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jmp 2 btm^

10 Feb 2025 18:45

Q: In Firefox, I want every bookmark I click to open in a new tab. Is there a setting for that?

A: Yes, but there might not be a simple checkbox in the Settings section. Instead, digging a little deeper under the bonnet might be needed. It’s easy though and only takes a few steps.

  1. In the Firefox address bar, type about:config. That’ll take you straight to the advanced settings. Don’t be put off by the warning message, it’s merely a reminder that you’re entering geek territory. Accept it and carry on.
  2. In the search field, start typing loadbookmarks. Chances are, before you finish typing, you’ll see two options pop up: browser.tabs.loadBookmarksInTabs and browser.tabs.loadBookmarksInBackground, both set to false by default.
  3. Click the icon next to browser.tabs.loadBookmarksInTabs to change it to true. From now on, any bookmark you click will open in a new tab.
  4. (Bonus step) If you also change browser.tabs.loadBookmarksInBackground to true, bookmarks will open in the background without switching focus to the new tab.

07 Feb 2025 17:02

Q: I have a Linux laptop running Linux Mint LMDE6 and a MacBook. What I am hoping to achieve is to share a folder on my Linux laptop that I can access on my Mac. I’ve installed Samba and shared the folder by right-clicking it in the Nemo file manager (then Properties -> Share), but trying to connect to it from my MacBook results in constant errors (though the shared folder is visible). What should I do?

A: Forget setting up the shared folder through Nemo, that didn’t work for me either. What did work was manually adding the shared folder to the /etc/samba/smb.conf file. You’ll need to edit it with root privileges.

In my case, my username on both my MacBook and Linux laptop is the same (I’ll use “fmr” as an example), which might play a part, though I can neither confirm nor deny it. My shared folder is called Mydocuments within my home directory.

Given the above prerequisites, I added the following lines to the configuration file:

[Mydocuments]
path = /home/fmr/Mydocuments
read only = no
guest ok = yes
force user = fmr

Then I restarted Samba using the sudo service smbd restart command. 

And that has worked for me.

05 Feb 2025 21:40

Having said all I said in the quoted post, I have, however, ported the number I had with spusu over to Slice Mobile. What pulled me in was the community spirit, the impression that they're really (I mean really, really, really) keen to take your feedback on board, and that looker of an app for managing your account.

Q: I've noticed those two relatively recent players in the UK mobile communication market, spusu and Slice Mobile. Both are virtual networks that piggyback on EE (use EE signal). Which one of those two is the better choice?

A: Having tested both, I’d honestly say neither would convince me to replace my main SIM. However, if your main network is Vodafone, O2, or Three (or their MVNOs) and you’re looking to add a splash of EE into the mix, both spusu and Slice are perfectly adequate. Between the two, spusu would be my choice.

As things stand at the moment, spusu offers cheaper plans and more features, like call forwarding and WiFi Calling. I particularly appreciate being able to manage call forwarding via their app or web account, as well as the option to have voicemails delivered to your email as attached audio files. Oh, and you can upload your voicemail greeting as a file which, as gimmicky as it might seem, is still a nice touch.

To me, Slice app looks nicer, more fresh and modern. Slice also seems focused on fostering a strong user community, which might be important to some. Their plans do promise to become cheaper through the cashback they offer on your spending, which increases with each year you stay with them (up to 20%), though this obviously requires a longer commitment.

Both networks have customer service folks who genuinely seem eager to help, but spusu nudges ahead with the option to chat on WhatsApp, which might be more convenient for some.

My Two Cents on What Slice Mobile Should Consider When Expanding into Non-EU Roaming

30 Jan 2025 09:43

   Pulled from an online discussion, this was my post from the Slice Mobile community. For transparency, please assume that all links to Slice Mobile here are affiliate/referral links. Which means that if you click on them and make a purchase, I may receive compensation, at no additional cost to you.

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I think, with all the discussions about roaming bundles, we’re in danger of losing sight of the bigger picture, which is global coverage, i.e., as many destinations as possible.

In fact, I’d even dare to say that ridiculously priced global coverage is better than attractively priced bundles that only cover a handful of countries.

Why?

First and foremost, 2FA, OTP texts.

If I’m off doing my bit of globe-trotting, I want to be sure my main UK number can receive those verification texts from as many corners of the world as possible. And once I’m confident it will, my second wish to the roaming-enabling genie would be the ability to receive those all-important GP/hospital appointment/job interview/whatnot calls at a price that’s not gonna make that GP appointment unnecessary by giving me a heart attack.

Only once that’s sorted will I think about whether my domestic SIM has a data bundle that compares well to the legion of travel eSIM offerings out there.

Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to see nicely priced roaming bundles. The above is just my two pennies’ worth when it comes to priorities for roaming, that's all.