Firefox 3.6

Every so often, I am surprised when a new version of software I use lands. Last Thursday, I received one such surprise in the form of Firefox 3.6. Normally I follow development news closely enough that it seems like release will never come; however this one slipped beneath my radar. When the browser notified me that the new version had landed, I had no choice but to immediately install it and begin geeking out over new features and performance improvements.

I was most pleased about the huge improvements in JS performance. This is particularly important at work, where I use an XP box that is decidedly less than cutting edge in terms of horsepower. Because I do most of my work in Firefox, improvements in speed are a boon to my productivity.

A comparison two runs through the Sun Spider test on my work PC are below (Spoiler alert: 173% improvement!):

Run 1 (FF 3.5)  Run 2 (FF 3.6)

Browser Boot Camp

Greetings, fellow MindLeaders!

I was recently fortunate enough to lead a training session at the office. Given the fact that my employer is a company whose product is a web app, I saw an opportunity to train co-workers about what is going on with the World Wide Web and web browsers today (and tomorrow, for that matter). The one-hour training session was referred to as Browser Boot Camp and was a success, thanks in large part to the enthusiasm of the attendees.

The presentation can be downloaded in the following formats:

ODF (Open Office) | PDF

(You may need to right-click and choose Save Target As).


Browser Boot Camp by Rick Ucker is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Macros are a godsend

Throughout my work day I spend a significant amount of time working in a web-based CRM. Because the vast majority of my work is tracked through said application, it serves as the program in which I spend most of my day working. So naturally, there are a few required tasks I perform repeatedly (often dozens of times per day, hundreds of times per month). Tasks that which are not by any means difficult but become very tedious. Mind-numbingly tedious.

So it was with great delight that I stumbled upon iMacros for Firefox, a powerful macro-writing extension for the popular browser. Within a few minutes of downloading I was able to fully automate one of my most hated tasks— closing a completed activity then sending an accompanying email that is chosen from a list of available templates— the one that I perform most in my day-to-day activities. Now all I have to do is run the macro and I save about 90 seconds and 15 clicks per task!

I highly recommend the extension: it is well laid out and easy to use and is exceptionally well documented. It even comes with over 15 demo macros pre-loaded. I find interface, which is presented via a sidebar, to be easy to use and intuitive.

It's times like this that I'm so glad I work for a small company. Time-savers such as this (as well as others I've put together while working here) would not be possible if I didn't have the freedom to install whatever applications I choose at my workstation.