Software rant

I love Firefox so when version 3.0 was released, I upgraded instantement. As anyone will tell you, newly released software will contain bugs and Firefox 3.0 is not different. In fact, 5 hrs after its release, a zero day bug (zero day means one that can bring hell & damnation to your computer. πŸ˜€ Not really, but this Wikipedia article breaks it down) With this bug, you have to click on a maliciously crafted link or visit a bad site according to the Tipping Point blog so I’ll be super-paranoid till Mozilla releases a fix for this vulnerability. Nevertheless, I am really pleased with Firefox 3.0. The biggest improvement for me is the ability to search through my bookmarks as I manually type in any url into the address bar. I love the pretty green back button and the improved management of bookmarks. There are so many improvements, but I’m just touching on those that actually will improve my browsing experience. Check out the release notes for Firefox 3.0 on Mozilla’s website.

Speaking of software upgrades, Snag It 9.0 is out. For the sum of $20, I can upgrade to this newer version. Sometimes it feels like a never-ending Ferris wheel. When are software makers going to reward users by truly giving discounts? I paid $50 for this wonderful piece of software. However, whenever a new version comes out that’s a major jump i.e. from 7 to 8 or 9 to 10, I have to shell out at least $20 to “upgrade”. Right now, I don’t see any improvements that I care for. I really could have gone with a free screen capture utility, but I bought into the SnagIt hype and I think it has paid for itself several times over. Based on my usage, is it worth me upgrading yet? I will hold off till version 10.0 comes out. To be clear, this will be my first upgrade with the SnagIt software so I’m sure I’ll end up upgrading, but I’m just being grumpy right now. My license for Ad-Aware Pro ran out, but I didn’t even bother to renew it. Heck, I even uninstalled the entire Ad-Aware utility. Right now, all I’ve got running is F Secure 7.11 which seems to do a pretty damn good job. Again, to be fair, the free Ad-Aware 2008 is pretty darn good at catching spyware so if you don’t have a dedicated spyware utility on your computer, give this a try. It served me well, but I’ve ‘outgrown’ it.

Right now, I’m blasting my favorite Tu Face CD “Grass 2 Grace“. He’s awesome and I can’t wait to get a hold of his new stuff. Hopefully, it’ll continue in this vein. FYI, Tu Face is a Nigerian musician. I can’t wait for M to get home to tell him about my exploits on the trail. πŸ˜€ I kicked my ass, but I didn’t back down. I’m looking forward to some longer rides with him. I’ve got to tweak my nutritional habits to ensure that I’m not constantly in a catabolic state. My intake is increasing, but I suspect some minor inadvertent weight loss has occurred. Not good!