Showing posts with label Browsers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Browsers. Show all posts

Thursday, March 03, 2011

Have you tried Splashtop OS?

.
If you are afraid of installing or migrating to Linux, for whatever reason, here's an option that will warm the cockles of your heart. Here's a flavour of Linux that is easy to use (the browser is the OS) and easy to install (you download an executable like any Windows application, and reboot after execution - that's all. And it is available for download (approx 317 MB) from today! It does not override Windows, it simply is available as a choice at boot-up time, in case you are in a hurry to do something online; to get back to Windows, simply re-boot and choose Windows on boot-up.


Splashtop OS is a Linux kernel based OS that uses the Chromuim OS developed by the Open Source community with support from Google, and is an instant-on OS. It boots in less than a third of the time it takes for Windows (any flavour) takes. On solid-state disks, it claims to start up in 5 seconds flat! So no more World-wide-wait for Windows users.


Do let me know how SplashTop is. I think it is great. I have just now installed and run it on my home machine, and my first action was to write this blog entry.
.

Sunday, February 06, 2011

Google Chrome is getting better!

.
Chrome now has Apps and Extensions. Hundreds of them are available in the Chrome Web Store, and many of them, are Free, at least for now. Each extension brings a new experience of browsing. I use Chrome on Ubuntu Linux, and slowly, these extensions are changing the way I am using browsers. And thus, the way I use computers. Some of these extensions: 


Le Newz is a totally new way of keeping up with the news - the experience beats Google News hollow. Something equally interesting, that does something similar is NewsSquares. The latter led me to a story that I had never read anywhere else - on how the Mumbai terror attacks were planned and executed, with minute-to-minute direction from Pakistan.


GreTouch is a new way of improving one's vocabulary: It has a word visualizer -- you can browse a word at a time -- and it shows a picture that helps you visualize the meaning of the word. For example, the word, "abusive" shows a photograph of Harbhajan Singh and Symonds eyeball-to-eyeball.  The word, "canter" shows a picture of a horse in mid-air while cantering. The word, "Hedgerow" actually shows a picture of one, which makes it so clear and understandable, and hence, easy to memorize.


Ge.TT is a file-sharing utility, without the need to upload! Regardless of size, you can share files on twitter, facebook or email. I cannot understand how it works, but it does work. 


And many more - I am still exploring.
.