The Second “Preview” Release of Zotero 1.5

Zotero is releasing a second beta version of their upcoming 1.5 edition. The biggest enhancement for 1.5, introduced in the first preview release, is the ability to sync Zotero information between computers.

The second preview adds attached files to that functionality, but only if you have a WebDAV account (or server).Unless someone is providing you with a WebDAV service (iDisk, online storage, etc), WebDAV is not the easiest of protocols to set up.

Another, perhaps more important, new feature is the ability to automatically download (from Google Scholar, I think) PDF metadata. This is yet another way Zotero makes organizing and locating files easier. If you have a stack of PDFs on your computer, many of which probably have non-descriptive filenames, this feature is for you. You can see this feature in action here.

A more thorough list of features, and a download link, can be found here.

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Greek Flash Cards

Here is a post that reviews flashcard software for Greek and Hebrew. Some are free. some are not. I have recommended Bibleworks and Mounce to students before, but this post details some other options.

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Drop.io Gets a Plugin

I recently posted a description of the fabulous and easy-to-use drop.io. Well, it just better with a Firefox plugin. Check out their site here.

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The Power of Firefox Extensions

Not too long ago I posted about features available in Google’s Chrome that are not available in Firefox.

I stand corrected. All of the aforementioned features are available through Firefox’s extension system. This is another great example of the power of Firefox extensions, a power that is only possible through Open Source (API’s are just too limiting).

Chrome (which is also open source) will be getting extensions too, eventually.

After trying Chrome (which lacks Mac and Linux versions at the moment), I’m going to stick with Firefox (big surprise). Obviously this is primarily because Firefox is mature, and its extensions cannot be beat. But privacy concerns are also becoming something of an issue with Google, and I’d like to see how things settle out before tying even more of my online life to one company.

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More on Google Chrome

Here is a nice little post with some important details: what Google Chrome has that Firefox doesn’t.

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Another Plug for the Internet Archive

For those of you who have not yet discovered the internet archive, now is a good time. In addition to public domain books, the archive includes a lot of free and legal live concert (bands that want to be included send a statement to the archive, which is on file for legal purposes). As a Béla Fleck fan, this is good news for me, as the ‘tones have a liberal sharing policy.

The Live Music Archive now also includes streaming.

So why not have a taste? Here’s the Flecktones at Planting Fields Arboretum in 2002:

And, while not the best recording, here’s a local show at the Mann Center last month:

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On to Something

Here are some links regarding the aforementioned Google Chrome, in no particular order, and with no attempt at explanation.

Classic in-depth (tech) reporting from ars technica
Can Google Build a Better Browser
Dilbert-esque Introduction
Webware’s Take
Some Screenshots
Remaining Questions
Will it affect Windows?
Some other issues.

Enjoy. And remember: I got there first.

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Google enters the Browser Wars with “Chrome”

Google is entering the browser wars.

But true to its “Don’t be evil” slogan, Google is not really waging a war. In fact, just last week Google announced that they would continue their support of Mozilla’s Firefox browser until at least 2011.

So why launch a new web browser?

Because we believe we can add value for users and, at the same time, help drive innovation on the web.

What, more specifically, does Google think it can contribute?

Because we spend so much time online, we began seriously thinking about what kind of browser could exist if we started from scratch and built on the best elements out there. We realized that the web had evolved from mainly simple text pages to rich, interactive applications and that we needed to completely rethink the browser. What we really needed was not just a browser, but also a modern platform for web pages and applications, and that’s what we set out to build.

On the surface, we designed a browser window that is streamlined and simple. To most people, it isn’t the browser that matters. It’s only a tool to run the important stuff — the pages, sites and applications that make up the web. Like the classic Google homepage, Google Chrome is clean and fast. It gets out of your way and gets you where you want to go.

In other words, Google’s browser will apparently focus on web applications, rather than on the comparatively “simple” matter of web browsing. This reflects a more general trend towards “Web 2.0/3.0″ and, to bring in another buzz word, “Cloud Computing.” In short: Google anticipates that more and more of your interaction with the computer will actually be interaction with the web. The software you use, the files you store, and the Operating System you run will increasingly be web-based, not hardware-based (Microsoft agrees, by the way). To put the matter even more succinctly, in 10 years Google expects that your web browser will be your OS. I suspect that their release of this new browser is intended to reflect this prophecy, while at the same time assisting Google (in its real war against Microsoft) to fulfill its own prediction. A self-fulfilling prophecy, in browser form.

Will it work? We will see (I personally would like to see a hybrid system—I hope the “cloud” will be grounded in open-source-supported home-hardware). In the meantime, it is encouraging to again reiterate: Google is still supporting Mozilla, and in addition to this continued Firefox support, which serves Google’s own interest (for the time being), they have committed to an open-source model for their own offering:

We owe a great debt to many open source projects, and we’re committed to continuing on their path. We’ve used components from Apple’s WebKit and Mozilla’s Firefox, among others — and in that spirit, we are making all of our code open source as well. We hope to collaborate with the entire community to help drive the web forward.

This is a good move (and the only legal one available to them, since Mozilla publishes Firefox ’s code under an open-source license that requires open-source reciprocation).

So how can you get your hands on this technology?

Check in again tomorrow to try Google Chrome for yourself. We’ll post an update here as soon as it’s ready.

The only hurdle I can foresee here is the recent controversy Google has had over privacy issues (regarding ad-targetting in Gmail, the Viacom/YouTube controversy, and, of course, Google street-view concerns). But Google makes such good “products,” it’s hard not to trust them.

Read the whole story here.

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Microsoft’s Latest Internet Explorer Shaping up to be Not Evil

MS recently released the Beta 2 of their latest iteration of Internet Explorer, and it’s looking pretty nice. It boasts substantially higher security and a wealth of new features (most of which are already available in other browsers).

The most important advance is IE8’s promised standards compatibility (enabled by default). This is huge. Why? Because the code the powers the internet is supposed to comply with certain standards in order to ensure that different web browsers are able to view the same content with comparable success. However, since IE has dominate the browser market (over 90% market share, until recently), Microsoft has somewhat ignored those standards. This means that web developers have to program for two: for IE, and for everyone else.

Several decades (and international lawsuits) later, we have IE8. And it looks good. Here is a balanced review from the folks at Ars Technica. They are generally enthusiastic, though have this interesting criticism:

More disappointing (although not IE8’s fault as such) is just how broken many of Microsoft’s own websites are when forced to use IE8[compatibility] mode…. It would be nice if Microsoft would take a lead here; it will be difficult to convince third parties to update their sites for IE8 if the company cannot itself be bothered to do the same.

Read the whole review.

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Back to School Web Apps

Web-based applications are a handy way to stay organized and get-things-done both on and off campus. The advantage of web-based applications is that they are accessible anywhere there’s a computer, and are are usually free.

Here is a list of 10 handy web-apps that are perfect school (and office) needs. A couple are particularly noteworthy: google calendar, remember the milk, zotero, and evernote. Keep an eye on my blog for an upcoming post og google calendar and remember the milk, along with Gmail and Mozilla Thunderbird.

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