keyboard shortcuts « Tech

Firefox 6 Reviewed, iPhone Tips, Facebook, Chatter, And More

Loyal readers know that I use Mozilla’s Firefox as my web browser. And they know I have chosen it simply because of the many Add-ons available – mainly Internet Safety (privacy and security) tools. If these “Add ons” were not available, I would not use Firefox. It’s that simple. (To see my choice of Firefox security add-ons, click here.)

What they may not know is, like many people, I got really turned off by Firefox’s new policy of a rapid release cycle and constant updates and ‘upgrades’ to new versions. And, I did not like the “minimalist look” of version 4, which is a direct rip-off of Google’s Chrome browser (if I wanted Chrome, I would have installed Chrome. Duh.)

Every time I turned around, Firefox wanted to update.. and, in fact, since I wrote Firefox 3, or 4 (or 5)? + Turn Off the “Upgrade” Nag back in May, they are now up to version 6. Let you in on a secret: I am still using version 3.

Yesterday, though, I read a detailed review by FOTIS-winning Seth Rosenblatt of version 6, which most Firefox users (if they agreed to the upgrades) already have. This has me rethinking, particularly what he said about Firefox 6 on Android, and I will be putting it to the test this week. In the meantime, you can read his review and analysis of the latest release here, (Find out why it earns 5 stars..) and if you already have it, learn some new features.

• 5 awesome Mozilla Firefox secrets (photos)

Firefox is packed with useful, built-in features you might have missed. Customize Firefox with these five helpful tips. View images

Further Brain Food:

• Salesforce abuzz over social networking software

“Metallica playing a trade show? It’s the kind of deliciously strange bit of news a person might share on Facebook – but Salesforce.com would rather see it posted on Chatter.” Read more..
(Never heard of Chatter? Me neither. Read the article.)

• The complete list of Windows Logo keyboard shortcuts

“The Windows Logo key can be a powerful tool if you know the right shortcuts.” Read more..

• 10 wacky IT office pranks

“An office without practical jokes would be a mighty dull place to work. Luckily, legions of IT pranksters have kept things lively over the years.” Read more..

• Tips and tricks to improve your iPhone experience

“A few simple tricks can make a big difference in how well your iPhone serves your needs. Calvin Sun shares some basic tips he’s discovered.” Read more..

• Can you tell a real Facebook e-mail from a phishing attempt?

“Notification e-mails from social networking sites like Facebook can be dangerous; if you’re fooled by a phisher, you can click your way into big trouble.” Read more..

• Recently, Steve Jobs stepped down as CEO of Apple. I wrote about that (see my Steve Jobs Steps Down, if you missed it) the day after. Since then, many more articles have been published, and the speculation continues. Probably the best of these I saw is Without Jobs as CEO, five reasons Apple won’t be the same

“Lots of people are talking about why Apple will continue its momentum even without Steve Jobs as CEO. Here’s the counterpoint.” Read more..“

Related: Only one minor, teensy-weensy, little problem..

I never joined Facebook..!

Yeah. It’s Monday again… yippee.

Today’s quotable quote: “Make somebody happy today. Mind your own business.” ~ Ann Landers

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August 29, 2011 Posted by techpaul | advice, Android, Apple, browsers, computers, Firefox, Internet, iPhone, mobile, privacy, security, social networking, tech | ann landers, chatter, Dreamforce, Facebook, Firefox 6, Google Chrome, Internet safety, iPhone, keyboard shortcuts, privacy, review, salesforce, security, steve jobs, tips, tips & tricks, web browser | 2 Comments

Tip: Keyboard Shortcuts – Manage Your Windows with Alt

There’s no doubt that knowing a few keyboard “shortcuts” can enhance your computing and save you time.. and make you appear the Über Geek to friends and coworkers. My favorite is Ctrl+Z, aka “Undo”. It has saved my bacon more than once!

Today’s tip focuses not on the Ctrl key, but the Alt key, and managing your open windows. Start today’s lesson by hitting your Alt+spacebar. Keep the Alt key depressed..

If you had a window open – your web browser, or Word, say – a little window will have opened. Here are some more shortcuts.

Alt+X will “maximize” your active window to “full screen” mode, and Alt+R will get it back to the size-adjustable “windowed” mode.
Alt+C will close the window. As will Alt+F4 .. if you can remember that.. (I remember “c”-for-“close”.)

Alt+Tab will switch between your open windows (jumping from Word to your browser, for example), which is a fast way to do your Copy (Ctrl+C) from here and Paste (Ctrl+V) to there operations. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist a few Ctrl’s…)

Using keyboard shortcuts takes a little getting used to, but once you do, you will (probably) never go back to reaching for the mouse. Try it and see how much quicker it is for yourself.

And remember folks: Ctrl+Z un-goofs many goofs.

Software License Giveaway Drawing

The folks at Codyssey have generously donated 10 licenses for CodySafe Σ (Sigma) to me, to award to my readers. I sincerely thank them for that. So I am having a random drawing¹ contest from folks who “enter”. The drawing will close midnight Thursday, July 22nd, and the winners announced Friday. So act now.

CodySafe is essentially a portable applications launcher and portable drive management tool for use with USB drives, and making them into a “computer on a stick”. With it, you launch your “portable” programs and files from a Vista-like menu. For details (and to enter), click here.

Today’s reco’d reading: The Helplessness of a Father in the Internet Age

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July 21, 2010 Posted by techpaul | computers, tech, Windows | advice, alt, how to, keyboard, keyboard shortcuts, manage, shorcut, techpaul, tip, Windows | 9 Comments

Keyboard shortcuts for Word (repost)

Today is simply turning in to one of those days and demands on my time require that I re-post a prior article. This article describes some time-saving shortcuts that can make working with your word processor go more quickly and easily–

Shortcuts save time and effort. By using keyboard shortcuts when I’m writing (I should say typing) I almost make up for the fact that I never learned to type properly — I do not ‘touch type’; I use a hunt-and-peck style all my own. My bizarre “style” allows me to type at about 35 words-per-minute (when I’m really cooking), and I have to look at the keyboard too frequently.. but I make it work.
I envy those of you who can zap out 60+ wpm without ever looking at your fingers.

Tip of the day: Use Word shortcuts to be a faster typist. In spite of my typing handicap, I manage to produce my documents quite quickly, and I do so by making extensive use of keyboard shortcuts. Shortcuts are key combinations that replace using menus or your mouse to do commands or actions. (It is a symbol of Geek skill to go as long as possible without touching your mouse.)It has been years since I have used my mouse to open the “Edit” menu and clicked on the “Copy” option. I always use Ctrl+C, which I learned in Word but is a universal shortcut (it works in [almost] every program). “Ctrl+C” is the same thing as Edit >Copy — and “Ctrl+V” equals “Edit >Paste”. A lesser known/used Edit is “Ctrl+X” (“Cut”) which combined with Ctrl+V allows me to ‘snip’ a sentence out of its current position and paste it in another.
And Ctrl+P and “Enter” (the “Print” command) saves me several mouse clicks when my document is finished. These are probably the most common and well-known shortcuts, and are “universal”.
And don’t forget to Ctrl+S (“Save”) your work as you go along.[Note to Mac users:substitute the “Apple” key for “Ctrl”.]

Basic edits:
Ctrl+C = Copy | Ctrl+X = Cut | Ctrl+V = Paste

Advanced edits:
Ctrl+I = Italics | Ctrl+U = Underscore | Ctrl+B = Bold | Ctrl+L = align, Left | Ctrl+E = align, Center {“C” is already taken for the Copy command} | Ctrl+R = align, Right | Ctrl+J = align, Justify.
Less frequently used are: Ctrl+1 = single space | Ctrl+2 = double space |Ctrl+5 = 1.5 space,
and rarer still, Ctrl+W = double underscore | Ctrl+T = hanging Indent | Ctrl+Shift+W = underscores words, but not spaces

Selecting text: Of course, before you can Copy, or Cut text in your document, you must ‘select’ (“highlight”) it. You do not need to use a mouse to do this, and often a mouse is not the best tool for the job anyway. The selecting shortcut I use most often is “Ctrl+A”, the “Select all” command.

The keyboard method for moving your cursor is to use the arrow keys. Normally the arrow key will move you one ‘space’, or character, (left, right) or one ‘line’ (up, down). This is fine and dandy for fine-tuning selections, but more realistically, you’ll want to select whole words, sentences, or paragraphs and doing it a space at a time is no time-saver! Again, it is the Ctrl key to the rescue.

Moving the cursor:
Ctrl+left arrow = move to beginning of the word (cursor jumps left) | Ctrl+rt. arrow = move to end of word (moves to the right) | Ctrl+up arrow = move to beginning of the paragraph | Ctrl+down arrow = …well, I’m sure you’ve guessed by now… | Ctrl+Home = jump to beginning of document | Ctrl+End = jump to last word entered

I use these a lot:
Ctrl+Backspace = delete last word (left) | Ctrl+Del = delete next word (right) | Ctrl+Z = undo last action

To select sections of text, simply add the “Shift” key to shortcuts above. Ctrl+Shift+left arrow will select the word you just typed, for example.

That’s enough for today. If you would like to see a more complete listing of Word shortcuts, click on the “Help” menu and enter the word “shortcuts”. You will find many, many more. With a little practice, you will soon be using these shortcuts as second nature, and saving yourself a lot of wasted motion in the process.

Today’s free link: If you would like to have your own website — for a small side-business, or you’re just getting started — and you’re on a limited budget, the free Microsoft Office Live Basic is, IMHO, your best bet (It does not put ads on your site, for one thing). Templates make it easy for folks with no previous experience to get up and running.

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March 31, 2008 Posted by techpaul | advice, computers, how to, MS Word, PC, tech, word processors | key combos, keyboard shortcuts, typing, Word shortcuts | 4 Comments

Shortcuts for Word

Shortcuts save time and effort. By using keyboard shortcuts when I’m writing (I should say typing) I almost make up for the fact that I never learned to type properly — I do not ‘touch type’; I use a hunt-and-peck style all my own. My bizarre “style” allows me to type at about 35 words-per-minute (when I’m really cooking), and I have to look at the keyboard too frequently.. but I make it work.
I envy those of you who can zap out 60+ wpm without ever looking at your fingers.

Tip of the day: Use Word shortcuts to be a faster typist. In spite of my typing handicap, I manage to produce my documents quite quickly, and I do so by making extensive use of keyboard shortcuts. Shortcuts are key combinations that replace using menus or your mouse to do commands or actions. (It is a symbol of Geek skill to go as long as possible without touching your mouse.)

It has been years since I have used my mouse to open the “Edit” menu and clicked on the “Copy” option. I always use Ctrl+C, which I learned in Word but is a universal shortcut (it works in [almost] every program). “Ctrl+C” is the same thing as Edit >Copy — and “Ctrl+V” equals “Edit >Paste”. A lesser known/used Edit is “Ctrl+X” (“Cut”) which combined with Ctrl+V allows me to ‘snip’ a sentence out of its current position and paste it in another.
And Ctrl+P and “Enter” (the “Print” command) saves me several mouse clicks when my document is finished. These are probably the most common and well-known shortcuts, and are “universal”.
And don’t forget to Ctrl+S (“Save”) your work as you go along.

[Note to Mac users:substitute the “Apple” key for “Ctrl”.]