Only a week since Firefox 3 RC 2 was released, Mozilla has already released Firefox 3 RC 3. I can only imagine that they are getting very close to finishing this fantastic browser, and I can't wait until they do.

For those of you who don't know, Firefox 3 is hands down the best internet browser out there. This might sound like personal opinion, but I would wager a large sum of money on the fact that Firefox 3 is faster, safer, more reliable, and more standards compliant then all of the browsers out there today.

If you don't believe me, head on over to Mozilla's download page, and give the software a whirl for yourself. You won't be disappointed.

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Are you sick and tired of filling out registration forms? Typing your name, email, and website url in comment forms on blogs? Perhaps you find yourself writing the same sentence over and over to people on some kind of instant messaging platform?

You can make your life easier by downloading a fancy little program for Windows XP called MemoKeys. It allows you to save strings of text, and bind them to certain keys for later use.

I use MemoKeys on a daily basis for a comment posting aid. I have my name, email address, and website URL save to various keys on my keyboard. This allows me to write this information into forms quickly, cutting back the amount of time it takes me to quickly get an idea on to that post.

This application really saves a whole lot of time in the long run, and I recommend it to anybody who performs similar actions throughout their daily web or computer experience.

If you know of any more similar applications, I would love to give them a try. Let me know in the comments.

I love to keep up to date on all of my feeds. Generally speaking, this process used to involve me connecting to the interweb, finding my google reader and reading away in my browser.

Personally, I find interactive apps to be less appealing than standalone client solutions. It is this rationale that convinced me to try out NetNewsWire initially, and I fell in love.

After this amazing discovery into the foray of RSS clients, I realized that I needed a Windows solution.

Now, maybe you know, and maybe you don't know, that NetNewsWire allows you to synchronize your feed using OPML across to NewsGator. This way you can access your NetNewsWire feeds from any computer connected to the internet. Not only that, but NewsGator offers a link to your synchronized feeds OPML. Essentially, this allows you to capture the subscriptions from your NetNewsWire client, over to NewsGator, which in turn will populate another RSS reader.

In comes FeedReader.

This software is very similar to NetNewsWire in functionality, and is almost equally as user friendly. It allows you to import that OPML feed I have been discussing, and view your synchronized feeds in a client.

I think it is important to note that all of these options are available free of charge. Anyone who reads my articles knows that I am a huge fan of free and open source software. Anyone with a wallet agrees with me.

Do you have a better method for aggregating your feeds? Perhaps a better client that I should try out? Let me know in the comments, or shoot me an email at thetechjuice@gmail.com.

In the future, I may write a more detailed post speaking more directly about how this is done exactly. Although I found the interface to be easy to use, and got it set up rather quickly, it may not be so easy for you. If you have any trouble at all, email me and I'll see what I can do to help out.

It is a happy day for all of you Microsoft junkies out there. Actually, it might be more accurate to say that tomorrow is a happy day. Either way, Microsoft has released the direct links to the download. It will be made available on windows update very shortly, but to try and avoid the traffic congestion, I would probably try to do a direct download now.

If you get Windows XP Service Pack 3 installed, please let me know about the changes in the comments. I would love to hear about it.

Download Windows XP Service Pack 3 Here.

Until recently, I have been using the default notepad.exe that comes in all windows installations. It seemed to do everything I really needed in a notepad, and I was unaware that there were other options available. That is until I stumbled across Notepad++.

Notepad++ is a great new addition to my software library. It allows for organizing multiple text files in tabs, as well as color coding various syntax depending on the language you set it to. It supports many different languages, but I used it primarily for PHP and XML. Notepad++ was developed for Windows machines, and can be downloaded here.

The tabbed feature is absolutely fantastic. It allows the user to set up multiple tabs of files that they are working with. For instance, when programming in PHP, you tend to have an html document, as well as a PHP document open. The PHP document processes the information on the html document, and returns the results. This means that having both files open and ready to edit in one window is very efficient. This is amplified by the fact that generally speaking, you will have many more files that you are working with. In my case I tend to work with about ten different pages at a time.

If you are looking for a more robust notepad, I recommend checking out Notepad++. It has a ton of tools that cater to the needs of software/web developers, while remaining user friendly and easy to use for any person.

Do you have any TextEdit alternatives for OS X? Let me know in the comments.

OK, you've caught me. Web applications won't actually destroy anything. However, it is my professional opinion that they will indeed take over the planet, and ruthlessly pillage and plunder your operating system and it's insignificant villagers.

Web applications are going to eliminate the need for specific operating systems all together. Below you will find my extremely logical and informative reasons that this will happen. Maybe not now, maybe not ever, but soon.

Cross Platform

The internet is a crazy place. You can check stock markets, purchase items, communicate, store information, check the weather, watch TV, chat/network with friends, stumble around social media sites, play games, and this just in, almost all web applications are cross-platform.

This will eliminate the need for a single platform for applications. And actually limit the success capabilities of the single platform apps.

Making Software That Everyone Can Use Broadens Your Potential Market

Obviously, with Linux and Mac (especially) user percentages on the rise, applications that are web based and cross-platform can reach a broader market. If you create a standalone application only available for XP and Vista, you are essentially dropping your potential market for that product by approximately 10% by the current market share numbers.

As the gap between Windows installations and Mac installations decreases, more and more apps are going to either need to be developed for both platforms to address the needs of both users, or go the less expensive route and make a single web app that performs on both machines. Linux can be thrown in to this mix too, but lets be honest, Linux doesn't really matter just yet. Most Linux users are dual booting with Mac OS X , Windows, or both anyway.

Web Applications are Cheaper to Develop

It costs much less to develop an application in Java or PHP for instance, than it does to develop apps in Visual Studio. Server costs for PHP are relatively low, as it has a high-performance, low resource style to it.

Oh, and by the way, you know those boxes they put software in? The manuals? The CD's or DVD's? Those cost money. Sure it's not much per unit. But if you don't find that kind of money useful in some way, feel free to email me and send me what you don't need. I'll promise to waste it on lottery tickets and bad DVD rentals.

The Bandwidth Available to Residential Consumers is Increasing Rapidly

Sure, North America is no Japan, but lets be serious. That kind of speed is just nutty. Remember those commercials that stated that DSL was faster than cable because you don't share a connection? How the hell can that be true if the entire population of Japan, which might I remind you is approximately 125 million people, use their broadband connections on their country which is around 378,000 square km. For you American folk, that is smaller than Texas. Enough of that rant, I forgot I was supposed to be writing some kind of article here. Forgive me.

You might be saying to yourself, “Hey stupid, I can't play the latest and greatest games on this OS or that OS. I'll need to stick with XP/Vista”. On one hand you are correct. On the other, you are entirely wrong. Gamers aren't real people. So their opinion doesn't really matter in the real people world.

In all seriousness, I think games are probably one of the few things that will remain dependent on a specific operating system. Things could change much later, but for now the technology just isn't there to create a next-gen quality game for your computer in some kind of web application form. I sure hope this changes though, because quite frankly, I'm sick and tired of XP. I've found Linux and OS X to be much better overall operating systems, and I'd rather not be forced to use an operating system just to play games. And yes, I'm not a real person either.

Note: To post a comment for this post, click here.

I have been recording various things on my Macbook and PC for awhile now, and thought it would be good to share a tool with everyone. I use a program called Audacity for all of my editing needs. It is very robust but remains easy to use. It is also available for Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows XP/Vista. It the best free multi-track music editor I have found thus far, and I haven't had any bad experiences with it.

Head on over and Download Audacity

Let me know how well it works for you, or any problems you are having in the comments.

Viruses pose a pretty serious threat to most PC users. Therefore, I thought I would recommend a free solution to help alleviate some of the stress that is involved with the maintainance of your PC.

Free Anti-Virus Software with AVG

I have been using AVG for quite a while now, and it is a great little application. It is updated frequently with new virus definition files and has thus far kept my PC out of harms way.

You can visit AVG's homepage to download the software and try it out. They also have paid options available, which protect against spyware, rootkits, and other malicious software.

Head on over to AVG and check out the anti-virus software.

Have you had a terrible experience with a virus? Let me know in the comments.

The other day my fiance asked me if I could help her download a video from youtube for a presentation she had to do. After taking a look around I came across a great (and free) solution to this problem. It is called Orbit Downloader, and by golly it's great.

Orbit Downloader works by catching the incoming stream from the video, and saving that file to your hard drive. So with that in mind, I'll write a short guide on the subject.

How to Download Youtube Videos

First of all, this method should work on most streaming media that come from players that are embedded into a web site.

1. Download and install orbit downloader.
2. Open Orbit Downloader
3. Find a video you wish to download
4. When the video begins playing, a small "get" button should appear on the video itself. Click this.

You should now have downloaded a video from youtube or other various video sites. If the get button does not appear, you can try enabling grab++ from the menu bar and then restarting the video. It will probably save the file as a .flv which is a flash video file, and some people may have problems viewing these. If that is the case, I recommend using VLC Media Player, which you can get here.

If you have any comments or questions let me know in the comments.

Operating systems are an important aspect of your computer. They handle the user accounts, the processing algorithms, as well as the general handling of almost everything you do on your computer. It is important when you are choosing your next computer that you consider the various options available for you when it comes to operating systems.

This article will cover some of the key differences between Apple's OS X, Linux, and Windows. It is not meant to try to examine which operating system is the best, but rather takes on the project of explaining the differences and how to determine which is the best operating system for you specifically.

Microsoft Windows

This is by far the most popular operating system. Whether or not it is right for you is a different question. Windows is a good operating system. It is relatively stable, is regularly updated, and has decent customization options. Some of the problems with Windows lies in the realm of viruses and spyware. Windows has more of a chance of picking up spyware and viruses than the other operating systems for a couple reasons. The most notable reason being that the account you are using tends to be the administrator account. This means that system changes can be changed by you at your discretion. This also means that programs that are run by you (with or without your knowledge) also can have this access to critical system files. It is important to recognize that Windows Vista has attempted to alleviate some of this problem by adding UAC (user account control) to the interface, asking you to enter your password if anything important is being changed. Having said that, Windows is by far the best platform for computer gaming, and is the standard for most businesses. These trends may change in the coming years, as Mac computers are getting an increasing share in the market.

All in all, Windows is a good operating system. It is relatively simple to use and set up, and is generally the most familiar to newer users as it has been relatively unchanged for several years. If you do not mind the hefty price tag or do not want to spend the time to learn a new operating system, windows is probably the best choice for you.

Mac OS X Leopard

OS X is designed with the average user in mind. It makes everything very simple and easy to use. Having said that, there are still advanced options and various things that can be done to manipulate the environment to make it more tailored to an advanced user. OS X is much more secure than Windows, but is not as widely used. Another important aspect of OS X is that it is proprietary to Macintosh computers. This means that only Apple computers are legally allowed to use OS X as their operating system.

Leopard is the newest installment of the operating system, and has some significant upgrades since the last version, Tiger. One of the most notable features is the automatic backups which is called Time Machine. It lets you specify a drive to back up your data to, and asks what you want backed up, and it is ready to go.

It is important to note that if you play games, Mac OS X is probably not the way to go. It does not yet have even close to the library that Windows has.

Linux

Linux is another operating system that you could use. It is generally free, and comes in many different shapes and flavors. These flavors are called distributions. Because Linux is open-source, it means that anybody who would like can edit the code and manipulate the system to fit their personal needs.

Currently, Ubuntu is the most widely used distribution of Linux that is available. It is easy to set up, and has a good range of compatible components to it. You can get Ubuntu here, and if you would like to give it a try without messing up your current configuration of Windows, feel free to check out my guide on how to install Ubuntu using Wubi.

Linux is probably the most secure operating system of the three, but lends itself to more experienced users a bit better. That is not to say that new users cannot use it, just that it sometimes requires some fiddling with to get everything to work properly.

Whatever You Choose

Remember that all of these operating systems are good options. Windows has its high level of compatibility, games, and is the standard. Apple's Mac OS X is easy to use, powerful, and very pretty. Linux is free (generally), a little bit harder to use, but can be the most powerful and prettiest of the three with some customization.

Having said that, the only thing that really pushes these operating systems apart from each other is games for the computer. There are ways around this and it may change in the future, but Windows right now is hands down the best operating system for gaming. Virtually everything else can be accomplished using Linux, OS X, or Windows.

If you have any questions or comments feel free to email me or comment below.

Next: How to Choose a Processor (CPU)

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I recognize that some people are a little bit hesitant to try out a brand new operating system. Having said that, change can be an important part of life. I'm sure many of you were considering installing Ubuntu, but got a little bit scared of the change it would present in your digital day.

Those who felt this fear can rest easy knowing there is a way to install Ubuntu without directly modifying your current partition set up, and lucky for you (and me) it is extremely simple.

Installing Ubuntu Hardy Heron With Wubi

First, download the Ubuntu Hardy Heron beta from here. Once you have the .iso downloaded, burn it to a CD or DVD, or use your favourite disc image mounting software like Alcohol 120% or PowerISO. Insert or mount the disc/image and it should run automatically. Click on "Install Inside Windows" and you should be presented with the wubi install screen.



Choose the drive you would like to install to, the installation size (I would recommend 15 GB so you have room to play), environment (Ubuntu should be the only choice), language, and username/password.

Click install and you are on your way. The next time you restart your computer, you will be prompted to choose which operating system to load. Choose Ubuntu, and wait for the login screen. Log in with the username and password you chose earlier in the installation.

That's it, you're done!

Additional Help: check out the Ubuntu forums as there is always a plethora of advice and people to help you out should you have any trouble. Keep in mind you are using beta software and are doing so at your own risk.

Recently, my fiance asked for help to download music on to her new laptop. I pointed her to Limewire and told her just to search for what she wanted and download the songs that match her search criteria.

Little did I know that the p2p networks had been stuffed full of viruses and other malware. I was on her machine not to long ago and was going to listen to some music on when I noticed there was about 10 to 15 songs that weren't songs at all. They were image files, and each one (although they had different titles) was the exact same size. I realized very quickly that these files were not at all what she wanted, and more specifically, they were exactly what she did not want on her computer.

I've written this in an effort to help people that are relatively new to the idea of peer to peer clients understand what they are doing, and how to do it safely.

These tips are in no particular order.

Make sure you have some kind of virus scanner.

I recommend AVG, as it doesn't burn a hole in your pockets like some of the other tools available. You can visit this site to download the latest version. It will always start up with your machine, and will automatically check for updates to the virus library it stores.

Use a filter to hide results that are less than a certain size.

Most of the p2p tools available have settings in the options that allow you to hide a file size that is below a threshold of your choice. I would suggest setting this threshold to less than 2 Mb. Of course, this means that if there happens to be a relatively short song that you want to download, it may be filtered out. Keep this in mind when you are searching for songs. Alternatively, pay close attention to the size and name of the files that turn up in your search. If some of the results are less than 2 Mb and seem to be the same exact name and exact file size, it is likely they cannot be trusted.

Note: This is not ALWAYS the case. Some of the files that fit this description are perfectly fine. If you are not sure, I would probably just avoid it. However, if you do decide to download the file I would definately recommend scanning it before you try to play it.

Make sure you keep your windows updates caught up.

Microsoft sends these updates out for a reason. Install them. They fix security exploits that hackers and virus makers use to infiltrate systems. I know they are annoying, and I know they can be troublesome. What is more troublesome, a PC that has to take 20 minutes of your time to download and install updates (and then the god forsaken restart) or a virus that causes you to lose your data. In my opinion, the answer to that question is pretty easy.

You have a virus scanner. Use it.

How many times have you started your computer and your virus scanner started running? Often. How many times have you let that virus scan complete? Exactly. While it's not always necessary to have your virus scan run every time you start your computer, I would suggest letting it complete at least once a week.

Don't let other people download things on your computer.

We all have those friends that come over and decide they must show you this song, or they have to install this software to view this or that. Make sure you know what they are doing. If you're not sure what they are doing, and don't trust that they know exactly what they are doing, don't let them do it!

Backup your important data

I'd recommend getting a cheap external drive. This allows you copy (don't just store on the external) documents over to the external drive once a week. Keep in mind you might not need the storage space of an external drive. If you are only keeping word documents, you can get 2 Gb flash drives pretty cheap. If you are backing up video, lots of pictures, or other files that take up space a flash drive might not be big enough. Another idea is to back up your documents to google docs. It's a free service and though I'm not sure of the size limitations, I'm sure it will be great for the majority of people.

In conclusion, be kind to your computer. Treat it like a small child. You have to decide what it is allowed to ingest, and what is no good for it. You have to keep it protected. You have to ensure it remembers everything you teach it, even if you spill coffee on it and it forgets everything... Oh wait, that doesn't happen with kids.

Leave some comments and let me know what you think.