Logs into your hotmail account automatically, and checks and alerts you of new messages. While I gave up using my hotmail account for anything except MSN chat, I need to keep it alive. No problem, Trillian takes care of that without me having to go to the dreaded hotmail.com EVER.
To be fair, when Vista is released, a $200/300 PC will be able to run it - NVidias 6100 and perhaps ATIs x400 integrated solution should handle all the bells and whistles and glass without dying.
On one hand the major comp hardware vendors ship only Windows preinstalled with their retail computers (with some small "guaranteed to be failures" exceptions, such as linspire), and do not ship OSless computers for significant savings. On the other hand Microsoft ensures that their software is so bloated that people will require a new computer every couple of years.
I just bought a laptop from Acer, who offer a version of Linux without a GUI - no KDE/Gnome/Xfce - I went to the shop and I was like, if they'd just use Ubuntu, they'd keep a huge number of people on Linux, rather than getting the neighbourhood tech to reformat and install a pirated copy of XP. They also have AMD Turion based processors!
Well, Fastmail.fm is a really, really good email service. Really lightweight, does IMAP, and if you pay a little more ($15 IIRC), you get to use their SMTP servers.
Theres plenty of browser sniffing going on there. I think this is all the code they use - however, I do CSS, not JS so I could be wrong or could have ommited part of the code.
Like many people have already stated, IM logs are very, very useful. Once I started using Trillian, I found myself going through and getting phone numbers, email, etc...I'd even send myself IMs of useful stuff when I was out.
Now, how about if they integrate, so each conversation is saved as an "email" within Gmail. I'm sure they'll do it in a way much better than I can conceptualise, but I would imagine that the ability to find conversations based on various meta-data attached to the IM (protocol, sender, date, etc), plus search within (think: search for all phone numbers recieved between the 3rd and the 10th of Jan) would be VERY useful.
The only problem I would see is in POP access, which is how I use Gmail at home. The emails would have to have some kind of identifier - even just in the subject line ( [IM:MSN:] Rand - Perrin 16th ), you get the picture.
...and of course, with Customise Google, I've cut all the ads out. Gmail, Search, Whatever.
Firefox's extensibility might be a problem to Google. However, resurrecting the old GBrowser, which might be based on FF (think Netscape, but not so...green), with a bunch of USEFUL extensions, and their own theme, that might work.
Of course, they have MUCH better ideas than I do, which is why I'm over here, eating Ramen. So expect something COMPLETELY different, completely USEFUL.
In addition to the graphic, we offer two text feeds:
*
http://isc.sans.org/infocon.txt: The infocon color. Just one word in plain text
* http://isc.sans.org/daily_alert.php: The daily alert. Infocon and handlers diary headline as minmal HTML feed for inclusion in web sites
The only reason that you might not be able to drag the Google "boxes" as well is if you have the FF extension "Customise Google" installed. Otherwise the google boxes have been draggable for me, and they "slide" back into place far more gracefully than the MSN ones too.
1. Power is a problem. Buy an extra laptop battery if possible.
2. Computer parts are probably more expensive in Rwanda than at your friendly NewEgg etc, etc. (see 1.)
3. Internet Connectivity is lkely to be way slower than what you're used to. 256 kbps is all that I have here.
4. Try and see if you can get language-localised distros - I know that we've been using localised ones. Fonts and localised FF and OOo supplied by the Government!
5. Be prepared to meet a LOT of esoteric older hardware. Be ruthless - but watch the cost. Think 5 1/4" FDD...
6. Try and put some processes into place before leaving. Talk to some suppliers, see if you can get overseas shipping (if it works cost-effective). Talk to the current datacentre person, see what the situation is like...
Enjoy yourself! Get out of the office, check out the place!
As a on-again, off-again web designer, I am constantly frustrated by the way IE renders some things, the broken box-model, no support for hover on elements other than a...the list goes on.
What would be a much more efficient solution would just to feed this to the browser:
_* {
display:none;
}
Irrational? Bigotry? Irritation? I think all of them. Justified? Heck, I think so!
Slashdot Mirror
Trillian.
Logs into your hotmail account automatically, and checks and alerts you of new messages. While I gave up using my hotmail account for anything except MSN chat, I need to keep it alive. No problem, Trillian takes care of that without me having to go to the dreaded hotmail.com EVER.
R.
To be fair, when Vista is released, a $200/300 PC will be able to run it - NVidias 6100 and perhaps ATIs x400 integrated solution should handle all the bells and whistles and glass without dying.
I just bought a laptop from Acer, who offer a version of Linux without a GUI - no KDE/Gnome/Xfce - I went to the shop and I was like, if they'd just use Ubuntu, they'd keep a huge number of people on Linux, rather than getting the neighbourhood tech to reformat and install a pirated copy of XP. They also have AMD Turion based processors!
Rahul.
R.
R.
...can I have mine in apple? ;)
R.
R.
Have you ever used a HP Deskjet?
http://www.hp.com/Click Here!
R.
How to be http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/guides/guide- display/-/RYNOFNADLYT1/104-6524065-8061536 cool!.
The ultimate keyboard! http://www.daskeyboard.com/ Well - Maybe we had this earlier.
Drool....
At last count, population was in the 6 - 7 million range.
Just a thought...
R.
Like many people have already stated, IM logs are very, very useful. Once I started using Trillian, I found myself going through and getting phone numbers, email, etc...I'd even send myself IMs of useful stuff when I was out.
Now, how about if they integrate, so each conversation is saved as an "email" within Gmail. I'm sure they'll do it in a way much better than I can conceptualise, but I would imagine that the ability to find conversations based on various meta-data attached to the IM (protocol, sender, date, etc), plus search within (think: search for all phone numbers recieved between the 3rd and the 10th of Jan) would be VERY useful.
The only problem I would see is in POP access, which is how I use Gmail at home. The emails would have to have some kind of identifier - even just in the subject line ( [IM:MSN:] Rand - Perrin 16th ), you get the picture.
R.
Firefox's extensibility might be a problem to Google. However, resurrecting the old GBrowser, which might be based on FF (think Netscape, but not so...green), with a bunch of USEFUL extensions, and their own theme, that might work.
Of course, they have MUCH better ideas than I do, which is why I'm over here, eating Ramen. So expect something COMPLETELY different, completely USEFUL.
R.
As many people have mentioned before.
Collective name for Linux machines = Boxen.
Collective name for Windows machines = Crap.
R.
Cheers,R.
2. Computer parts are probably more expensive in Rwanda than at your friendly NewEgg etc, etc. (see 1.)
3. Internet Connectivity is lkely to be way slower than what you're used to. 256 kbps is all that I have here.
4. Try and see if you can get language-localised distros - I know that we've been using localised ones. Fonts and localised FF and OOo supplied by the Government!
5. Be prepared to meet a LOT of esoteric older hardware. Be ruthless - but watch the cost. Think 5 1/4" FDD...
6. Try and put some processes into place before leaving. Talk to some suppliers, see if you can get overseas shipping (if it works cost-effective). Talk to the current datacentre person, see what the situation is like...
Enjoy yourself! Get out of the office, check out the place!
Cheers,
R.
Ouch.
R.
Actually they did an MSN search - nothing came up.
I hope...
However, given the earlier "smilie patent", which states that it uses PNG, I would assume that the alpha layer will be supported.
As a on-again, off-again web designer, I am constantly frustrated by the way IE renders some things, the broken box-model, no support for hover on elements other than a...the list goes on.
What would be a much more efficient solution would just to feed this to the browser:
_* {
display:none;
}
Irrational? Bigotry? Irritation? I think all of them. Justified? Heck, I think so!
Rahul.