It’s worth noticing it if you are using Opera. I had a difficult-to-solve issue recently.

While playing with the idea of starting to use IPv6 on my main PC, I tested the waters by validating this option in the network configuration of my Windows XP. Unfortunately, Opera is already fully ready for IPv6 but my router box is not. So, the first effect it had is that Opera decided to enforce the use of IPv6 for all web sites that mentioned IPv6 capacity in their DNS (not many of them, but Google and Free.fr my ISP are already in the list). The immediate effect was that Opera tried to connect to them in IPv6 but failed (because the rest of my home configuration is not 100% IPv6). For 99% of all web sites, there was no difference…

It took me several days (and some Googling – using Safari and Chrome) to understand that this is a known issue and to remove the (still) useless IPv6 Windows configuration.

I’ll have to upgrade my router and try again.

I just took one part of the simplest category: Rain drops.

Rain drops (on Icons Etc.)

I’m sure that you will find whatever you need for your web site, for your Windows desktop or any other icon-based application.

YLovePhoto.com

Then, I checked for Roumazeilles.net itself, and I noticed the same situation:

Roumazeilles.net

It appears that Firefox is moving very fast. Who would have thought -a few years ago- that Microsoft’s world domination would be toppled like that?

It’s new version, Safari 4, is just out. Faster, still as good and powerful, but Apple is now claiming the crown for the “fastest” web browser. It could well be possible when Snow Leopard OS-X becomes available later this year. Running natively as a 64-bit Mac application, it could gain 50% from today’s already powerful base of Safari 4.

Safari version 4

Safari 4 is available for Windows XP, Vista, or mac OS X 10.4.11 or newer.

Now, Opera is launching a beta test version 10 of the browser. And it has amazingly interesting new features.

• Fast browsing on slow connections
• Tab browsing enhanced and flexible
• Speed dial from the empty new page
• Web mail integration
• Re-sizable search field
• Much faster web engine and impressively standards-compliant
• In-line spell checker (I use it a lot to support my blogging habits)
• Auto-update (better than merely asking you to check for updates)
• Mouse control

Even better, after testing it in alpha, I can tell you that it is quite stable. The beta version should stay that way and that is a good thing too.

You can download it here.

From GraphJam.

This is time to start your own blog in order to earn some revenue protecting you against the current recession.

Be warned.

Google Chrome

How could we ignore the launch of Chrome, the new browser from Google? Every is babbling about it, everybody tried it (it can be downloaded here).

But after one test run, I believe that I should explain something. Yes, this is a marvellous browser because it takes most of the good things from FireFox, Opera or Safari (all IE competition). I immediately noticed:

• No space is lost in useless graphical waste, everything is concentrating on user display,
• The good tab management,
• The impressive performance,
• The name-completion in the address bar.

Some will also have noticed the more technical features like:

• The separation of applications running in different tabs,
• The very small footprint (including for the Javascript).

But, all this is hiding a very critical reality: Google did not even try to make a mere browser (it even lacks a simple RSS feed manager). They are more interested in doing more than Internet Explorer competiton. Much more.

Chrome (tasks)

The impressive advantage of this browser is elsewhere: it will fight against Microsoft applications allowing to work online in the best possible conditions. Chrome is nearly an Operating System competing with Windows. Yes, because where Windows offered a vehicle to sell Microsoft Office, Chrome will allow Google to develop a wider range of online tools in the path opened by the Desktop applications and GMail.

It will hurt Microsoft real bad. Chrome is obviously the best browser to support this approach. Rock solide, fast (very), reliable and able to support application crashes.

Normally, there is a solution. You can modify slightly your website to ensure that if this happens, the image served is not the original one, but a modified one (either a big red X, or a message to the reader). But it is a little difficult to do by hand. A wbe site tool comes handy for this: HTMLbasix – Htaccess Disable Hotlinking Code Generator.

Don’t worry, I may post something on Roumazeilles.net every day, but it does not mean that I am in front of the keyboard every day. Far from it. I am using one small advantage of WordPress (the software package supporting my web site). I can write posts and schedule them for future publication.

That way, I have no limit to my inspiration. For example, I have currently scheduled weekly posts about optical illusions for the coming 6 months, a full week of feline-related news (daily posts next week), a full week of daily videos titled “when XXXXX get bored” in a couple of months.

• On March 26, Opera was announced to be the very first browser to succeed to obtain a 100/100 or 100% test score.
• Safari 3.1 is the first non-beta release of Safari for Windows (usually Safari is available on Mac OsX). While it is still unfinished, it reached the imposing 100% score only a few days after Opera.
• Internet Explorer 8 which is still in closed beta has been said to be able to pass the test, then not to, then again. It seems that Microsoft has the code for a 100% score but feels it should not be the default operation of its future browser.

Reference: The Acid3 test page.

You have to first install a small add-in module (that is immediately downloaded from the Internet and available from a button in the icon bar of Opera) to reach these features. After a few seconds or minutes, the Internet user will be able to use his or her browser by pressing on a key to start the browser listening to your orders. Simple: Insert key, Baby open page, Insert key, and a new page opens. You must keep a relatively good American English accent, but it works quite well (even with a lot of background noise).

On the other side, you can request Baby read to listen to Opera reading the first lines of the page or the selected paragraph you previously selected.

Nota bene: I told Opera that I prefered to use Baby as a prefix to all commands rather than the bland Opera prefix; I find this cuter.

A feature that you must try too. In a free browser of very high quality.

If you find some technical difficulties with your browser (it shouldn’t be the case, of course), please, feel free to comment about it.

For those most technologically inclined, let’s just say that without seriously changing the appearance, we went from template a fully based upon HTML tables to a CSS-based template. Many of the layout elements are now moved into the CSS sheet and this explains the performance gain.

1. Using the RSS feed for the web site. You need to have an RSS reader (one is included in recent versions of Safari, FireFox, Opera and Internet Explorer; Several autonomous specialized software programs exist; BlogLines, Google, AOL and others offer such services -See the Add-To category in the let-hand-side column). It has the advantage of using a now-common interface symbolized by the logo: You can keep in touch with several web sites at the same time and you are informed any time something new is published.
2. If you prefer to receive an email each time some new article is posted, you can use the RSSFWD tool. it reads the RSS feed and sends you an email to inform you. Just go to http://www.rssfwd.com/ and give the following feed URL: http://www.roumazeilles.net/news/en/wordpress/feed/, the service will work in a matter of seconds.

While I’m on the subject of RSS feeds, let me offer a link to the RSS toolbox of Mashable. It gives information about 120+ ressources (readers and utilities) useful to RSS lovers.

On another issue, the SPAM problem on the Internet became a major problem: Prorams try to make believe that they are human beings in order to insert advertisment anywhere a user can write (in the messages of a forum, in the comments of a blog, etc). For some time now, it became common that human users must identify themselves by their capacity to recognize a badly written word. Theoretically, this is a very efficient Turing test allowing to differentiate a human from a machine only by the results of their actions. Practically, the abilities of software programs have become so impressive that SPAM is slowly coming back again through those filters named CAPTCHAs (those images that you must read and copy back in order to be identified and approved for a specific action).

The problem appears to be: create CAPTCHA tremendously difficult for the automated software and, simultaneously, bring human beings to the task of checking scans of documents difficult to read by program.

The solution: reCAPTCHA.

The idea is to provide a CAPTCHA service to thousands of bloggers and forum administrators (WordPress, phpBB, etc.) Users are invited to recognize two words specifically difficult to read (profesional OCR programs failed during scans done by Carnegie Mellon University). The user must recognize them both. One is used to check that this is a human being, the other will fill a database of OCR translations that will be used to deliver even more CAPTCHAs and to improve the quality of a document scanned by Carnegie Mellon. Dual core technology: efficiently fight spammers and deliver millions of human users to improve the scan quality of thousands of ancient documents (without using slave labor).

Example of a difficult to read/scan document:

One of the key advantages is that most pro OCR programs can tell when they fail to recognize a character or a word (when they are not confident enough).

As a matter of fact, some additional explanations may be useful and they can come from another article written by Richard Rutter: “Resetting default padding and margin“.

Additional thoughts from Eric Meyer on the same issue:

• Reworked reset
• Reset reasoning

For HTML and CSS specialists.

• The <?php tend to disappear (unless you start juggling)
• Some charcaters would not display at all (or badly)
• The overall presentation is pretty bland if you use <code>

So, I looked for a plugin (nearly everything in WordPress is done by adding on of those marvellous little code gems that can be included in a few seconds into the basic configuration) adapted to this task, easy to install (I don’t want to be stuck with heavy maintenance just for this), easy to use.

Here is the summary of what I checked and my opinion regarding them.

Code markup v1.1.1

Syntax

Just insert your code between <pre><code> and </code></pre>.

In my opinion

Pros:

• Correctly avoids WordPress text transformation
• It is still possible to add some manual formating in the code itself
• Compatible with WordPress 1.5, 2.0 & 2.1
• Single file plugin, to be activated from the WP dashboard

Cons:

• No syntax coloration

ElasticDog Code viewer v1.1

Syntax

Your code is stored in an external file, is displayed with indentation and auto line-return, may be downloaded separately.

In my opinion

Pros:

• Rather flexible presentation/format (e.g. line numbering)
• External file storage allows code duplication if it appears in several posts or in several locations)
• Single file plugin, to be activated from the WP dashboard; Plus described installation procedure

Cons:

• External file storage: Rather heavy duty solution for small snipets of code

Coffe2code Preserve code Formatting v0.9

Syntax

Just insert your code between <pre><code> and </code></pre> (some other tags can also be defined).

In my opinion

Pros:

• Correctly avoids WordPress text transformation
• Single file plugin, to be activated from the WP dashboard

Cons:

• Not updated since 2005. It is not even sure it was tested with WordPress v2.1 ?
• No syntax coloration

Priyadi’s Code Autoescape v2.0

Syntax

Just insert your code between <pre><code> and </code></pre>.

In my opinion

Pros:

• Correctly avoids WordPress text transformation
• Compatible with WordPress 1.5, 2.0 & 2.1
• Single file plugin, to be activated from the WP dashboard

Cons:

• No syntax coloration

CoolCode

In my opinion

Pros:

• Includes syntax coloration

Cons:

• The web site is 99% in Chinese (I did not complete a real evaluation).

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Dean Code Source Syntax highlighting v1.1

Syntax

Just insert your code between <pre lang=”php”> and </pre> (specifying PHP language or any other language).

In my opinion

Pros:

• Correctly avoids WordPress text transformation
• Compatible with WordPress 1.5+
• Also includes syntax coloration (for many languages).
• Single file plugin, to be activated from the WP dashboard, and a CSS file to fine-tune formating

Cons:

• You must define CSS tags (minor problem since, for the others, you prefer to do so)

RobM Code entities v1.1

Syntax

In view of the current evolution of this type of plugins, even the author advises to use Priyadi’s Code Autoescape instead of his own.

Conclusion

As you can deduct from the information I provided here, my choice was Dean Code Source Syntax highlighting that I currently use for Roumazeilles.net. The strongest reason was clearly the ability to do syntax coloration to increase readability even for small code snippets (I care about my readers confort).

I can’t say I saw every aspect of these plugins in the comparison (benchmark) but it led me to a reasoned choice that I wanted to share with you. You may be doing a different choice; Feel free to tell us which one and why.

Examples

PHP code

Here is how PHP source code appears:

CSS code

Here is how a CSS file is displayed: