elbowruminations | Graphic Design Trends, Tips and Reviews Graphic Design Trends, Tips and Reviews

If you’ve read this blog, you know I rarely rave or try to sell you something. I usually just report the facts, tell you what I think it means and let you decide if the information is useful.

Today I am raving. Sorry in advance.

The Problem

I’ve recently started using 1Password to store all my information. As a freelancer as well as a full-time employee, I have a similar set-up in my home office and at work. I use the same hardware and software, and access the same servers and require the same information from both locations. This information is now available to me anywhere and it’s changed the way I work.

1password Welcome Screen

Previous to using 1Password, I stored hosting information and CMS logins for all my clients, third-party web application passwords, and anything of historical importance in a secret binder locked away in the filing cabinet. To access it was painful, to access it remotely was impossible. I needed a solution.

The solution I was looking for needed to be digital so I could access and copy/paste usernames and passwords quickly. The solution needed to be secure and it needed to be accessible online.

The Solution

1password is a traditional software application for Mac or Windows with browser extensions (and mobile apps). The software is a repository for everything you use online and off. It stores website logins, FTP servers, secure notes, payment information and even software licenses. You can add this information manually or let it capture the information the first time you login to a website. When you need a password, either auto-fill your information in your browser or copy and paste the hidden information from the application itself.

This is not only a solution for daily access issues but it’s also a long term storage application for information you never want to lose. 1password information is encrypted and stored locally. For remote access to your data, you can easily sync with Dropbox which opens up an HTML based interface that is very similar to the look and feel of the application – which is super nice.

At first I was wary about security, but as I considered the digital alternatives to printed information, there were no better options than what I’ve found using this solution. Agile offers another application called Knox – a military grade vault creator which can go the extra mile to alleviate security concerns if you are looking for extra peace of mind. Using the secure password generator that comes with the application to create passwords, is one of the best things you can do to prevent thievery.

Stored Passwords

Browser Extensions/Auto-fill options

The End

1Password has a retail price of $39.95 and gives the option of a free 30 day trial. This is the best investment in software I’ve made in a long time. Knowing I can access the keys to my digital life any time I need them is something I can’t put a price on.

If you have any questions, comment away! Sorry for raving. Goodbye.

In 1991, the very first web browser was released. Named ‘Nexus’, it had very basic capabilities, and could not display much more than the most simple stylesheet.

Thankfully, technology has evolved a long way and there are now many options depending on your surfing preferences. Browsers are now able to display everything from a spreadsheet to a feature-length movie. While evolution brings choice, this is not necessarily a good thing. Now, we are faced with the problem of choosing and recommending a browser which is intuitive for both developers and users. Firefox or Internet Explorer? Chrome or Safari? Opera or Netscape? Flock? Camino? Sea Monkey? It certainly is a difficult choice. However, this article should help you to weigh out the Pros and Cons of each browser.

Google Chrome

Google Chrome was released by Google in December 2008, with promises that it would load websites significantly faster, and only one tab would crash, not the entire window.

One largely significant downfall to the browser, however, is the fact that it has no built in RSS reader. If you are rely a lot on your RSS for daily information, be warned that Chrome may not be for you. For example, when reading an RSS feed, the user is presented with many lines of text in a single block, with no spaces, which makes for a rather unpleasant reading experience.

Security is obviously paramount to any developer. Chrome regularly downloads blacklists of malicious websites, to protect the user from viruses and malware.

The user interface is very plain and simple, and there is currently no possibility to expand Chrome with plugins.
In conclusion, Google Chrome should be recommended to users of a website, but I would not recommend it for use by developers.

Development Tools: 2/10
Security: 6/10
Speed: 8/10
Reliability: 7/10
Interface: 5/10

This means that Google Chrome has scored 28/50, but how will it fare against Firefox and Internet Explorer?

Firefox

Firefox is a development-focused browser which was created by Mozilla. The browser is open source, which means users and developers had a say in how it was made. The best thing about Firefox is that it has many development tools built in, such as an expanded page source viewer, a javascript debugging tool and a real-time DOM inspector/editor. However, if the standard tools do not quench your development thirst, then Firefox has literally hundreds of “add-ons” which can be installed to your requirement.

The security for Firefox is standard for most browsers, but again, there are many plugins which can be downloaded to enhance the security of the browser. Firefox is well laid out, but the top quarter of the screen is dominated with toolbars and such, but these can easily be removed.
All in all, Firefox is a useful tool for the developer, and comes with some great stuff as standard.

Development Tools: 8/10
Security: 5/10
Speed: 6/10
Reliability: 7/10
Interface: 6/10

This means that Firefox has scored 32/50. How will Internet Explorer fare against this score?

Internet Explorer

Internet Explorer is the default browser packaged with Microsoft Operating System. It is certainly not renowned for its development tools, and offers only a ‘developer toolbar’ download. The developer toolbar includes the tools which Firefox has generically. Many security vulnerabilities have been associated with Internet Explorer. The main way that hackers exploit the browser is through the ActiveX controls that it routinely uses. All a hacker has to do is write a malicious ActiveX control and then they can access all of your files.

Internet Explorer also includes a tool called the ‘Favorites Center’, which is a glorified version of the favorites toolbar.
The browser is typically very slow to load, and with security vulnerabilities, it’s not the ideal developers browser.

Development Tools: 6/10
Security: 3/10
Speed: 5/10
Reliability: 7/10
Interface: 7/10

Internet Explorer has scored 28/50, meaning that Firefox is most likely the best browser to use as a web developer or a graphic designer.

We’ve talked about Firefox tools before on Elbowruminations but if you are looking for more, check out this post by Speckyboy.

If you’re looking for an easy way to make sure your page looks good across all browsers or platforms, check out Browsershots.

And finally, for an exhaustive list of browsers and their history, wikipedia is the place to go.