Inelegant Solutions - Latest Comments

Re: MailPlane: Not Worth the Price

Marco — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:42:29 -0000

I've been using Mailplane for the full trial period now. I like it a lot, but I have to agree. Not worth $25. I would probably pay $10-15. I'll be sorry to see it go.....

Re: Why OmniWeb Failed

Jon Glass — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 02:19:08 -0000

It seems that Omnigroup is keeping up with bugs, and also trying to keep the technology at the latest (Webkit, etc.), but they even added a new , albeit weird feature with 5.9.2--Gopher support! I don't think they will be abandoning us any time soon.

-Jon

Re: Why OmniWeb Failed

sohooo — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:25:54 -0000

I fully agree. I even forced myself to try Safari 4 for some time, but I couldn't stand the barely readable tabs. OmniWebs sidebar is a major advantage, because it scales much better when it comes to a large number of tabs.

Also, nice write-up on the other features. I hope somehow the development continues we're not forced to switch ;)

Re: Why OmniWeb Failed

Jon Glass — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 10:07:00 -0000

Jonathan-
(my name too, btw), It's odd what one comes across, while searching the internet. I'm a bit late to this parade (three months late, in fact), but I found this post while searching other information, and just had to post. ;-)

I've been using Omniweb almost exclusively since 5.4. Like you, I played with the demos and then the betas, constantly upgrading, but not paying, but finally, one day, I realized that Omni was the browser for me, and worth my money, so I paid, and put the others on the "shelf." I use most of Omniweb's unique features regularly, and the ones I use the least, I use no less than once a week.

I suspect that what you have done in your comments, is project your own needs and desires for a browser onto the entire market. Omni may not have been compelling for you, but for a good number of people, it _is_ compelling. Also, I've been delighted to see Omniweb getting a fair number of updates in the months since they made it free. I have decided to stick with 5.9.1, due to Webkit issues in Gmail, but the sneaky peaks are fun to play with. ;-) I wouldn't give up on Omniweb just yet.

Since I suspect you will ask, I'll try to tell you what about OW compels me to use it.

1. Tabs. I do so much prefer the tabs on the side. For one, they are always a consistent size, and not dynamically changing all the time, causing me to accidently close a tab I merely meant to click on (as happens to me all the time in Safari and Firefox, and all the rest--I can't believe this doesn't irritate other people like it does me). Also, I can see more on the screen than with top-tabs (and if I turn off the icons, I can get a _huge_ number on-screen)

2. The flexibility of the tabs, moving, double-click to open in a new window, drag tabs between windows, etc. OK, most other browsers have added these features--but Omni had it first. ;-)

3. Workspaces. I have workspaces for certain kinds of works and subjects. It's great! I use this far too much. ;-)

4. Site-specific preferences. Granted, this one may seem silly at first, but I have a couple web sites, where I have set their downloads to other, specific locations. Also, I prefer a couple web sites to show me all their ads, and others, none. I have also added/changed the CSS for a couple sites I frequent. All of this is possible _only_ in Omniweb, and Omni makes it quite brainless to implement. I may not use all the site-specific preferences for the bulk of my pages, but when I have it, it is a great blessing. :-) Trust me, once you start using it, and seeing the potential, you will find more and more uses for it--at least I did.

5. Built-in source editing, and a gorgeous item inspector. Love 'em! Don't use them as often as the other features, but when I need them, they are life-savers.

6. And one feature I am using currently, and use so much, I forgot it was a feature. ;-) Popping out text entry fields into a separate window. You get used to that, and forget it may not be normal. ;-)

So, as you can see, there are compelling reasons for some/many people. :-) BTW, the "crashing" issue for Omni--not so much a show stopper as I originally thought. 5.9 is very stable, and besides that, Omni crashes as elegantly as you could hope a program to crash. Relaunch, and you are right where you left off. I don't remember ever losing work due to an Omni crash, yet other browsers frequently have let me down on that front--and yes, as you said, they _all_ crash. :-)

Well, that's my .02‹ worth (a little inflated, maybe)

-Jon

Re: Nine Reasons Every Eee PC User Should Get Easy Peasy

NA — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 19:11:55 -0000

I bought my EEE PC900 with Windows XP installed and I hated it. My Wifi connection would cut out every couple of minutes and everything was slow in general. I decided to download a Linux distro right after buying it cuz I've always had good experiences with Linux. I chose Easy Peasy kinda on a whim and I'm glad I did! It seems to have sped up everything and my wifi stays connected whenever I need. It seems to me that Easy Peasy was made to work with the EEEPC's hardware a lot better than XP.

Re: Pizza Hut: Coupon Fail

welly — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 23:01:18 -0000

I think the error is indeed as you mentioned above. If not because the webmaster's fault, may also be a mistake because the coupon discount is not applicable in the location you are

Re: Smart Clip: A Smart Review of a Stupid Invention

CGalindo — Tue, 26 May 2009 11:21:41 -0000

I just bought one yesterday. You are absolutely correct in your review (which I didn't read ahead of time).

The "light" is useless and it is certainly dorky, but it is exactly what I needed! I have the G-1 phone and it is big and heavy. The regular clip which came with the Body Glove I put on the phone kept the it from hanging right - it's top heavy. Also, it was unbelievably hard to get unhooked and I missed calls all the time. With the "Smart Clip" I can hang it on my belt loop or purse. Of course, I had to put it on upside down in order to be able to use my camera so mine comes off the bottom, not the top, but I can live with that.

I'm glad I got it and it works for me!

Re: Why I Don’t Play WOW (or other MMOs)

plagiarismtoday — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 15:13:51 -0000

Glad to know I'm not alone in this one.

Great link BTW. Some very funny (and scary) videos.

Re: Why I Don’t Play WOW (or other MMOs)

Dave Thompson — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 12:11:11 -0000

You're not alone. Lots of folks feel the same way for these and other reasons. Proof:

http://arthurlifeintheshadows.blogspot.com/2007...

Re: Camino Beta 2: First Thoughts

francisdisqus — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 08:43:16 -0000

Looks very promising, I wonder if it's faster the the trio, IE, FF and Chrome.

Re: 5 Reasons I Don’t Shop at Your Store

plagiarismtoday — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 13:02:11 -0000

Regarding the scanners, I try to use them when possible too but it seems that stores are either actively pulling them out or not maintaining them as there are fewer and fewer of them to be found. Like you, if I don't know the price, I don't bring it to the register.

I also agree with you on the people who hog the aisle, it is an increasing problem too as aisles get more and more narrow to cram more into a store and force people to stop and look at the goods. It's a classic grocery store trick and it's making its way elsewhere too.

How I love humanity some days.

Re: Daylight Savings Scam

plagiarismtoday — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 12:59:10 -0000

It's a rumor that gets kicked around from time to time, but I'll believe it when I see it...

Re: Daylight Savings Scam

Patti Stafford — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 11:10:35 -0000

I don't see the point in it at all.

Adjusting the clock twice a year is easy. Getting the body to readjust twice a year is not so easy, especially as you get older.

I've heard rumors they were going to stop using DST. I'd like to see that happen.

Re: 5 Reasons I Don’t Shop at Your Store

Patti Stafford — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 09:16:24 -0000

The K Mart here is pretty large and not cluttered and the aisles are a good distance apart.
One thing I don't like is stores that don't post their pricing on items. I don't get items that aren't marked. I figure if they wanted to sell it, they'd have a price on it. I will, at times, go find one of those self scanners to check the price myself, but if it isn't close by I don't bother.

Another thing that bothers me, and this has little to do with the actual store itself, but customers who hog the aisle. I've watched people while I shop and they are completely oblivious to the world around them. I may want to stand there and compare prices, but if I see that someone wants something off the shelf I'm standing in front of, I will move over so they can get it. It's not going to hurt me one bit to move for a few minutes. I can return to price checking when the aisle clears. Some people obviously don't care if anyone else is in the store to shop, they just stand there with that 'deer in the headlights' look staring at the shelf.

People have just got their heads up their asses.

Re: Nine Reasons Every Eee PC User Should Get Easy Peasy

plagiarismtoday — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 16:50:04 -0000

Glad it's worked well for you!

Re: Nine Reasons Every Eee PC User Should Get Easy Peasy

Tim — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 15:44:45 -0000

I agree will all of the above. Easy Peasy 1.0 works great with my new Acer Aspire One that has 1GB RAM, 8GB SSD, 8GB SDHC, 1.6GHz Atom processor. Webcam works, WPA2 works great, Evolution is good, Network Manager works, Pidgin is great! Just turn off Ubiquity off as soon as you finish install to remove the annoying auto install

Re: Camino Beta 2: First Thoughts

kitesurf — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 09:35:12 -0000

Seems to be cool! thanks for the heads up!

Re: Seeking Better Email

Jay — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 16:16:42 -0000

How about a service that lets you manage all your email adresses in one spot and adds features like threading, notes, and search. AND allows shared mailboxes to be managed simultaneously??? Check out Email Center Pro .

Re: Daylight Savings Scam

plagiarismtoday — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 03:49:52 -0000

Chris Matthieu, the former co-host of the Copyright 2.0 Show, also lives in Arizona. This caused a problem when, twice a year, we would miss our recording times due to the time change and one of us would be forced to wait for an hour while the other showed up. We're lucky we managed to get our episodes off every week with that.

I think Arizona though has the right idea. However, Navajo parts of the state do actually observe it, setting it up for an even greater headache...

Re: Daylight Savings Scam

Maria — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 18:53:02 -0000

I live in Arizona and LOVE the fact that we don't deal [directly] with DST. Of course, for half the year, we're on the same time Zone as CA and the other half, the same as NV and CO. That extra hour (3 different rather than just 2) between AZ and NY, where I have family, makes a HUGE difference for telephone communication. Really wish the rest of the country didn't have DST. Of course, it does give me an excuse not to phone home.

Re: Seeking Better Email

plagiarismtoday — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 02:16:22 -0000

Looking back at the service,. Zenbe has done a lot since I was last on it to separate itself from Gmail. I have to give it that. Previously, the whole marketing about it was that it would allow you to use you Gmail account, that it was Gmail like and that it added a few new features. It billed itself as a Gmail+ kind of service, that is definitely less true.

Regarding Yahoo. You'll know the problems with your Yahoo account the second you find yourself on a dialup connection. Trying to use the new interface while on dialup is, quite literally, impossible. Gmail works and degrades cleanly, Yahoo! switches back to its old version, which is a pain to use and still moves very slow.

I give Yahoo cred for bringing a more client-like interface, but it doesn't work well on slower connections at all.

Re: Seeking Better Email

plagiarismtoday — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 02:00:13 -0000

Maybe you have a point there. But the problem is that the best hope along those lines is social networking sites and their messengers. Combine it with OpenID and you could have an email-like messaging service. The problem is that these services across the board have far worse messaging platforms than even email. I'd rather eat my own eyeball than attempt to use Myspace or Facebook for serious communication.

I think the overall structure of email can be used for greater things than Gmail. It's just going to require some reimagining of what it can do...

Re: Seeking Better Email

Lawrence Salberg — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 21:24:33 -0000

Gee, I dunno. I've used Gmail for 2+ years and have been using zenbe for some other projects the past 4-5 months. I didn't get the impression it "built off" gmail, unless anyone is still counting 'conversations" and archiving as a gmail-inspired features.

Other than that, I thought Zenbe is very different from Gmail, both in its workflow and its simplicity. I felt they truly started from scratch. I really like the integration of the calendar (which gmail still lacks with Google Calendar) and the file uploads/downloads.

I also use the new yahoo mail for a few things and it is a TON better than the old one. It does everything I need. I do wish it had conversations and archiving, but for my purposes there, it is fully adequate. I probably would use Gmail for 99% of my email things (instead of 50%) but I'm maxed out on the five external POP3 accounts it allows. If they ever change that, or offer a paid upgrade for more accounts, I'd likely move everything over to it. Except Yahoo. Gotta have my Yahoo account - how does anyone on the web function without a Yahoo account. I'll never know.

Re: Seeking Better Email

Rarst — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 14:22:48 -0000

I think email is confined by underlying tech. Unreliable, plagued by spam, totally ugly for file transfer, etc. And oversaturated with services on top.

It is not Gmail that fall asleep, it is that it hit wall of ancient tech that is still limited to transferring some text around and hoping it gets where it should.

Now if someone comes up with innovative backbone, plenty of cool functions while keeping both layer of backwards compatibility and front-end compatibility... One can dream, right? :)

Re: Why OmniWeb Failed

Greg Titus — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 18:46:02 -0000

"If OmniWeb was a positve cash flow product, why stop active work on it?"

(I work at Omni.) Because we have too many successful products and too few resources to continue development full-speed on all of them. And finding the right people to hire takes a long time.

So it wasn't that OmniWeb wasn't positive cash flow, the problem was that a lot of the other things we are doing are a lot more cash-flow positive, and we came to the conclusion that we needed to put more resources into those things.

This leaves OmniWeb in kind of a hobby-esque place at the moment. We all still use OmniWeb, and we all still want better web browsing, but the fact is, other apps are higher priority for the time being. And the pricing change (to free for OmniWeb aand for 3 of our other apps) just reflects that reprioritization.