Archive for September, 2004
Firefox email
Email on the internet has been both fun and exciting while at the same time a bit frustrating. Often times I wonder how I could make the process a little bit easier. Without discussing spam at great lengths, what other ways can I make it more enjoyable? Many websites on the net have email links on them. They are called mailto links… and in the html code they typically look like this:
<a href=”mailto://username@domain.com”>Click here to email</a>
In the early days of my internet-ting I would just click on the link and my favorite email program of the time would load up. The email address would conveniently be placed inside of the “to:” text area. I would select a subject and away I would type my email.
This ease of use was typical of a pop3 email account. I received mine free with the web service I had while at Mason High School. Shortly after the powers that be, deemed it not the schools business to be a community isp, my pop3 account was lost. I was forever “doomed” to webmail.
Or at least I thought I was doomed. For the longest time when I clicked on an email link, eudora, netscape mail, or outlook express would pop up asking me to set up an account… I thought to myself “ahhhhh! I don’t have pop3 anymore!” So for years I haven’t clicked on an email address. I would copy the link, and paste the, “mailto://username@domain.com” into my Yahoo! webmail account, then delete the “mailto://” nonsense.
Now there is a better way. Recently I have discovered a Firefox extension called WebmailCompose, that allows me to just click the email link, log into my Yahoo email account (this works for Hotmail, Gmail, and a host of others) notice the email address conveniently in the “to:” text area, and start typing away. Moments later I am sending the email.
Convenience is back, with a browser named Mozilla Firefox.
Still using Microsoft Word?
Yeah, I know, I like grammar check too. I also, enjoy… wait a second, I think that is all I miss when I use programs other than Word, say OpenOffice. It is well beyond my understanding why people perpetuate vendor lock-in by continuing to use a program that has been made a commodity.
Think generic drugs. Does anyone buy Tylenol when they know they can get the same thing cheaper. It’s called Acetaminophen. Well, I don’t anyway… I guess you could buy specially packaged, elderly friendly, long lasting, Tylenol gel tab, eh… back to word processors… 
Anyhow, why pay the extra? In this case it is 100% more expensive to buy Microsoft Word, than to download OpenOffice. And, there are others who are tired of Word… and not just because it is expensive. John Dvorak of PC Magazine fame seems to think it is time to ditch the software.
And while you are at it, check out OpenOffice Impress. Think of all of those times you have used “Power Point” as an noun… “I am going to make a Power Point”… how about we change that to, “I am going to make an Impress Presentation”…
Yeah, it doesn’t sound as catchy, but I can still hope someday it will change.