Review of LOOP extension for Firefox

If you are always printing PDF files, check out LOOP for Firefox - the new kid on the block for off-the-fox PDF conversion. The PDF (Portable Document Format) used to be the exclusive domain of Adobe. Then, if you are not willing to fork out the cash, you can only read but not create PDF files. But since quite a long while back, many alternatives to Adobe Acrobat Writer has sprung up. And among them, we have many free choices such as the in-built version in OpenOffice and PDF printers such as the CutePDF which I am currently using. So how exactly is LOOP different? Let's talk about webpages. For OpenOffice, we would need to first do a manual copying of the web content and then paste it into OpenOffice Writer. Following that, we have to save the entire document in PDF format. Alright, so 2 quite tedious steps here. For CutePDF, we would just print the webpages like how we would print on our physical printers. The difference is that we print to CutePDF instead of spooling to the real printer. This is just a one-step pretty-effortless process. As for LOOP, you get to play with an icon on your navigation toolbar. One of my complaints is that we need to log in to our LOOP account before printing is possible. Creating a LOOP account is quite a breeze but I find the need to log in each time I need to print PDF files to be quite a chore. In this sense, it is not as clear-cut as e.g. CutePDF. Another complaint is that though we can remove the files after printing, there is no certainty that the files might not be backed up somewhere. Those concerned about privacy may be worried about this possible breach. If I am printing a sensitive document, I would need to accept the risk of it being intercepted by LOOP. But of course, I am just trying to be paranoid here - LOOP is likely not doing anything "extra". :P I also find the "add url" option handy yet inconvenient. Using LOOP, we can just browse to a page and click "add url" for auto-conversion of the webpage. However, what I would love to see is for us to paste the URL directly to LOOP for it to do the printing. If I already know the URL, I would rather just print straight than having to visit the page first. Since an advantage LOOP boasts is background printing, it makes more sense not hogging up the bandwidth going to a page we just want to print but not view. As for why I like LOOP, it is the option to arrange/reorder the pages I print. OpenOffice can do this but CutePDF can't. However, I don't see how this option can be very useful (though it is definitely nice to have). There is also the option to combine multiple sites into 1 PDF file. This is certainly more useful since if I use CutePDF, I would need 10 files for 10 pages instead of a neater combined 1. Using OpenOffice, rearranging is possible though I would say that printing PDF files for webpages using OpenOffice is a rather unorthodox way of getting things done. Now let us look at printing PDF files for non-webpage files on our computer such as a Word or PowerPoint document. For OpenOffice, the format we are printing from would need to be "compatible". If you can't open it, you can't print it. As for CutePDF, it would be a clear winner over LOOP unless you need the file-combining option. While experimenting with printing a discussion at myLot , I managed to compare the difference between LOOP and CutePDF. You can see the LOOP result here . As for the CutePDF one, see here . To begin, LOOP set the default viewing to "fit page" unlike CutePDF which uses "fit width" - which I feel is better for reading the details. Whichever, even after I apply "fit width" to the LOOP's version, I find the text relatively smaller than CutePDF's. In fact, I find it too small to read easily - I need to manually enlarge the text size to read. Another peculiar thing is that though I am logged in to myLot , LOOP prints an unlogged-in version. This means that LOOP is not really printing in a WYSIWYG manner. LOOP wants you to go to the URL in question, then it will use this address and go to it itself again to do the printing - this is the only possibility I can think of for the page to be printed unlogged-in. I must give credit though that at least for this experiment, LOOP prints so much nicer and neater than CutePDF. For those who do a lot of PDF-printing off webpages, I think LOOP is worth a look. You might like it better than a normally PDF-printer. If you need to combine and rearrange pages often, this is also for you. For me though, I find needing to log in a hassle and I don't want an extension installed that I won't likely use often. So for now, I think I will give LOOP a miss and stick to CutePDF. I might install it again when I next need to combine pages and that's about it. :-) Update: Tracy Powell from Drawloop Technologies has replied to some of the questions I raised in my review. You can click on the comments to read it. :D

How to stop losing text you type because of a glitch or browser crash

This article is dedicated to myLotters at www.mylot.com . However, it is equally applicable to anyone who frequently deals with online forms such as those you encounter when doing postings at forums. Ever closed a tab accidentally, only to lose the long response you have typed? Ever wrote a long reply and posted it only to encounter a server error? Ever spent a good hour sharing your life story only to have your written thoughts lost due to a browser crash? Well, enters the "Textarea Backup" script. I cannot take credit for this script as it is written by Dan Brook. What this script does is that it retains text entered into text area fields. The backup is transparent. You will see the effect of the script kicking in when the page is reloaded for whatever reason - be it browser crash, unintended exit, server error, etc. When you enter text into a text area, it is saved under the following conditions: At each keystroke. Every second. When the text area loses focus. The stored text is then dropped when its form is submitted successfully. It doesn't even matter whether you have shut down your browser or switched off your computer, your last text will be retained. Of course, if you are typing something illegal into the form, you wouldn't want to install this script that may help retain evidence of your criminal activities. But hey, we are all clean here, aren't we? So if you deal with online forms frequently, I would strongly suggest this script. This is a definite must for myLotters as it will save you a lot of frustration when you encounter the ever-persistent message glitch. Oh yes, not to mention the invalid characters glitch. And the discussion posting glitch. And the.. well, you can make up your own list. :P The script is available at http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/7671 . This article assumes that you are using Firefox as your browser. If you are not, it's time to change. You can get Firefox at http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox . To use this "Textarea Backup" script, you will need to install the Greasemonkey firefox extension first. Just go to https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/748 and click on the "Install" link. If you think all this sounds troublesome, I assure you it is not. It's just a few mins of work at most and the benefit is tremendous. Specially for gmail users: Go to Tools >> Greasemonkey >> Manage User Scripts... Then edit your textarea backup script and add this line to it. http*://mail.google.tld/mail/* This will prevent the script from e.g. backing up your gmail address fields and all. I am using an older version of the script myself and remarks for the new version seem to suggest that this has been fixed. Whichever, I think it doesn't hurt to play it safe. :P

8 Firefox extensions you don't want to live without

I am not going to start a browser war here. I am just going to assume that the entire IT-savvy world is using Firefox. If you are not yet there, there is still hope. Please seek it at http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox . *chuckle* And if you are using Firefox, you will need to add on extensions. I used the word "need" because not loading Firefox with extensions is really not doing it justice. Extensions literally e-x-p-a-n-d the capability of this already-powerful browser. Here, allow me to introduce 8 extensions that I am currently using. You risk your neck if you try to take any away from me. :P #1: All-in-One Gestures Get this extension at either https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/12 or http://perso.orange.fr/marc.boullet/ext/extensions-en.html . This extension allows you to further exploit your mouse. There are some wonderful shortcuts that we can customize. (I will share more in a coming article... stay tuned!) #2: Clear Private Data... Get this extension at https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1280 . I like it because it helps to clean my browser with just 2 clicks. With it, I can clear my cache and cookies easily. Good for those who are paranoid about privacy. ^^ #3: CoLT Get this extension at either https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1812 or http://www.borngeek.com/firefox/colt . CoLT adds two menu items to the browser's context menu that will show when you right-click on a hyperlink. If you need to copy regularly underlying link locations or link text, this is a very handy extension. #4: Download Statusbar Get this extension at http://downloadstatusbar.mozdev.org . This extension replaces the default download window. Instead of viewing the status of your downloads by pressing ctrl-j, you can cut to the chase by monitoring the progress at your status bar. You also get several other useful options without needing to click elsewhere. #5: Fasterfox Get this extension at https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1269 or http://fasterfox.mozdev.org . This extension provides performance and network tweaks for Firefox. If you are always complaining of slow surfing, you need to get this. Enable the "Turbo Charged" preset and you are all set to fly. #6: Greasemonkey Get this extension at either https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/748 or http://www.greasespot.net . It allows you to customize the way a webpage displays using small bits of JavaScript. There are many free scripts available at http://userscripts.org that need Greasemonkey to interface. (I will share more in a coming article... stay tuned!) #7: IE Tab Get this extension at either https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1419 or http://ietab.mozdev.org . I know I have said that Firefox beats other browsers hands-down. However, there remain some obstinate websites that need Microsoft Internet Explorer to work properly. This extension will then come in useful since you can get IE tabs within Firefox itself. #8: Inline Google Definition Get this extension at https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/2083 . I simply love this extension. Just with a simple highlighting of the word and choosing the command in the context menu, I get the definition straight away in a very pretty popup window that can be resized and floated. It is the equivalent of typing "define:xxx" in google search. PS.: If you need any help with any of the 8 extensions I have recommended, please feel free to contact me for free assistance. ^^