapiest) registered domains that I came across through my research sessions on the web.
  • 7 Tips to Keep Windows XP Fast and Responsive: Windows XP is a landmark in Microsoft’s history. After a couple of unstable releases, Windows XP ironed out all the creases. Even today, Windows XP is more stable and considered a better OS than Vista by many.
  • 11 Undiscovered Website Ideas to Steal and Make You Rich: Community-based sites and web applications are rapidly becoming hot property. Young entrepreneurs are making startling amounts of money with simple ideas that connect people and places. Fancy becoming one of them?
  • 5 Ways to Make Your Web Surfing More Productive: Many of us could certainly manage our time more wisely while online. Bloggers in particular are surfing the Web daily and can be easily distracted from more important work. There are many ways to curb your wayward surfing and streamline your Internet experience, however, starting with the following five.
  • 10 Must See Virtual Places To Visit Before You Die (with video!): Daily Bits is pleased to present a video travelogue of essential virtual destinations; a mixture of must-see places spread across consoles from the past, present and future, as well as some that are available to visit in your browser today. Start ticking them off your virtual list, and make sure you bookmark the rest — all due to arrive this year.
  • 5 Terrific (and Unusual) Twitter Uses: As growing social sites like Facebook and MySpace collapse under their own weight, drowning users in never-ending streams of “Pirate Ninja Hug For Cancer!” applications, the high-tech haiku of Twitter is gaining ground. With 140 characters to answer the question “What are you doing?”, the service has soared from simple status messages to a global information network. Here we look at five uber-uses people have put twitter to.
  • 5 Webcomics That Don’t Suck: One popular image of the internet is of a wonderful utopia, allowing creators worldwide to share their genius without “The Establishment” holding them back. The only problem is that most people aren’t geniuses, and huge sections of that “Establishment” are filters designed to protect the innocent public from a never-ending torrent of terrible music, garbage writing and – worst of all – comics so bad they’d make Marvel back off and re-launch as a house painting firm.
  • 6 Better Ways to Search Google: Everyone uses Google these days and often multiple times each day. We use it for work, for fun and for general interest. It has made our researching so much easier. Google makes looking up the most mundane detail simple. Need a phone number for the pizza place down the street? Google it.
  • 8 of the Best Adobe AIR Applications: Adobe AIR showed a lot of potential during its period of public beta but unfortunately had very few applications that really took advantage of the technology. Thankfully over the last month or so we have begun to see some impressive and useful applications being released.
  • Top 10 Countries Censoring the Web: When the World Wide Web was created in 1989 by Tim Berners-Lee (not to be confused with the Internet itself, which is the core network developed many years earlier), its main objective was to enable the free exchange of information via interlinked hypertext documents.