MacOS
Apple pushes to decentralize search engines in Safari
Safari 8 wants you to use more than one search engine. Its address field auto-discovers and installs OpenSearch providers to get you where you’re going quicker.
Latest
Linux
Opera returns to Linux desktops
Opera re-releases new builds for Linux desktop users after dropping support for one year during the Presto–Chromium transition.
Gaming
Online gaming is DRM in disguise
Nintendo is discontinuing support for games for the Nintendo Wii, and I fume over vendor lock-ins and other consumer-hostile practices in the game industry.
Podcasts
Turn your Nikola blog into a podcast
Plugin uses open-source text-to-speech syntheses to automatically generate a podcast from your Nikola-powered blog posts.
Accessibility
Restaurant websites lack information for special dietary needs
I’ve taken note of how few of the websites for my local restaurants include any allergy and special dietary needs information on their online menus.
Privacy
Host It Yourself: Stop embedding external content on your site
Don’t rely on third-party hosts like YouTube and embedded widgets create privacy risks for your visitors. Host it yourself!
MacOS
Mac’s “Default Browser Helper” plug-in is injected into web browsers
MacOS has a weird default browser plug-in that loads itself into all web browsers. Apple uses the plugin to monitor what web browsers people are using.
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Office has poor document format support between platforms
Office apps support different file formats depending on your operating system. They don’t interoperate with each other. Here’s a format comparison.
Webapps to the rescue of bookmarks, RSS, and IRC
Opera 15 removed a lot of unique browser features. Here’s how to get some of them back using replacement web apps.
Browser Extensions
Opera Extension: Mailto Button
My new Opera extension lets you share the current page by email at the press of a toolbar button.
Nikola
Internet Archiver plug-in for Nikola
Preserve your Nikola blog posts for the future by automatically submitting new posts to the Internet Archive.
Browser Extensions
Opera Extension: Search with a random provider every time
Improve your online privacy and get exposed to new things by randomizing which search engine you for all your searches. Powered by an extension for Opera.