Daily Discoveries: XP, Vista, and Firefox 3 How-Tos, 99 Online Apps, Mouse Gestures and GIMPShop for Ubuntu

SimpleHelp has a tutorial up on their site showing you how to change the info in XP’s System Properties. This comes in handy if you build custom computers or just like to personalize your own. (Image courtesy SimpleHelp)

CyberNet has a very informative article listing some of the “tips and tricks” you can do with Firefox 3 via the about:config panel. The article also has how-tos from Firefox 2 that also work with 3. This one will definitely be useful. (Image courtesy CyberNet)

Internet Service Deals has a long list of 99 webapps you can use instead of being tethered to just your computer. I highly recommend a lot of these services and this is a good article to bookmark for safe keeping. From the site: “Web apps are incredible tools because they offer users a way to have functionality just about anywhere they can go. Whether you’re on vacation or just at a different office, you can always log in to web apps and know that all of your tools and information will be available. So why don’t you ditch your dusty old desktop programs and fully make the switch to web-based applications? With these apps, that just might be possible.” Indeed! Everything’s here from office apps to WebOSes.

Ubuntu Geek shares with us a way to get universal mouse-gestures in Ubuntu with Gestikk. This article also shows you how to install and configure your new mouse-gestures. 

 GIMPShop is a wonderful alternative for Photoshop for both people who can’t afford Adobe’s image editing juggernaut and people who shouldn’t. The GIMP is special, for sure, but some folks have a time with the layout. GIMPShop echoes Photoshop’s layout to provide for those used to it. From the site: “GIMPshop is a modification of the free/open source GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP), intended to replicate the feel of Adobe Photoshop. Its primary purpose is to make users of Photoshop feel comfortable using GIMP. It shares all GIMP's advantages, including the long feature list and customisability, while addressing some common criticisms regarding the program's interface: GIMPshop modifies the menu structure to closely match Photoshop's, adjusts the program's terminology to match Adobe's, and, in the Windows version, uses a plugin called 'Deweirdifier' to combine the application's numerous windows in a similar manner to the MDI system used by most Windows graphics packages. While GIMPshop does not support Photoshop plugins, all GIMP's own plugins, filters, brushes, etc. remain available.”

It’s available for Windows, OSX, and Ubuntu Geek shows you how to install it in Ubuntu.

The How-to Geek, guest writing on Lifehacker, has a great article up there showing you how to get Vista to be less annoying. From the post: “Whether it's the nagging prompts or the irritating notifications, Windows Vista’s default settings can grate on your nerves... which doesn't help you be the productive person you want to be. A few simple tweaks can cut down on the irritation—and drastically alter your views on Vista. Let's take a look at some of the best ways to tame the Vista beast and make it a less naggy operating system to work on.” When I talk to my customers, they always fuss over these issues. I don’t blame them.