Techie

MooTools

2007-01-23T05:38:00.000-08:00

MooTools - JavaScript Framework

If you are looking for an Object Oriented javascript framework then MooTools is for you. It is similar to Prototype and Scriptaculous but I feel MooTools is extremely well documented, more flexible and customizable and easy to use. It is compatible with IE6+, Firefox, Opera, Safari, Camino browsers.

If you are new to MooTools, and need a guide to help you along the way, I recommend you to check out MooTools documentation. The documentation is extensive and it includes

Core Moo.js (Classes/Objects)

Extensions to native JS objects

Add ons such as Color.js, Common.js, Dom.js, and Hash.js

Windowing

Visual Effects

Drag and Drop

Remote Access

Plugins/Widgets such as Accordian, Scroller, Slider, and Tips

Compatibility information (1.0 isn't 100% backwards compatible with old versions)

Debugger wrapper that uses Firebug if possible

Mootools is released with the Open Source MIT license, which permits you to use it and modify it in every scenario.

Overall MooTools makes your life a lot more easier and your coding style way cooler.

Make ur files immutable

2007-01-23T01:45:00.000-08:00

Sometimes you delete important files and folders accidentally and are not able to recover them. For this Linux has a great capacity to secure your valuable information by making ur files immutable which even root user cant delete.

Linux ships with a tool called chattr which can be used for this purpose.

To make your “MyFolder” immutable use the following command,

# chattr +i MyFolder

After successfully completing the command, your folder will become immutable and even the root user will not be able to delete the folder. To change its mode so that you can remove it, use the below command,

# chattr -i MyFolder.

Stikkit

2007-01-23T01:39:00.000-08:00

Stikkit - online web based simple note taker.

Stikkit makes organizing your daily details as simple as jotting down a note or firing off email. Stikkit's "little yellow notes that think" talk to the productivity applications you already use, as well as to friends, coworkers and family, giving you a universal remote for your life.

The interesting thing is it parses the content of the notes that you type. So if you jot any address it will be automatically added in your address book or if you type a date/time an event will be created and will be displayed under My Calendar tab. Also any bulleted item goes onto your todo list. Thats really coool.

DWR

2007-01-08T05:13:00.001-08:00

DWR- Easy Ajax for Java.

The DWR (Direct Web Remoting) project is an open source solution released under the Apache license for the developers who wants to use AJAX and XMLHttpRequest in an easy way. It allows Javascript in a browser to interact with Java servlet that runs on the server. The servlet then processes requests that arrive from clients and sends back responses. The deployment of DWR is pretty simple. It comes with a single jar file and you need to add few lines in your web.xml. In the web page you need to add <script> tags to indicate which classes you wish to import and can call the Java Code directly from the JavaScript.

Imperva Application Defense Center has found a vulnerability in DWR. For more details check out here. So think twice before using DWR for your web application as Denial of Service Attacks and other security vulnerabilites are possible.

BiteMyPhoto

2006-12-21T05:59:00.000-08:00

BiteMyPhoto - Easy Uploading Tool.

If you are looking for a free Image uploading tool dont hesitate to try BiteMyPhoto. It is extremely easy to use, fast and makes uploading a lot easier. But on the other side I dont find any other unique feature(s) to mention here. It is just another free hosting service built using Ruby on Rails by a single man Bruno Miranda.

There are lots of other image hosting services available. Some of them include Thumbq, Zoto, Photobucket, Dundoo, Imagehack, AllYouCanUpload.

I think these services are a good competitors for the big guys Flickr and Picasa.

ChaCha

2006-12-21T05:58:00.002-08:00

ChaCha - A Human Powered Search Engine.

Chacha is another coool search engine with a standard search box. Type a query/keyword and you get back a set of results. But the most interesting aspect of Chacha is its people powered search engine. If you are not satisfied with the results you can request a chat session with a human search guide and get help to find what you are searching for.

Though its not fair to compare with Google, its really FUN to have a play with it.

On a similar note, try out Hakia which is a meaning based search engine which I covered here.

Hakia

2006-12-21T05:58:00.001-08:00

Hakia - Meaning based Search Engine.

If you’re bored using Google for Search, try out Hakia which is a meaning based search engine.The interface is similar to Google. The engine suggests you to enter not just keywords but a phrase or a question. So you can type a phrase like “What is the use of Ajax”.
I would say the results were spot on. It uses Artificial Intelligence(semantic system) for searching rather than the conventional index. Hakia should do something spectacular for beating Google.

Try the search for yourself.

GotAPI

2006-12-21T03:12:00.000-08:00

GotApi - Quick API Lookup Service.

If you’re looking for a quick developer reference for CSS, HTML, JavaScript, XSL, Java, J2EE, Struts then GotAPI is for you. It uses AJAX technology to get a large collection of API’s all in one place. The interface is really nice. Try it out and Im sure you find it very useful when you’re struck with coding.

Google Code

2006-12-15T10:38:00.002-08:00

Google has launched Google Code Search a place where the developers can access the publicly available source code.

Google Code Search is really a great resource mostly for web developers and hardcore programmers. Eventhough these application can be used for good reasons hackers/crackers may use it in a different way to find illegally posted source code and may use it in evil ways.
For those who dont want google to crawl the code can add up a file called robots.txt in their website. For more info check out here

Also dont miss to check out Krugle an effective search engine for source code. Demo goes here

GSpace

2006-12-15T10:38:00.001-08:00

Gmail Space - For File Storage.

Gspace is a firefox extension that allows you to transfer files between your local hard drive with your gmail account.

It serves as a backup for important documents, photos, music or video files.

Worth trying it out.

Customize Google

2006-12-15T10:37:00.000-08:00

Use Customize Google to improve ur Google Experience.

CustomizeGoogle is a Firefox extension that allows you to add or remove elements from Google Pages. Using this you can remove unwanted information like ads and spam. All features are optional and can be easily configured from the options menu.

This is really a very useful Firefox extension and makes Google more User Friendly.

BTW it doesnt cost anything. CustomizeGoogle is free Software, released under the GPL license.
Happy Browsing with CustomizeGoogle!!!

Ajax Dictionary

2006-12-15T10:35:00.002-08:00

Ninjawords is an Ajax online Dictionary. Its very easy to use, enter a word and hit LookUp, it gives you the definition of the words. A nice feature is that you can even compare words by typing all at once in the search box separated by commas.
It pulls the definitions of the words from the free and open Princeton WordNet and wiktionary.

ObjectGraph is another online Web Dictionary implemented in Ajax. It works like Google Suggest. It suggests words as you type. It has many searching options like Classical, Elements, Thesarus.

I love these two and its really handy for me.

SpongeCell

2006-12-15T10:35:00.001-08:00

SpongeCell New Ajax Calendar

SpongeCell is an online web based Calendar which is built on Ruby on Rails. It has a nice drag and drop interface. It allows you to import iCalendar events which can be shared with your friends and contacts. It has a nice mobile interface. Above all it supports Natural Language Processing(NLP) wherein you can type a sentence like “Meeting at 10A.M” in the SpongeBar and it will be automatically added as an entry in the corresponding date and time that you have mentioned.

It is a good competitor for the other Calendar Services like Google Calendar, CalendarHub, 30boxes, Planzo, Planscalendar, HipCal.

Koral

2006-12-15T10:34:00.000-08:00

KORAL Content Collaboration.

Koral is a web based Ajax application which helps to organize all the information in documents, folders and share them with the other people.

I’ve just had a demo of Koral. The User Interface is very slick and easy to use. It makes heavy use of Ajax and is actually SUPER FAST. Some of the good features in Koral includes

Version Control, Online Previews.
Once a file is uploaded it is automatically indexed and recommends a series of tags which makes searching much easier.
Allows users to subscribe to individual files.

BTW it is free for basic usage. Koral screenshots in Flickr can be seen here.

MemeFlow

2006-12-15T10:07:00.000-08:00

MemeFlow - Your GoTo Page.

I was searching for web online bookmark manager and found MemeFlow quite interesting. I feel Memeflow is different from others because of the following reasons.

It is simple, lightweight with clean interface and makes use of Ajax.

Organizing the links is pretty simple. No need to create any tags. All you need to do is to create blocks with title and description and then place the links in the blocks that you want.

Drag n drop of blocks can be done and the items can also be dragged between the blocks.

I dont find any way of searching public bookmarks. But it is really worth trying it out, if you dont want to depend on your browser favorites everytime.

Memeflow was created by Steve Lacey.

Web Brush

2006-12-15T10:06:00.002-08:00

Web Brush - Active Colloboration tool

Web Brush is an online multiuser web application which can be used for the creating/discussing diagrams, flowcharts, schemas etc., Using WebBrush you can share diagrams/texts/images with your friends. It has a chat panel for sending text messages. WebBrush can be very well used for educational purposes.

The UI is awe inspiring with clean use of Ajax and Javascripts.

BTW it doesnt work with Firefox and I was forced to use IE5.5+

KoolIM

2006-12-15T10:06:00.001-08:00

KoolIM - An online Web Messenger.

KoolIM is an online web based Instant Messenging service. It is really coool, elegant and make nice use of Ajax. KoolIM does chat through a browser popup window(which is annoying for some users). So within a single browser window you can use the following instant messaging services AIM, MSN, Yahoo, GTalk, ICQ. There is no need for any registration, but for quicker login into all the IM services you can create a free account.

Some of the competitors for KoolIM include Meebo(which i personally love most), ILoveIM, Mabber, eMessenger, MessengerFX, Wablet, Goowy, Imunitive, RadiusIM. The web based online chat offering is constantly growing and is getting crowded day by day.

These Web based services are getting really popular in colleges, schools, and in work places where IM clients are blocked.

Helipad

2006-12-15T10:05:00.001-08:00

Helipad - Web notepad

Helipad is an online note taker. You can organize notes by making use of tags and give colors to easily find them. It has some pretty cool features like as you type Search, AutoSave, Sharing, Public Documents, Support for mobile device as well.

You can customize the application by changing the entire user interface or adding your own features. For this you can make use of their open API’s.

Periodic table of elements in Ajax

2006-12-15T10:04:00.000-08:00

Came across an Ajax application which displays the Periodic table of chemical Elements.

On clicking of element it shows up a DIV which gives the Atomic Number, Atomic Weight, Melting and Boiling Point of the corresponding element.

I feel this is very usable for e-learning especially for high school chemistry students.

Zoho Show

2006-12-15T10:02:00.001-08:00

Zoho Show - Web based Presentation tool

Zoho Show is an online web based presentation tool used to create, edit, publish presentations. You can even import your ppt files from your hard disk and edit them online. Its very easy to create and show presentations remotely.

SlidShare is another popular tool that does the same job as Zoho Show.

Zoho Sheet

2006-12-15T10:01:00.001-08:00

Zoho Sheet - Spreadsheet manager

Zoho Sheet is a web based alternative for your traditional spreadsheet applications. The user interface is similar to a desktop spreadsheet. You can share sheets with other users, make public sheets, Import/Export sheets, and you can even insert charts. It also supports more than 300 functions.

Google has also come up with online spreadsheet manager Google Docs & Spreadsheets. Besides these two applications there are some other online spreadsheets manager as well.
Check out EditGrid, IRows.

For other zoho services check out here

Zoho Writer

2006-12-15T10:00:00.000-08:00

Zoho Writer - Ajax Word Processor

Zoho Writer is an Online collaborative web2.0 Ajax based word processor. You need not install anything on your computer, just signup and create documents online and access it anywhere and anytime.

Zoho Writer supports Collaborative Editing means multiple users can work on the same document simultaneously.

It supports import/export of documents with PDF, DOC, SXW, RTF, ODT, HTML and text file formats.

With Zoho Writer you can also post documents to your blogs like WordPress, Typepad, Blogger.

Zoho has other services as well check out here

Zoho Virtual Office.

2006-12-15T05:50:00.000-08:00

Zoho has a wide range of online web applications along with the latest office suite

Zoho has just released the Online Office Suite “Zoho Virtual Office” as a closed beta service. It is a web based collaboration groupware that includes Webmail, Documents, Contacts and many more.

Zoho offers many online productivity tools that includes

Zoho Virtual Office - webmail, documents, calendar etc.,
Zoho Writer - Word Processor
Zoho Sheet - Spreadsheet application
Zoho Show - Presentation
Zoho CRM - CRM
Zoho Creator - create web applications
Zoho Planner - Online organizer
Zoho Chat - chat
Zoho Polls - Poll creator

Zoho is also bringing out all the services( Virtual Office, Writer, Sheet, Show, Chat, Planner) together in single sign on.

Check out the release of Zoho Virtual Office @ Office 2.0 conference

Openomy

2006-12-15T05:46:00.000-08:00

Openomy - An Online File System

Openomy is not just a Storage but an Online File System. You can store files and access from any computer. Openomy organizes files and users via tags. Openomy has open API’s so custom applications can built over it. You can find their documentation on the Openomy API documentation site. Openomy uses a clustered file system behind their API called MogileFS

Openomy has a good feature set like Public files, Virus checking, tagging etc.,

You can integrate your 30boxes account with Openomy.

BTW Ian Sefferman is a founder of Openomy and it has around 20,000 users.

Omnidrive

2006-12-15T03:10:00.000-08:00

Omnidrive - The Universal Storage Platform

Omnidrive is an universal web storage platform which is accessible from any platform using a web.

Since its in closed beta you can only get an account upon request.

Omnidrive make your life more easier by allowing you to store, access and stream your files from almost any web connected platform. Omnidrive will have both a Web edition and a desktop edition, where users can upload files directly to their account through Windows Explorer.

XDrive

2006-12-14T07:17:00.000-08:00

XDrive Is Offering 5GB Of Free Storage

Anyone can signup on XDrive and get 5GB of online storage, You can only signup with AOL or AIM screen name.

What can you do with XDrive:

1. Files can accessed anytime anywhere with a web connected PC or SmartPhone.

2. With 5 GB of online storage any documents such as photos, videos, email attachments and other important documents can be stored. Its something like hard drive insurance

3. Folders can be shared with permission like Read only, Read and Write etc.,

Its really worth giving a try.

Box.net

2006-12-13T04:08:00.000-08:00

Box.net - Virtual Storage Space

Box.net is free for 1 GB of storage space.

The interface is user friendly. It has a good set of features like

* Set up subaccounts for multiple user access.

* Store files which needs to be accessed from any location

* Hassle free sharing.

* A Firefox extension - A button in your browser to quickly access your Box.net account at anytime. Download the extension here

BTW currently Box.net registration is closed.

DriveHQ

2006-12-13T04:07:00.000-08:00

DriveHQ - Online Web File Manager

DriveHQ offers 1 GB of free storage space.

Few highlights about DriveHQ

* Supports drag-n-drop thousand of files or gigabytes of data

* Supports advanced file caching

* Encryption and Compression

* It has the support to resume broken downloads/uploads

All in all the UI is quite easy to use as the interface is very similar to Windows Explorer. With many years of technology development, DriveHQ differentiates from all other Internet Services by making Internet storage as easy and efficient as local drives and is 3 times faster than regular FTP/HTTP.

DropBoks

2006-12-13T04:05:00.000-08:00

DropBoks - Store files Online

If you are looking for a service where you can upload/download files without any other features try DropBoks. It is a single page application which makes use of Ajaxian Prototype. You can store upto 1GB of data. The UI is clean, No bells, no whistles, easy signup with very simple navigation and is ad free. But individual files cant be larger than 50MB, and only one file can be downloaded at a time.

Worth trying it out and Im damn sure you will definitely love it.