First test of Windows Live Writer

Not much to say yet, but the software did seem to successfully detect all of my Blogger account settings despite the fact that I publish to my own server, not blogspot. (One kudo point so far.)

Also, the interface seems nice and easy to use. There is an edit code view and a live preview of what this post will look like on my blog once it's published. (12 kudo points for that feature!)

Images can be inserted by browsing local/network drives and through a URL. It doesn't seem to be able to pull images from flickr directly, but I can just do the usual copy/paste of the flickr code so that's not too troubling.

There's more features. I'll post more if/when I find things worth mentioning. My initial opinion: a pretty sweet app.

Huh?

I'm about to download and play with the latest beta of Microsoft's blog authoring software Windows Live Writer and I've noticed one of its "features": the ability to "Publish XHTML-Style markup" [emphasis added]. I'm sorry, but the code is either XHTML or it isn't. There's no such thing as XHTML-style or XHTML-like as far as I'm concerned. I'm still going to play with it but sometimes Microsoft, you make me wonder.

Technology to Michael: "You're not the boss of me!"

I'm in the Eastern Iowa Airport (Cedar Rapids, IA) using the free WiFi to get caught up from this four day trip to Iowa City, IA for two days of BCR workshops and an afternoon speaking to the staff of the Iowa City Public Library about the Social Web as part of their in-service day. Today went well and everyone enjoyed it including myself. The previous two days however, if it could go wrong it did. Cases in point:

• For the blogs class, Blogger finally decided to send everyone creating a new blog to the beta version. This meant that many of my handouts didn't match what they were looking at on the screen, didn't match the screen I was projecting and there were new/changed features that I wasn't prepared to discuss.
• In the RSS workshop, FeedXS finally convinced me that it's useless for class purposes and I was pretty much forced to just tell everyone to skip it and ignore that part of the handouts.
• I taught my podcasting class for the first time and, instead of ending up with a short list of things to tweak for the next time out, I need to redo about 50% of the workshop and change the focus for the second half of the class. And, the BCR FTP server decided that it kept wanting to drop my connection so I couldn't upload the students' MP3 files to the server to get to work with the software I was trying to teach them.
• During the wiki class I instructed all eleven students on how to create a Wikipedia account, something I've done many other times. This time, six of them were able to create accounts while the other five got error messages informing them that six accounts had already been created from that IP address and no other new accounts would be allowed for 24 hours. Turns out that to the outside world all of ICPL's computers are represented by one IP address. Great for the network architecture and for security reasons but it causes problems with Wikipedia's security. A good portion of the class was from that point on a demo instead of hands on.

Needless to say it's been a long week and I need a few solid nights of sleep before getting back to the office on Monday and updating the material for those classes before teaching them again in January.

IL2006: What's Hot in Social Softwr

Stephen M. Cohen, Senior Librarian, Law Library Management, Inc.

• AJAX
• Beta Browster
• CoComment Cohen Family Recipies (.blogspot.com)
• Digg
• Econsultant (Web 2.0 directory)
• flickr
• gmail (chat)
• "Hype"
• Image Editors
• resizr.lord-lance.com
• pxn8.com
• snipshot.com
• Jenny Levine
• LibraryThing
• (Babes with Books)
• Moo Meebo Media Convert Mojeek Muppets Wiki
• Netvibes
• OCLC
• Pandora Purevideo (Video metasearch)
• RSS
• Stephens, Michael Snapper Slideshare
• Trackback? Type of the Day
• utube.com
• Wikis
• YouTube
• Zoho

Others

• Gmail Space Firefox Extension
• Twingine
• Flock
• Gliffy
• i-am-bored.com?
• qumana.com
• last.fm
• citeulike.org
• Xanga
• Picasa
• Odeo

IL2006: Innovative Uses of Web 2.0 Technologies

Karen Coombs, University of Houston Jason Clark, Montana State University Karen: Incorporating Web 2.0 into Library Web Sites

• What is Web 2.0
• Services to collaborate & share
• movement toward more dynamic & interactice web
• examples
• social software
• blogs
• del.icio.is
• wikis
• folksonomies
• rss
• APIs
• AJAX
• Radical Decentralization
• Web site updated and created by many different people
• wikis & blogs
• librariy web site allows any staff to update any content
• Small Pieces Loosely Joined
• Combination of different technologies
• wikis
• blogs
• CMS
• Library's CMS made up of modules for different content types
• content is resuable throughout the site
• any piece of the CMS can be replaced as needed
• Perpetual Beta
• deploy systems early and make constant improvements
• users are part of the development process
• deploy new systems to a small group of staff to test and help us refine
• gather constant input and make continuous improvements
• Remixable Content
• APIs allow content to be incorporated into other systems
• library web site can incorporate content from external sources
• content which is part of the library's site can be used on multiple pages
• AJAX to add database link to any page, blog, wiki
• User as contributor
• allows users to add and update content
• class wikis
• wiki model for CMS
• instutitional repositories for scholarly content from faculty, students and staff
• library hosts blogs
• user tagging and review content in catalog
• Rich User Experience
• multimedia, interactivity, GUI-style application experience
• video
• sound
• screencasts
• personalization and customization
• space for collaboration and interaction
• chat
• VoIP
• Demo of UofH's CMS

Jason: Social Tagging and Folksonomies in Practice

• Agenda
• examples
• define
• suggest applications
• pros & cons
• where can you learn more
• Examples
• del.icio.is
• amazon
• flickr
• technorati
• Definitions
• Tagging
• assigning descriptive metadata
• Tag
• The descriptive metadata
• Folksonomies
• taxonomy created by folks
• Library use cases
• find additional access points in library catalogs
• assign friendly terms to indexes and databases
• create communities of practice around library articles
• organize a series of web pahes for a library guide
• give users opportunities to label library web pages
• Library applications
• tags.library.upenn.edu
• WPOPAC
• Social Tagging: Why does it work?
• embracessocal nature of the web
• curency
• scales to large datasets
• offers a broader discovery model
• adaptable
• maps and displays simple relationships between items
• What's the Hitch?
• lack of precision
• lack of true hierarchy
• vulnerable to "gaming" of the system
• lack of a controlled vocabulary
• users can be wrong
• When to use it?
• establish an architecture of participation
• organize resources for a company intranet
• allow a class to collaborate and buils a reference guide
• build and refine library controlled vocabulary
• anytime there is a browse or search function
• Reference list...
• ZoomCloud
• TagCloud
• tagsonomy.com (blog)
• FreeTag
• unalog
• Final thoughts
• design matters
• scale matters
• a new source of data

SlideShare

Think YouTube for for PowerPoint shows. SlideShare allows you to upload your PPT file (up to 20MB), tag, share, and play. There's no way to make slideshows private but the concept is interesting, especially for those who want to share their slides and don't have server space to post them on. The system is currently in private beta (which also limits viewing slides to those with accounts) but I've got invites. Drop me an e-mail if you want access.

FrontPage's Replacement: Expression

Microsoft has released beta 1 of the Microsoft Expression Web Designer, the follow-up to FrontPage. I've installed and played with it a little bit and here's my initial reactions:

The interface is nice and easily understood after about five minutes of poking around. I especially like the ability to split the screen between code and WYSIWYG editing.

With Microsoft's "we write good clean code now" push, a validator is included in Expression. The validator does allow you to choose which level of "compatibility" you would like to test against.

The list of validation errors appears below. In this example, since I was validating against XHTML 1.0 Transitional, it did tell me that the legacy FrontPage Webbot in my code may cause problems. Bravo!

The menu-based CSS editing will take me a bit of getting used to since I'm comfortable writing CSS by hand. I can see this being very useful to someone new to CSS.

The new "Optimize HTML" feature seems useful but I've not played with it yet.

Expression's "Preview in Browser" feature is flexible. It auto-detects which browsers are on your computer and you can set up different preview types including multiple browsers in a specific resolution.

Expression still works with servers that have the FrontPage extensions installed but it doesn't seem to have a built in FTP and/or SFTP client allowing me to easily access sites on non-FrontPage servers. (I've got just one site I work on that is still on a FrontPage server.) I'm not planning on moving from HTML-Kit to Expression until I see what the actual cost will be (or maybe if I get it for free as part of some Office upgrade). Overall though, it does seem to be leaps and bounds ahead FrontPage and Microsoft deserves kudos for this product.

SpeedTest.net

SpeedTest.net
Originally uploaded by travelinlibrarian.

SpeedTest.net is "a general use broadband connection testing site with many geographically dispersed servers to test against. Here we plan to demonstrate and beta test our latest Ookla Speed Test creations such as latency, jitter, client location and distance to server calculations. Test your connection anytime and even store your results for future reference." If nothing else, it's cool to watch for those that miss watching the little blocks move around while defragging their hard drive. (Sorry, it only takes about 30 seconds to complete a test.)

Internet Explorer 7 Release Candidate Now Available

The IEBlog page gives most of the details. The biggest thing I noticed is about the install program. This one will automatically remove previous beta installations. You will not need to go through the add/remove programs-based uninstall this time around. (Assuming you've previously installed beta 3.)

Blogger Beta

In having my students create their first blogs today using Blogger, one of them managed to create an account in the new "Beta" version of Blogger. It look different and works a bit differently too. (I did notice that "password protected" blogs is one of the new features.) You can use it but not with an existing account. To play with it you'll need to sign up for a new Google Account.

The down side to all this is that my Blogs & RSS book is slated to come out in October. Knowing my luck, this beta version will become the liver version just about the same time thus making all my screenshots and instructions out of date and inaccurate.

Firefox 2 Review

I've not installed it yet but this review of Firefox 2 (beta) from InformationWeek is making me consider it. Most of the features that the beta has added actually replace the plugins that I'll miss the most.

Top 10 IE7 Annoyances

Chris Pirillo has blogged his Top 10 IE7 annoyances. I agree with his points but one must keep in mind that he is critiquing beta software. Despite this, it is good to make these points while it's still in beta and can (possibly) be fixed.

Mozilla Firefox 2 Beta 1

Mozilla Firefox 2 Beta 1 has been released. I'm actively considering not installing it as I use many of my extensions daily and don't want to loose them. So, don't expect much from me on the beta in the immediate future. Here's the official list of new features:

• Built in Phishing Protection.
• Search suggestions now appear with search history in the search box for Google, Yahoo! and Answers.com
• Changes to tabbed browsing behavior
• Ability to re-open accidentally closed tabs
• Better support for previewing and subscribing to web feeds
• Inline spell checking in text boxes
• Search plugin manager for removing and re-ordering search engines
• New microsummaries feature for bookmarks
• Automatic restoration of your browsing session if there is a crash
• New combined and improved Add-Ons manager for extensions and themes
• New Windows installer based on Nullsoft Scriptable Install System
• Support for JavaScript 1.7
• Support for client-side session and persistent storage
• Extended search plugin format
• Updates to the extension system to provide enhanced security and to allow for easier localization of extensions
• Support for SVG text using svg:textPath

Followup: Uninstalling IE7 Beta Releases

If my instructions for uninstalling IE7 betas don't work for you, take a look at these instructions from the IEBlog.

Installing IE7beta3

I've now downloaded and installed IE7beta3 on two computers without too much trouble. As I've mentioned previously I'm saving a full review of the process and the program itself until the final release but for now you can view the slideshow of the 84 screenshots I took during the installation and first run. If you are going to install it here are a few pointers from my experiences.

• Installing any IE7 beta will replace IE6. You can get IE6 back by uninstalling the beta, but you can not run both at the same time.
• You will be asked to verify that your version of Windows is legit. To do this you may need to download and install the Windows Genuine Advantage Plug-in in order to do this. The slideshow shows this process since I was using Firefox to download the beta. If you're using IE6, this process will be slightly different.
• Before installing beta3 you will need to uninstall any previous betas that are on your computer. The message says to do this by using Windows' Add/Remove Programs feature. However, previous betas are not listed here unless you select "Show Updates". Once you've done that, you will find previous betas listed under "Windows XP - Software Updates".
• After uninstalling a previous beta you must reboot your computer before installing beta3. Failing to do so will seem to work but it won't.
• The installation on my office laptop failed the first time. Instructions for fixing the problem were provided and involved editing the registry. Once I did this, the second attempt worked without any additional problems.

Watch this space

IE7 beta 3 is now available for downloading. I've installed it on one machine already and will be installing it on my office laptop tomorrow. At that point I'll screenshot the installation process and give you a few pointers. (I'm saving a full review for the final release.)

Windows Vista Torrent

Not only is beta 2 of Windows Vista abailable but it's available as a torrent. Unfortunately, it wasn't officially torrented by Microsoft but it is a step in the right direction.

Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor

Microsoft has made a Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor available for download. "The Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor is a small beta application that you can run on your current Windows XP-based computer to find out if it's ready for an upgrade to Windows Vista." Sounds like a good idea if you're computer is more than a year old.

A9 moves to Windows Live

I've been using A9 as my default search engine for more than a year now and I've been perfectly happy with the results. (Yes, I started using it because installing the toolbar gets me a small percentage off my Amazon.com purchases, but I've kept it because the results are good and it's flexible, letting me get results from the Web, flickr, and Wikipedia all at once.) This morning I noticed that it's no longer pulling results from the Google database, it's now pulling it's results from Windows Live which is still in beta. (But then again, what isn't these days?) I don't know how this will effect results but I'm going to keep an eye on it to see if there's any noticable differences.

UPDATE (later the same day): It turns out that not everyone has been switched to Windows Live. One of my co-workers still has Google as the default.

Internet Explorer 7

Microsoft released an updated version of Internet Explorer 7: Beta 2 yesterday. It's stable enough to use but it will replace your copy of IE6 and some sites that do browser sniffing will not recognize it as a "supported" browser.

RSS Screen Saver

The folks on the Microsoft RSS Team have released a beta of their RSS Platform Screen Saver. I've not yet had a chance to try it but it does look handy.

IE7b2

IE7b2 Home Page
Originally uploaded by travelinlibrarian.

The first public beta of Internet Explorer 7 has been released for downloading and installation. I've installed it and posted screenshots of the process and the results in my flickr account.

One word of warning. This does overwrite any existing vesion of IE already on your computer so please only install if you're comfortable with beta software.

IL05: What I learned at IL05

• Everything cool is beta, or maybe even pre-alpha.
• WiFi is necessary at conference, it's no longer an option.
• Social software is where it's at (del.icio.us, flickr, Reader²)
• Conference wikis work in advance, not during, as everyone's too busy.
• Conference blogs may not work as bloggers want to post to their blog and non-bloggers don't care to participate.
• Tagging is fun.

IL05: What’s new in Blogs, RSS, and Wikis?

Steven M. Cohen, PubSub

Steven M. Cohen, PubSub Concepts, Inc. http://stevenmcohen.pbwiki.com/BlogsWikis

• Trends
• Everything is in Beta
• RSS is built-in
• Splogs
• Sign up adn we'll tell you when we go live
• The end of desktop aggregators?
• It all happens seprately which adds to the commons
• Over the past year
• the big boys catch up with blog search
• Google catches up with RSS
• Google News is still in Beta
• Wikipedia getting lots and lots and lots of attention
• What;s in your wallet
• Small companies got bought by the big companies

• [M: I missed this headline...]
• Opencontent.org/oishi
• Memeorandom
• Digg.com
• Interaction and collaboration
• LibraryThing
• Reader2
• Livemarks
• NumSum
• Writely
• Life Management
• Ta Da List
• Backpackit
• 43 Things
• Bla Bla List
• Planzo
• Calendar Hum
• Are Meta Search Apps back?
• Gaba.be
• Kebberfegg
• Other Apps
• Meebo
• Upcoming
• RSSMix
• Feedshake
• Feedmarker
• Resources for new tools
• RSS Conpendium
• Tech Crunch
• Social Software from Weblogs, Inc.

Phishing Philter

Microsoft released its Phishing Filter Add-In Beta today. To you it you must be an IE user, install the MSN Search Toolbar, and then install the Phishing Filter. My first tests (although I use Firefox for all my usual searching) did have it working as advertised and allowed you to submit sites that it missed.

Firefox 1.5 beta 1 errors

Here's the new Firefox connection timeout error screen:

Firefox 1.5 Beta 1

The first beta of Firefox 1.5 has been released. As a warning though, many of your extensions will not work in this version.

What's New in Firefox 1.5 Beta 1

• Automated update to streamline product upgrades.
• Faster browser navigation.
• Drag and drop for browser tabs.
• Improvements to popup blocking.
• Clear Private Data feature.
• Answers.com added to search engine list.
• Descriptive error pages, redesigned options menu, and RSS discovery.
• Better accessibility support.
• Report a broken Web site wizard.
• Better support for Mac OS X.

Sunday smackdown

C|Net's presents Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 Beta vs. Mozilla Firefox. I do wonder, however, whether it's fair since IE7 is in beta and even Microsoft admits that it's not standards compliant yet.

Portable Firefox update

There's a new beta of Portable Firefox available for those interested.

IE7

Here's a few details regarding the forthcoming beta of IE7.

Google Suggest

I haven't seen this on any LIS blogs yet so I though I'd get it out there quick. Google has a new beta interface named Google Suggest. Try typing a search into the box and see how it suggests searches to you along with the approximate number of hits that search will receive. I'm not sure this is something that I'll be specifically using on a regular basis but it's a feature useful enough that I'd like to see it integrated into the main search. (Maybe as an option you can turn on/off in preferences?)