Fix Unresponsive Script Warning

There are times depending on what is running in the background and other Internet activity that Firefox (or Thunderbird) may get bogged down and a JavaScript may take a little longer than normal to complete. Users will get a warning similar to the one below advising that the script is unresponsive.  The reason for this is because the application thinks the script is running wild and never going to finish processing thus causing the application to freeze and/or crash. This is very similar to Windows Task Manager warning you that an application is not responding, but the application is just a bit bogged down (which commonly happens with JavaScript) and needs more time to finish what it is doing.

The ‘fix’ for this is fairly simple, just increase the amount of time before a script is considered ‘unresponsive’. This can be done in both Firefox and Thunderbird via about:config (Firefox) and the Config Editor… (Thunderbird):

Firefox

1. In a new tab type about:config in the address bar and press enter
2. In the about:config manager type dom.max_script_run_time in the Filter field
3. Double click the entry and in the in the pop-up box type 20 and press enter
4. Close the tab

Thunderbird

1. Go to Tools >> Options…
2. Click on the Advanced tab on top
3. At the bottom of the window is a section Advanced Configuration
4. Click on the Config Editor… button at the lower right
5. In the Config Editor… type dom.max_script_run_time in the Filter field
6. Double click the entry and in the in the pop-up box type 20 and press enter
7. Close the window

Source: Itchy Hands

GreaseMonkey Script Install Error

Recently a forum member over at Go Firefox! was getting the below error whenever they tried to install a GreaseMonkey Script. They recently reinstalled Firefox with a fresh profile. They could install GreaseMonkey without issue but any time they tried to load up a script they got this ugly error:

Now, I know I had seen that error before but still took some searching to find the solution. Turns out this is caused by either a missing or damaged GreaseMonkey folder inside the profile folder. The fix is fairly simple and should only take a couple minutes:

1. Locate Firefox Profile Folder.
2. Check to see if there is sub folder called gm_scripts chances are it won’t be there. If it is missing go ahead and create it. In Windows Explorer go to File >> New >> Folder.  This will create a folder called New Folder, rename this to gm_scripts. Continue to next step
3. Check this folder to see if there is a config.xml file. If not, in Windows Explorer go to File >> New >> Text Document. This will create a 0 KB text file called New Text Document.txt , rename this to config.xml

Note: If you have not previously installed any GreaseMonkey scripts and the gm_scripts folder is present with files and folders inside of it, delete the contents inside the gm_scripts folder and then recreate the config.xml file as described in step 3.

Make Firefox a bit more netbook-friendly

” I’ve never exactly had a problem running the Firefox web browser on a netbook. But I do tend to disable a few toolbars so that the browser UI doesn’t take up too much screen real estate. When you’re using a 1024 x 600 pixel display, every pixel counts.
One user has gone a few steps further and created a collection of 10 add-ons for Firefox designed to improve the experience of using the browser on netbooks with small screens and relatively slow processors…. “

Source: Netbook Optimization Kit makes Firefox a bit more netbook-friendly
http://www.liliputing.com/2010/07/netbook-optimization-kit-makes-firefox-a-bit-more-netbook-friendly.html

How to keep your Firefox profile in sync and 14 more tricks.

We recently rounded up 15 Awesome Dropbox Tips and Tricks, which was accompanied by a giveaway. Entries required a comment with your favorite Dropbox tip, trick or hack you use. From that massive collection of entries we bring you 10 [more] killer Dropbox tips and tricks to make the most of this amazing app.

Source: 10 [More] Killer Dropbox Tips and Tricks | Web.AppStorm
http://web.appstorm.net/roundups/data-management-roundups/10-more-killer-dropbox-tips-and-tricks/

Manually Updating Add-ons to Work

Update: Thanks to Ken Saunders for the suggestion to use 7-Zip instead of WinRAR. Using 7-Zip greatly simplifies this process.

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I downloaded and installed Firefox 3.7a6pe today (more on this in another post). Everything was going fairly well until I started to move my extensions over from Firefox 3.6 profile. I was going to start with Nightly Tester Tools, but found out it is only compatible up to Firefox 3.7a5. Simple enough, I’ll just apply the Overriding Add-ons Compatibility Check Tweak I wrote earlier this year. That doesn’t seem to work with Firefox 3.7 or it may be related to the ‘problems with the new add-ons manager’ in Firefox 3.7 that people were mentioning in the Firefox Builds forum.

Last year I helped a family member get a theme they had been using to work with Firefox 3.5 and earlier this year with 3.6. This involves hacking the add-on (works with extension or theme) and modifying one line in the install.rdf file to make the add-on compatible with the newer version of Firefox.

WARNING! Forcing an add-on to work can cause unwanted behaviours including browser crash upon start-up. Familiarize yourself on how to use Firefox Safe-Mode.

Before you start you will need a file compression/archiving utility that supports .JAR files. 7-Zip works very well. Also I suggest using Notepad++ as it is a much better file editor than the traditional Notepad/Wordpad (DO NOT use a Word Processor such as MS Word). To associate Notepad++ as the editor for 7-Zip, in 7-Zip go to Tools >> Options.. > Editor and locate where Notepad++ is installed. Once you have these two applications installed and setup then you are ready to start:

• Download the add-on. When on the addons.mozilla.org page right-click on the Add to Firefox button and choose Save Link As…
• Locate the saved file. Right-click and from the context menu select 7-Zip >> Open Archive
• Locate the install.rdf file within the 7-Zip interface right-click and select Edit this will open the default editor connected to 7-Zip.
• Edit the install.rdf file. In your editor activate the find function (CTRL+F) and in the find box enter maxVersion (note: some add-ons may use the same install.rdf file for multiple applications be sure to make sure your editing the Firefox version).
• To the right of this ‘tag’ you are going to see a number. This reflects the latest version of Firefox this add-on supports. You will want to change this to the next highest version of Firefox:
  • Using Firefox 3.5 change this number to 3.6
  • Using Firefox 3.6 change this number to 3.7
  • Using Firefox 3.7 change this number to 4.1
  • Using Firefox 4.0 change this number to 4.1
• Save the file. Once you return to 7-Zip it should prompt you the file has been modified. Click OK to update the archive.
• Drag the add-on file from the Explorer window into Firefox to install as normal

Uninstalling JAVA Console Add-on

JAVA seems to be a popular topic lately on this here blog. So here is another Firefox and JAVA related post for your reading pleasure.

Yesterday I was helping a family member at their home with an odd issue with their Firefox 3.6 install on Windows 7. It seems they had several versions of the JAVA Console add-on installed and they could not uninstall them (‘uninstall’ button was greyed out). I am not even really sure what this extension is suppose to since I did not have this add-on installed. From what I have read it is suppose to open the JAVA Console from within Firefox. Yet, on their machine however, it did nothing.

Locate Your Profile Folder Easily in Firefox 3.6

Locating your Firefox profile folder can be a bit of challenge. While assisting a family member (more on this later) the other day we discovered that with Firefox 3.6, it s very easy to get to your profile folder.

1. From the Firefox Help Menu, select Troubleshooting Information… or in a new tab type about:support and press enter.
2. In the new tab that opens there is a section Application Basics, click the Open Containing Folder button

Click for Full Size Image

Access Blocked Stuff on The Web

“The web is a generally free place, but some sites and services want to
make it annoying to navigate and enjoy. Stream any video you’d like,
see the sites you need, and get at services you thought were down with
these tips.”
10. Skip Past Annoying User/Pass Requests
9. Read Articles That Rupert Murdoch Wants You Paying For
8. Change User Agents to Get Around Browser Blocks
7. Get to Gmail When It’s Down
6. Get Actually Usable BitTorrent Speeds
5. Get To Sites Taken Down by Traffic
4. Control Computers At Home
3. Download YouTube and Other Flash Videos
2. Access Country-Blocked Streaming TV
1. Roll Your Own Proxy to Access Blocked Sites

Source:  Lifehacker

More  http://lifehacker.com/5516305/top-10-ways-to-access-blocked-stuff-on-the-web

YouTube Auto Buffer Script Updated

The author of the YouTube: Auto Buffer and Stop AutoPlay Greasemonkey script has released an updated version (1.2.5) on April 8th. Recently Google/YouTube made changes which caused this script to stop working. Also new with this version, if an HD version of the YouTube video is available it will automatically be selected (this can be an issue for folks with older systems).

Edit: There is an ‘Autobuffer Options’ button just below the video title and to the right of the ‘Subscribe’ button. Options includ:

• Autoplay
• Autobuffer
• Auto HD
• Hide in-video-ads
• Hide annotations
  

YouTube Auto Buffer

Master Multiple Firefox Profiles for More Productive Browsing

One of the most powerful features in Firefox is also one too few people know about: the ability to create and use more than one profile at the same time. Here’s how to streamline and reap the benefits of multiple browsing profiles.
Instead of installing every single extension for every task into the same Firefox profile, why not separate them into separate profiles, organized by task? Think of Firefox like an Operating System for the web, and each profile as a separate application—one profile is used for basic web browsing, another for writing, another for web development, and so on.
Most of the writers at Lifehacker HQ use different profiles for writing, researching, and personal browsing on a daily basis. It keeps your Firefox instances running smoother, and each profile is streamlined for accomplishing the kind of things you want to accomplish with that profile….”

: Lifehacker