A Better Firefox Interface

I just finished up my changes to the user interface of chrome they’re implemented using Stylish but the css could be used in userchrome.css if on so desired, I do not however. There is lots of snippet use from JohnBooty’s Firefox 4 userchrome.css: Flat “Chrome-like” toolbar button, and Wmarcello’s Firefox 4 Nightly – Change App Menu Button Text

Changes include

  • Flatted toolbar and reduced gaps between toolbar icons
  • Changed text of appmenu button
  • Changes the appmenu button size (slightly) and colouring
  • Removed the gaps at the tabs sides

You’re best bet for installation is to wonder over to userstyles.org and install my changes from there via this link http://userstyles.org/styles/59721/firefox-4-ui-slim-lined-and-flattened-plus-more (opens in new tab / window)

Screenshot thumbnails (click to enlarge)
Screenshot 1 Screenshot 2

I’ve include the code on this page if you want to look at it here, you’ll note that I’ve changed the Firefox appmenu button to read “Interwebz” if you search for that phrase to find it then change the text to whatever you like.

@namespace url("http://www.mozilla.org/keymaster/gatekeeper/there.is.only.xul");

/*Flatten toolbar and reduce gaps between icons*/
#nav-bar .toolbarbutton-1,
#nav-bar .toolbarbutton-1 > .toolbarbutton-menubutton-button,
#nav-bar .toolbarbutton-1 > .toolbarbutton-menubutton-dropmarker,
#nav-bar .toolbarbutton-1 {
        background:none !important;
        border:none !important;
        box-shadow: none !important;
        opacity: 1 !important;
        padding:0px 2px 0px 2px !important;
        }

/* Edit text of appmenu button */
#appmenu-button .button-box .box-inherit:before {
    content: "Interwebz" !important;
}
#appmenu-button .button-box .box-inherit .button-text {
    display: none !important;
}
/* Removes the gaps at the tabs sides */
#navigator-toolbox[tabsontop="true"] #TabsToolbar {
	padding-left: 0px !important;
	padding-top:0px !important;
	padding-right:0px !important;
}
/* Changes to the hideous Appmenu button*/
#appmenu-button {
	padding: 0px 10px 0px !important;
	margin-top:0px !important;
	background-image: -moz-linear-gradient(rgba(255, 150, 0, 0.5), rgba(150, 70, 0, 0.25) 100%) !important;
	}
#appmenu-button:hover:not(:active):not([open]) {
	background-image: -moz-linear-gradient(rgba(255, 150, 0, 0.9), rgba(150, 70, 0, 0.25) 100%) !important;
}
#appmenu-button, #appmenu-button:hover:not(:active):not([open]) {
	-moz-border-left-colors: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.5) rgba(6, 28, 83, 0.9) !important;
	-moz-border-bottom-colors: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.5) rgba(6, 28, 83, 0.9) !important;
	-moz-border-right-colors: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.5) rgba(6, 28, 83, 0.9) !important;
}

/* All the UI changes I've made put together lots of snippet use from
JohnBooty's Firefox 4 userchrome.css: Flat "Chrome-like" toolbar button  http://pastebin.com/LndZhE7y
Wmarcello's Firefox 4 Nightly - Change App Menu Button Text  http://userstyles.org/styles/45158/firefox-4-nightly-change-app-menu-button-text
*/

AOE II Launcher (Age of Empires II Display Fix)

This software is a well-presented automated version of a simple fix, effectively it exits explorer, launches AOE II then reboots explorer once you have exited the game. Now to outline the problem that this fixes.

The classic game, Age of Empires II, has a major issue on Windows Vista and Windows 7 that renders it virtually unusable. The issue is that colours are drawn incorrectly and as far as I can gather this is caused by the 256-colour palette being changed while AOE II is running. The palette references colours to do with the taskbar instead of exclusively AOE’s colours; this causes AOE to display the wrong colours. The solution to this is to disable the taskbar while AOE II is running and this is what my fix does. It is a batch file that quits explorer then starts AOE II. It subsequently restarts explorer when you have closed AOE.

Why use an installer?
The reason this is implemented using an installer is because it makes configuration extremely easy the installer can make both the batch file to suit your system, referencing either the original or expanded version of AOE II, and create shortcuts to the batch file in convenient places.

Installer Notes
Please note you do not need administrator privileges to install this fix, however you will need to install it on each user profile you use AOE II in.

General Notes
Because of the nature of the programme all windows open in explorer will be closed and all explorer related tasks will quit (this includes copying files moving files etc.) when AOE II is running. Make sure to finish anything in explorer before using Age of Empires II through the launcher.

Download Links
Installer: AOE II Launcher for Windows Vista / 7 setup

Source Materials (7z): AOE II Launcher Source (7z)
Pure BAT version (for the suspicious and IT orientated): AOE II Launcher – Pure BAT version (.bat)

Why another?
Whilst my previous fix worked and did help a number of people I felt that that idea needed a refresh so I used similar concepts to put together this self-creating batch file within an installer, named AOE II Launcher as the solution. I’ll make a note here too that I actually finished this shortly after releasing the previous fix but due to laziness never got around to uploading it.

License
AOE II Launcher for Windows Vista/7 by Toby Johnston is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.5 Australia License. This license is available on the internet at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/au/. It is a condition of this license that the programme is provided AS IS without warranties of any kind.

Hiding Period Files on Windows

Please first note that I can only verify this works on Windows 7 as I don’t use any older versions of Windows.

I have noticed a distinct need for someone to comment on an easy method of hiding files that start with a period on Windows and finally have found a solution that I myself find acceptable. You may be wondering why someone might need to do this, being a keen supporter of open-source software yet not wanting to relinquish my ability to play games and run commercial software properly I have throughout  the years stuck with using Windows for my computing. Most open-source software on Windows is usually a port from Linux aimed source code, this means they usually use periods at the beginning of the name to hide a file or directory, and rarely do they modify that file or directory’s attributes. For me and anyone using a Windows version greater than XP this means the home directory becomes littered with files and folders. You might say that you could just hide them manually but some programmes such as the GIMP regenerate the files after each use and in doing so reset the attributes and revealing the file. So there’s that a justification of the need for my script.

My solution is to use a hidden (using vbs) batch script timed to run every fifteen minutes to hide all files beginning with a period. This should for most modern computers have no noticeable effect on performance.

You can either follow my simple instructions below or use the installer I complied that will place the appropriate files in the appropriate places automatically.

Period File Hider Setup (exe)

Manual Instructions (for the untrusting or inquisitive)

First you need to create a vbs file we’ll name it invis.vbs note that this file can be used to run any batch script in the back ground. Its contents follows:

CreateObject("Wscript.Shell").Run """" & WScript.Arguments(0) & """", 0, False

Next we’ll create the batch file which I named hpf.bat. The contents follows:

cd %userprofile%
:START
attrib +h .* /S /D /L
attrib -h .htaccess /S
::prevents those files being hidden as usually they are worked on
timeout /T 900 /NOBREAK
goto START

Now we need to create a shortcut which is best placed in the startup folder.

the shortcut should be as follows

wscript "ENTER\PATH\TO\invis.vbs" "ENTER\PATH\TO\hpf.bat"

of course substituting “ENTER\PATH\TO” with the path to the files on my system its wscript “C:\batch\invis.vbs” “C:\batch\hpf.bat” for example.

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Australia License.

Guild Wars Keymap

A Keymap for Guild Wars

So I got into playing Guild Wars recently and noticed a distinct lack of keymaps that could be scaled and that where suitable for printing in B&W, so being the motivated person I am I went ahead and made one myself, hopefully someone else will find it useful. I made this in Inkscape and the links below go to the source file and to a generic svg file. If  you’re just interested in printing this then open the generic version in you web browser and print it, the other file will only display properly in Inkscape.
Guild Wars® Keymap SVGs
Generic
Inkscape (source)
Comments anyone? Continue Reading →

An open letter to Dell on its designs regarding notebook-cooling systems

To Dell (and all interested parties),

For a long time I have been a user of your hardware. There is one reason for this; they are low cost for the specifications that you get. Being cheap, one may be entailed to accept flaws, but when they are in core system, I personally cannot. Having owned several of your laptops, I cannot understand why it is that your designs still include (in your laptops) air intakes underneath the chassis. On both my present Studio 1536 and my old Inspirion 1150, I have experienced minor issues, such as a loud fan through to major issues such as system spontaneous system shutdown, later noted as caused by the CPU overheating. Both these issues are caused by one simple problem: the air intake depositing fine (and coarse) particles of dust, which have been sucked up by the downward facing fan, on to the heat sink. Not only does dust get all over the heat sink but all through the fans case possibly reducing the effectiveness of the fan. This problem can be resolved by a person such as myself by removing the back of the computer and then the casing for the fan and cleaning the dust from the heat sink, but I must state that this is highly impractical and unlikely to occur to the vast number of users of your laptops. Surely then it is your obligation to those customers to improve the technology to alleviate the problem or at least simplify the process of cleaning.

There are several possibilities to resolve this issue yet none have been implemented in the long period of time I have been a customer. The first of which I can think is that the air intake could be placed in a position other than on the underside of the computer chassis. This is done on various cheap brands of computer one that I will note is my HP Mini netbook that gets its air from the right and passing it out the left hand side. Clearly, this is an option that may require major redesign but seeing as it is possibly on $400 netbooks then I must state it could be done without too much expense on larger laptops. The second is the use of a filter that is simple to remove and clean. This would allow those who have read the basic instruction manual to alleviate the problem easily. However, removing the need for consumers to service the product would be beneficial, by means of reducing requirements on them and on your support staff:  as such, the first proposal really should be the one undertaken. Your third choice and one that require very little effort is to include in your manuals details of how to clean the heat sink and a notice of what symptoms the computer may experience due to overheating. This option however shows that your designs are flawed and would require more effort from the consumer and thus more customer support on your part and so is the lest preferable proposal I have.

So, I have provided you with my opinion regarding a design flaw in your notebook systems and now it is up to you to correct it. I hope my advice has been of some worth.

Regards,

Toby

An image of my Dell Studio's dust clogged fan and heat sink.

An image of my Dell Studio's dust clogged fan and heat sink.

Order Poster

Order Poster

Another poster, yay, I hear you say =). From my thoughts at the time I began making it, these thoughts permeate almost everything I do. Also I had to do something relating to my disdain for “freedom” as a concept I can’t possibly take seriously. Any who take what you want from it I had a hoot of a time making the damn thing in spurts over the last month (it was difficult getting all the angles and positioning just right). The same on DeviantArt (opens in new tab).

Oh and here’s a link to the svg in case you want to print it. (hosted on deviantART) click here

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Cover your Cough

Cover you Cough Poster

Damn it, I’m sick of ending up unwell because of other peoples carelessness. So I made this while dying from the cold in my room. Done in Inkscape using some fonts (including Fonce Sans Pro), who knows which ones. I tried to make it, sought of, as a poster you may have found glued to the telegraph post in the early 1900′s, but its a hybrid which probably failed. But I like it so here it is. Same on DeviantArt (opens in new tab).

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

About

Furgelnod’s Fyrgilnadium – It’s a place for all the work of Toby Johnston AKA Furgelnod to reside, a fyrgilnadium if you like.Me - In my dA B'day Tee

Though I tend to cover a variety of topics on this, my fyrgilnadium. My main focuses and points of enjoyment are history and assorted scripts particularly useful batch files, yes I do here you going ewh batch files! That said I also have, over some time, enjoyed a variety of art styles which I post and music which I occasionally write and record.  Not to mention any opinionated reviews that I post.

I hope that the site appeals to a wide audience including, those looking for opinions on various things, those looking for tech help, people with an interest in history and anyone else who might think that what I write is at least mildly interesting.

In reading my articles I hope you get, if you don’t already have, an interest in history (and understand its not all about facts), help with your ICT problems, and an understanding of my opinions on the variety of topics I cover.

Well that said who am I, and why should you be reading my fyrgilnadium?

Well let’s start by me introducing myself to you. I’m Toby Johnston and on the internet I often go by the name of Furgelnod (and that’s me in the large pic to the left).  I’m currently undertaking a liberal arts degree, majoring in history and sociology. It’s from this that I take my enthusiasm for history and for academia more roundly. I’m a little mad about the use of proper English, in particular of traditional British English, and am profoundly against the encroaching of US English into Australian English. I am an avid computer fan and for a long time have been using them for a variety of practical, and not so practical, uses. I live in the wonderful island state of Tasmania, in the overwhelmingly dangerous (just kidding) Commonwealth of Australia.

UnlimitedMB.com and my Concerns

So, after considerable thought and considerable annoyance, I have finally moved to hosting a site with an Australian company. I had a few to many issues with my previous hosts and I thought moving over here will not only address these issues but also mean better understanding of legalities, and non-fluctuating prices, that is to say previously the exchange rate meant a great deal to how much my hosting would cost.

Onto the more pressing issue, I thought that in this, the first new entry of my blog I could address why I moved host including, why I think that using the commercially available cPanel is much preferable to using a self-built one. Also, discuss hosting administrators blaming customers for what are clearly server side issues. I would also like to address my concern regarding shared hosting services overloading servers, and hosting administrators not notifying customers of lengthy downtime. In advance, I will warn this is biased, as it is essentially my personal opinion after dealing with my old webhost, unlimitedmb.com. Also note that many of the issues have been brought up in their forum by me and other customers of theirs, it is available at forum.unlimitedmb.com. Continue Reading →