Tip for Netbook Users

I'm a pretty big proponent of netbooks, but recently I'd found a problem that was plaguing me. It wasn't really a netbook problem, so much as it was a firefox problem. I've found that it's much nicer to access the internet on a netbook through firefox when you use full-screen mode. That is, by pressing the f11 key you can maximize firefox so that it hides the upper and lower tool bars so that you get your internet pages covering the entire screen space.

The only drawback to doing this is you can't access your bookmarks. When you move your mouse cursor to the top of the screen, it drops down a minimized version of the toolbar that does not include the file toolbar. To access my bookmarks, which I use frequently, I would have to drop out of full view mode by pressing the f11 key, access my bookmarks, then press the f11 key again! Not very handy to say the least. I have finally found a firefox add-on that will alleviate this problem.

Compact Menu 2 takes all the components on the file toolbar (file, edit, view, history, bookmarks, tools & help) and puts them in a single icon that looks like a small blue ball that sits to the left of the navigation buttons. By clicking this icon, while in fullscreen mode, I can now access all my bookmarks anytime I want!

Facebook Sucks

Facebook sucks! That's the long and short of it. I got on Facebook against my better judgement since quite a few members of my family were on it, and it did make it easier to stay in touch with them. During the "entire" week that I was on it though, my virus scanner alerted me to more viruses, trojans and worms during that week than it had for the entire previous year! On top of that, several of my accounts got hacked, not very seriously though thank GOD!

In the end, my netbook was so compromised by Facebook, I had to reformat the hard-drive and re-install the operating system. Well, actually it was my son that did that for me, and he did a great job. Now it's simply become a matter of getting all my software back up and running. So, make sure you steer clear of Facebook at all costs, it just isn't worth it. If you want to stay in touch with family and friends, just use email and a secure chat program!

A great resource for netbook users

If you use a netbook, or are thinking of getting one, here's a great forum with news and resources for you...

Netbook Forum

I've been using my Acer Aspire One netbook for about a month and a half now, and love it. I've been remiss in getting a review of it up on the internet, but plan to rectify that soon...watch this space for an upcoming video review of one of the handiest gadgets I've seen come down the turnpike in a long time.