If you use Selenium, or some other web testing tool that can use XPath for element selection, Firebug provides a handy tool for testing.
In the console, it adds a new function $x. It takes an xpath as a parameter, and will return the item (or items) that match the xpath. You can then hover over the returned result to verify that the item you’re looking for is the one selected.
I hadn’t heard of Instantiation but others had. Looks like their tools are very powerful, and after acquiring them, Google has made them available for free.
A couple links in the attached article didn’t work, but I could definitely get to the CodePro Analytix site and have installed the plugin.
The tools include a GWT GUI designer, code analysis/coverage/JUnit test generator, UI Test automation tool and general UI designer.
Mobile Air Mouse is an iPhone/Touch app with software that runs on your computer. The phone/touch then acts as a remote control/keyboard for your computer.
Very useful as a remote for your HTPC, and the app is only $1.99
Just read that a recent update pushed out by MS adds a serious vulnerability to Firefox. The Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1 also installs an add-on in Firefox. You may have noticed the add-on if you’ve recently looked in your Firefox add-ons dialog.
Just read an article that I unfortunately don’t have difficulty believing. This add-on adds ‘One-Click support and the ability to report installed .NET framework versions to the web server’.
Reading the article linked below, it appears this really means ‘a web page can install something without notifying the user’.
Here’s the article explaining the risks, and how to uninstall the add-on.
And I found an interesting comment at the bottom of the article…
“ (And if you’re thinking, “Why not just use a Mac,” may I remind you of the MobileMe junk recently installed on so many Windows machines without their owners’ permission!)
”
Windows 7 will be building this functionality in, but it is currently available for XP and Vista.
Microsoft has made available SteadyState. This program allows you to create a user, and control what they have access to. It also allows the user’s changes to be rolled back when they logoff.
Great for the kids, or guests that want to use your machine to check their email, but you don’t want them making any accidental changes to your system.
Updated Mar 19, 2009.
I’ve found a very good donateware program for converting video for the iPod. It’s called iPodMe, and it works very well. Select videos you want to convert, select a profile and screen size. Can add additional files to be converted while it is currently converting.
Well worth checking out
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I recommend DVDFab for ripping DVDs. Just download the installer, and when it starts, it will ask which version you want to run.
A 30 day trial to the full-blown version, which has built-in functionality for splitting and merging dvds in various ways. There is also an option that never expires that allows for copying of the dvd to your hard-drive. Either then entire DVD or just the main title.
Once it’s on your hard drive, you have to convert it.
If you have Nero, Nero Recode is very good for taking a dvd and converting it to iPod format. Also works for most data files.
I imagine Roxio has tools that are similar to this, but have no personal experience.
If you don’t have Nero, then Super is a very good free converter. It doesn’t handle dvd files ‘elegantly’, but works very well for everything else. The interface is a bit tough to work with initially, so expect a learning curve.
Super will convert DVD files, but a movie is broken into 1GB files on the DVD. So, you’ll end up with 4 or 5 files/movie, instead of one file.
I haven’t looked for other free options that will convert a DVD nicely, so don’t have any suggestions.
Also, if you do decide to purchase Nero, don’t buy it directly. Right now, the Nero site is showing $79.99 US for download, but you can buy it boxed at Future Shop/Best Buy for $69.99.
If you’re really comfortable with computers, then Super will work, and there are likely programs around that will convert a DVD nicely. If you’re willing to invest a little money to have an easier to use experience, I would suggest Nero or Roxio.
Also note that this conversion is very CPU intensive. If you have a relatively new dual-core computer, expect the conversion to take about 1/3 of the length of the movie. i.e. a 1 hour movie would take 20 minutes to convert. If you have a really fast machine, it will obviously be faster.
For television shows, I recommend uTorrent for downloading, and EZTV for finding show downloads. If you’re interested in this as well, I can provide more specific information.
IcoFX appears to work very well. Allows one to extract icons out of exe and save as ico or a regular image (jpg, gif, bmp, png) format for usage elsewhere.
Image and file recovery tool. Comes highly recommended by users on LifeHacker.
Revo Uninstaller does a better job than the built-in one. Also includes a startup manager.
Also, it’s free!
WinDirStat works very nicely. Looks like Explorer, but with details about file/directory usage in it. Can easily and quickly see where your harddrive is being used.
If you ever have a corrupted memory card, check this software out. Download and run the demo. It will show you what it can recover. If it can’t find anything, you don’t buy it. If it finds your photos, buy it and have your photos back.
PhotoRescue Home Page – PhotoRescue Wizard, PhotoRescue Expert, PhotoRescue Advanced
If you get the “file location specified incorrectly” error when trying to use Subversive on a local file:/// svn repository, ensure you are using either the JavaKit or JavaHL are being used. Otherwise it doesn’t work
For debugging javascript, viewing the DOM by selecting items, seeing the style applied etc, here are 2 great tools.
2. For IE, check out Internet Explorer Developer Toolbar
Firebug is more powerful, but at least if you want/need to check something in IE, there’s an option.
Why would you care? The first time I used it was for stylesheet changes. Imagine you’re modifying a stylesheet but the element isn’t getting the style. Open the document in Firefox, inspect it, and you can see the styles applied in order, and by file. It will also show those that are defined, but are overridden at a higher level.
Ever wanted to test some javascript against a page, but don’t want to have to keep modifying the source page? Again, open up Firefox and enter the javascript in Firebug. It runs it right there, and shows the results. Once you get it correct, you can cut-and-paste it into your code.
Just read about this software and took a quick look. It is quite impressive.
Evernote (the company) got started with handwriting and image recognition, and have extended this functionality into their information manager. It allows you to create new entries of various types, and define your own note type templates. It will allow capture of web pages, emails and any other screen shots you desire.
The most impressive thing it does is reserved for the pro version ($49.99). The pro version incorporates hand writing recognition and image scanning. So, you can now enter handwritten notes, and it will scan it so you can search through the words.
It will also allow you to write notes in it and it can convert it to text. Draw a picture, and it will tidy it up (i.e. draw a rough circle, and it makes it a perfect circle. Join them with a wiggly line, and it will make it straight).
For pictures, it will scan the picture for writing and index the words. One reviewer uses it to take pictures of wine labels. Then if he wants a Cabernet, he can use Evernote to search for items with Cabernet in the name, and the labels will appear.
For us, this could be very useful for pictures of diagrams on the whiteboard. Take a picture and add it to EverNote. Then if you want to find the diagram, you can search for keywords in it, and quickly find it.
You can categorize something is as many categories as you like, so you don’t have to decide the perfect category for something.
You can also define dynamic categories so that if the item being added meets the filter criteria, it will be added to the dynamic category.
I think it’s well worth checking out (and no, I don’t get a commission off every link 
If you’re doing any javascript work, consider turning on the firefox options:
Firefox will then show more detailed information.
A freeware program for moving images off your camera and onto your hard drive. Allows for many levels of customization to control the directory structure and file naming that will be used.
browser.tabs.closeButtons [Integer] – 2 so no close buttons appear. Use middle-click on tab to close it
browser.urlbar.hideGoButton [Boolean] – true. I never use it, so why have it taking up space?
keyword.URL [String] – ‘http://www.google.com/search?&q=’ . When set to this, typing something that isn’t a URL into the address line automatically goes to google and does a search.
browser.tabs.loadFolderandReplace [Boolean] – false. When open a group of tabs, won’t replace tabs already open in browser.
Setup for Firefox 2.0 and how to completely clean it out. Also some info on using about:config to change Firefox settings.
TweakGuides.com – Firefox Tweak Guide
My list of Firefox extensions as of today.
Tab Mix Plus – Gives much better control over Tab appearance and functionality, as well as including a Session Manager. Well worth the download
FireBug – For all your web page development tasks. CSS, Javascript, Ajax development. Layout problems etc. Well worth checking out and installing if you do ANY web page development with CSS or Javascript.
Download Manager Tweak Extension – Allows the download manager to be opened in a tab, and a few other minor enhancements.
Image Zoom – for zooming in and out on images.
Feed Your Reader – Will re-direct RSS feeds to your favourite reader. I use this to ‘feed’ them to Feeddemon
IETab – If you want to open a window in Firefox, but it really needs IE, then this extension is for you. Used the IE control inside a Firefox tab.
CSE HTML Validator – if you use the CSE HTML Validator, this plug-in lets you use it on a loaded page. Can have it validate all pages you load, or only when you do a View source. Note, the plug-in works with the free version too.
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Web Developer Extension – Essential if you do any web development. Allows for quick selection of information, and selective control over stylesheets, cookies and other items related to web page design.