Friday, November 8, 2002

More campaigning for a Chimera bug fix.... In using Chimera/Navigator, there is one particular bug that irritates me every single day. Namely, if the browser fails to connect to a server when opening an URL from a source other than one typed directly into the location field, the location field will lose the URL. Example: If you are using Navigator, and you cmd-click on this completely bogus URL and then switch to the Window/Tab that failed to load, Navigator will lose the URL. This is particularly painful in three very specific and, in my case, common contexts. In the morning, I bulk load 30 or so sites for reading on the train where I don't have [and don't want] a net connection. If any of the pages fail to load, there is no way to no which URL it was that failed! I frequently cmd-click on an URL to open it in a new tab/window for later reading. If any of those URLs fail to load (because of lack of net connection or an intermittent failure) and I have already closed the "parent" page/tab, I have no easy way of figuring out what the heck it was I was trying to read. If I cmd-click a tab with the purpose of editing the URL before reading the page or to a site that intermittently doesn't respond, I frequently end up with a blank tab/page and no way to edit the URL. If this bug annoys you as well, then-- please-- Vote For It To Be Fixed!!. 10:40:56 AM  pontificate

For the want of a torx... x180.net writes: The thing that sucks about the Titanium PowerBooks, well the thing that sucks almost as bad as the metal case sucking the range out of WiFi, is having to crack the case to put the Airport card in. But, I did it with my original TiBook and I was prepared to do it with my new one that I just picked up today. However, there's a catch. On the original 400MHz TiBook, there were several small phillips head screws you had to deal with. On the new 867MHz TiBook, these screws are now Torx. And they happen to be size T-8. I do have a size T-10 and a T-12 tool (other lovely things that needed to be fixed), but not a T-8. And of course it's 10 pm and the tool store is closed and I'd really like to get the Airport card in tonight. Wonder if Safeway has one? Unlikely, but there are two sources for Torx screwdrivers of the rather small variety. You will need a T-6 to tighten the Torx on the back of your TiBook (which, for whatever reason, spontaneously loosened on my original TiBook). First, you can pick up the America Online Internet Computer Maintenance Toolkit from CompUSA. I'm not kidding-- it is an AOL branded toolkit with about six buzzwords tacked on for no apparent reason. Anyway, it is about $10 and contains nearly every tool you need to maintain your desktop computer and your bicycle. It includes a T-8 bit, but nothing smaller. If you want to go the primo, solve the problem once and never again route, go to your local Sears (or Craftsman vendor) and pick up the 12 pc Micro-Tech Expert Screwdriver Set. It rocks. Really well made set of mini-screwdrivers that includes 5 slotted, 3 phillips and 4 Torx tools. In particular, it includes T-9, T-8, T-7, and T-6 bits; every bit you need to mod your TiBook to your heart's content. The tops swivel and they have good grips. And the best part is that, like all Craftsman/Sears tools, they have a lifetime warranty! Damage the blade of a tool? No problem-- take it back, free replacment, no questions asked! 12:09:41 AM  pontificate