Build Your Own Computer: Blog
19Aug/10Off

Firefox 4: Is it all its cracked up to be?

Firefox 4 beta

I have been using the Firefox 4 beta since it was released to the public and so far I have found it very useable. The new interface looks really clean and the browser is pretty fast. There are a few new features which make it worthwhile and I am sure more will come in the near future. I am sure you have heard of how fast the browser is and how great it is going to be. However I have noticed quite a few flaws with the product which seem like oversights.

  • Next to the new Firefox button are a whole heap of empty pixels, just sitting there. Wouldn't it make a bit more sense to move the tabs up into that area so we get more real estate on the screen. This will give precious space to those on netbooks and low resolution monitors. Below is a picture to show you what I mean:

Firefox tabs

Instead the bar could look more like this:

Firefox Proposed

  • Next there is the download manager. It is hidden in the bar below and to see the full manager like in the previous versions, you double click on the logo in the status bar. However, when the download finishes, the little thing in the status bar disappears and unless you have told it to save the file, it will disappear. There seems to be no way of opening the file otherwise without re downloading the file in order to open the download manager. For some reason, the Firefox buttons contains the add-on manger but no download manager. Update: You can open the download manager with Ctrl+J or by pressing Alt and going into the tools menu. Still more difficult than it has to be though.

VN:F [1.9.12_1141]
Rating: 0.0/10 (0 votes cast)
18Aug/10Off

The Fascination of Apple

One of the largest technology companies on this planet is Apple. They are the creators of many of the products we use in our everyday lives such as the iPod and the iPhone. Whenever Apple releases a new product, they have a lot of market hype. Every technology blog, including this one, has to report on Apple's latest product. They were the ones who made having a lowercase "i" in front of a product name cool. On top of this, I notice a large traffic increase whenever a new Apple product has been released. Apple's Macs are far from the worlds most popular computers, this title goes to Dell. But for some reason, every time a new Apple product is released there is more hype surrounding it than any other product. People wait in nerve wracking anticipation when Steve Jobs hosts another keynote and journalists from around the world wait to be one of the first to hear about Apple's latest product. Whenever Apple does release a new product, you want to buy it. often it has its limitations but you still want to buy it. It just looks so cool. You merely have to a take a trip to your local Apple store to experience this feeling. But what is the reason for people's fascination with Apple, so much so that no matter what product Apple releases, you can guarantee a line will stretch for miles and it will be sold out in every store within a couple of days.

VN:F [1.9.12_1141]
Rating: 5.5/10 (2 votes cast)
   

Build Your Own Computer: Blog is Stephen Fry proof thanks to caching by WP Super Cache