Chris over at Infomancy posted a link to this great Firefox download manager plugin called DownThemAll. I just snagged every handout from the AASL conference for my perusal in a matter of seconds. Great plugin, great resource. Thanks Chris!
Up until now we’ve been using a drawing program (KP) that’s been pretty buggy and has incredibly obnoxious sound effects, not to mention a heinously annoying little intro song. (otherwise, I like it. no, really.)
Tux Paint is free, simple and incredibly fun. I love the interface, the Lynux penguin and the funny sound effects. It’s got the same types of bells and whistles, just more subdued and tasteful.
There are Windows, Mac and Lynux versions. Being open source, there’s great flexibility to tailor the program as much as you want, and the documentation is in plain English. But the basic install is excellent, so you can also just install and go without any changes.
It passed the 5 year old test 
and will soon be running on all my school machines.
I’ve been lurking around Koha for what seems like ages, going back and forth on if I should give it a whirl. So far, the cons have outweighed the pros, the largest obstacles being lack of time, lack of a Linux box and the huge learning curve I’d have to conquer.
But I was just looking at the release notes for the upcoming version, and things are looking pretty exciting. It will be coming out with Amazon jacket-covers and reviews as well as patron reviews and rankings.
I’ve been desperately wishing my students could add meta-data of their own to our catalog, with kid reviews and suggestions. And my current little catalog has no book covers or book descriptions. I had played around with Delicious Library, but it’s really made for individual - not library - use. Among other drawbacks, it has no user privacy.
So, in the spirit of Real Simple, let’s write this down.
Here’s what I’ve got in my Yes column for Koha:
Free, free, free
Web interface (I don’t even currently have a web OPAC)
Firefox plugins
Patron reviews
Book jackets
Much better notice templates and customization than what I’ve got.
I’ve got such a teeny collection, it can’t be that big a deal, can it?
Could run on my Mac server.
Under No:
It will all happen on my own time.
I currently pay a really obscenely low amount for my catalog (don’t tell my vendor I think so).
That’s it, I think.
I think a change is gonna come.
I was just writing an article for the my state librarian org. newsletter about the new site I made for my school using WordPress, and trying to convey my love of open source.
I understand the concern some folks have about using software that doesn’t come with access to a paid “support” staff. I agree, the idea that you could get excellent, free software, and access to people who would answer your questions quickly without asking for anything in return, simply sounds too good to be true.
I admit right now I’m flying on a cloud of love for Wordpress, all the fun plugins, and the really easy upgrade process I just went through on both my sites.
So, it’s a bad time for help desks that my district actually pays to be sending me “help” like this.
As you probably already know, all that (name of expensive, crummy application removed just to be nice) requires in this situation is for “others” to have “read only” access to all files in the (Crummy App) folder.
Your inability to change permissions is an issue with MacOS Finder, not with (Crummy App). We would recommend that you contact Apple or a consultant for assistance with the Finder.
The problem with the failure of authentication may be as simple as typing
the wrong password, or as complex as a bug in the Finder, or it could be
something else.We would also recommend investigating 3rd party tools to change permissions.
Let me know if I can be of further assistance.
-Crummy App Help Desk Guy
I particularily wonder if men who email help desks get replies like this:
(your problem) may be as simple as typing the wrong password
I’ve never contacted a help desk that didn’t insinuate I was probably just typing in the wrong password. Is it a male to female thing, or is their smug attitude distributed evenly across the genders?
Firefox is simply a testament to the virtuosity of open source communities. Excellent bookmark organizing, tabbed browsing, spell check and the quick search box search engine list are so far superior to what other browsers offer.
But what really makes Firefox the Queen of all that is browsing is the ever increasing list of Add-ons. What a world of particular people there are out there. It’s like finding a new tribe.
There are two add-ons that I can no longer live without, it’s that simple.
Add-Block Plus blocks a huge majority of the advertisements on most web pages. And you can add to the list of blocked adds on your own computer, then share that file with all your student machines.
I’m doing a unit right now on advertising and I have the students view sites in both Firefox and Safari so they can see what they’re usually missing. I’m constantly horrified by the number of sites recommended for kids (Yahooligans anyone?) that are covered in advertising. I’m not sure if the teachers sending their students to sites with copious advertising even give it a second thought, but I wish they would. Give the kids a break, they get enough advertising outside of school.
Tab Mix Plus is more a tool for me than the students, I admit. But the excellent array of preferences for tabs is just the thing for this particular gal. Put your “close tab button” on the left side and you’re never go back. I also suggest having new sites always open in a new tab, so you’ll be reminded to go back whence you came.