It's 2008 (I think, my wall calendar hasn't been flipped since March) and while browsers are getting slicker, faster, and trendier code names. They're still working on the same basic premise as Mosaic did the same time I used the web. We've moved past basic HTML, it's high time our browsers noticed this and caught up.
1. Re-empower the Stop button
When pages were static HTML, maybe a few images, the back button was great! You hit stop, and by gosh stuff stopped. It stopped loading, you browser stopped having seizures every-time a new image was downloaded, all was well.
That was then, this is now. The stop button does the same thing it did back then (halt page load), the problem is there's tones more going on in the browser, things like ajax, silverlight, flash, etc. None of these things are really stopped when you hit that button, they continue forging on. I need a way to actually stop all the crap that's happening in my browser that isn't relying on some application to play nice.
2. Let me control CPU usage
Sure, all these new technologies empower some really nifty features, and some great ads, but they have a tendency to run away with themselves. I'm tired of noticing that $browser is consuming some insane amount of cpu then clicking through tabs trying to figure out which flash app (generally some ad) has gone nuts then closing the tab.
By default, when a tab loses focus I'd like all activity on that app to be frozen, or capped at some minimal level of CPU activity. Give me access to empower pages to continue functioning normally on a tab by tab basis, and possibly program in given URLs and domains as being permanently allowed (think pandora, or our training application).
3. Notify on break-out events
My browser is a contained space, it has four borders. Anything that exits that space by: popping up a window, initiating a sound, dropping a file onto my hard drive, etc. should be made clear. I'm tired of playing whack-a-mole when an advertisement in one of the 30 tabs I have open across three browsers starts whispering to me.
When a web application initiates a break out event I'd like it to get some sort of an icon on the tab level. A little speaker for sounds, a box for a pop-up, etc. That way when something happens I can track down why and where it came from.
1. Re-empower the Stop button
When pages were static HTML, maybe a few images, the back button was great! You hit stop, and by gosh stuff stopped. It stopped loading, you browser stopped having seizures every-time a new image was downloaded, all was well.
That was then, this is now. The stop button does the same thing it did back then (halt page load), the problem is there's tones more going on in the browser, things like ajax, silverlight, flash, etc. None of these things are really stopped when you hit that button, they continue forging on. I need a way to actually stop all the crap that's happening in my browser that isn't relying on some application to play nice.
2. Let me control CPU usage
Sure, all these new technologies empower some really nifty features, and some great ads, but they have a tendency to run away with themselves. I'm tired of noticing that $browser is consuming some insane amount of cpu then clicking through tabs trying to figure out which flash app (generally some ad) has gone nuts then closing the tab.
By default, when a tab loses focus I'd like all activity on that app to be frozen, or capped at some minimal level of CPU activity. Give me access to empower pages to continue functioning normally on a tab by tab basis, and possibly program in given URLs and domains as being permanently allowed (think pandora, or our training application).
3. Notify on break-out events
My browser is a contained space, it has four borders. Anything that exits that space by: popping up a window, initiating a sound, dropping a file onto my hard drive, etc. should be made clear. I'm tired of playing whack-a-mole when an advertisement in one of the 30 tabs I have open across three browsers starts whispering to me.
When a web application initiates a break out event I'd like it to get some sort of an icon on the tab level. A little speaker for sounds, a box for a pop-up, etc. That way when something happens I can track down why and where it came from.
So a few days ago I launched the Web Bot Battle Contest, except it isn't really a contest yet. Since there's no glittering prizes yet... I'm working on that.
In the meantime I've cleared up a bunch of little bugs: driving was actually free, firing could be done with zero energy (which did no damage, but revealed the locations of bots), improved/killed the output by converting to an XML system (which will hopefully allow someone to create a front end to make things pretty). I've also added a few features to help make bots more future compatible like initializing bots with information on scanning range, cost, etc.
If you haven't cracked your knuckles and coded a bot yet, jump in! There's a couple of tweaks and feature ads to come, then I hope to launch it as a fully fledged contest.
In the meantime I've cleared up a bunch of little bugs: driving was actually free, firing could be done with zero energy (which did no damage, but revealed the locations of bots), improved/killed the output by converting to an XML system (which will hopefully allow someone to create a front end to make things pretty). I've also added a few features to help make bots more future compatible like initializing bots with information on scanning range, cost, etc.
If you haven't cracked your knuckles and coded a bot yet, jump in! There's a couple of tweaks and feature ads to come, then I hope to launch it as a fully fledged contest.
Something I'd like to see in PHP is a little more in the See Also section. They're pretty good, but it's not quite as spider-web like as I'd like. For example, yesterday I added a few links from md5() and sha1() to hash(). Lot of people know about md5() and sha1() within PHP, but I find hash() is rather unknown overall, which is a pity as it exposes a tone of different hashing algorithms.
If there's any pages you think should be linked, let me know in a comment or email and I'll add it to the sources. Better yet, join the doc team and cut me out of the process
.
The astute amongst you might notice that there isn't a link to the appropriate functions even if you refresh now, check out the docs mirror.
If there's any pages you think should be linked, let me know in a comment or email and I'll add it to the sources. Better yet, join the doc team and cut me out of the process
. The astute amongst you might notice that there isn't a link to the appropriate functions even if you refresh now, check out the docs mirror.
A lot of friends look at me funny when I count my change or watch the screen when items are being totaled at a store, but I find mistakes rather often, and they're almost always in the store's favour.
I went into Future Shop today looking for a movie, and (as it usually goes) ended up with five. Four were on "sale" 2 for $50, the last was $29.99. With my usual vigilance I watched the screen to ensure the sale prices were applied, their screen is rather confusing so I couldn't quite tell, but the subtotal was $133.97. I asked the cashier if the sale price had been applied, he insisted that it had (demonstrating some stuff on screen) and continued to process the transaction. Using my crack math skills I asked how $100.00 + $29.99 could be $133.97, taxes was the quick reply. When I pointed out that it was the sub-total, not the final total he got frustrated and brought me over to the customer service desk.
The lady there agreed with my math skills, and after a minor issue when she asked for my phone number for fraud purposes (wasn't their computer already defrauding me?) I got the difference + $10.00 refunded to my card. All in all I got about half off that last movie by paying attention and knowing how to add.
I went into Future Shop today looking for a movie, and (as it usually goes) ended up with five. Four were on "sale" 2 for $50, the last was $29.99. With my usual vigilance I watched the screen to ensure the sale prices were applied, their screen is rather confusing so I couldn't quite tell, but the subtotal was $133.97. I asked the cashier if the sale price had been applied, he insisted that it had (demonstrating some stuff on screen) and continued to process the transaction. Using my crack math skills I asked how $100.00 + $29.99 could be $133.97, taxes was the quick reply. When I pointed out that it was the sub-total, not the final total he got frustrated and brought me over to the customer service desk.
The lady there agreed with my math skills, and after a minor issue when she asked for my phone number for fraud purposes (wasn't their computer already defrauding me?) I got the difference + $10.00 refunded to my card. All in all I got about half off that last movie by paying attention and knowing how to add.
