I thought it would be trivial to add a custom search engine to Firefox. To be fair, it is fairly trivial, but not quite as easy as navigating to the correct Firefox settings page and adding a new entry. Instead, I found the process to be somewhat hidden and less obvious.
A blog post detailing an issue where a Puppeteer screenshot script, triggered through a PHP application using CodeIgniter, stopped working due to Chromium not starting under the Apache www-data user on Debian.
I've been reading a lot of good things about the Vivaldi web browser of late, so I thought I would give it a try. These are my notes on what I did to personalise Vivaldi.
If anyone is in any doubt as to whether you need to compile any software from source in order to use desktop Linux, you really don't.
A post where I try to clarify my current stance on LLM/AI. I share my concerns about data privacy, energy usage and Big Tech influence.
Some thoughts about Mozilla's decision to build AI features into the Firefox web browser.
Last week I switched the operating system on my daily driver (Lenovo ThinkPad T14s) from Debian 12 to Fedora 40. In this post I write a little about why I switched and how the switch went.
I believe that it's really important to support and use Firefox. Not only do I think that Mozilla understand/support user's privacy more than Google, but I also think it's important for the health of the web that more than one option exists when it comes to rendering engines. Also, it's a really good web browser.
I've recently decided to simplify my life by moving away from using multiple computers to using a single laptop. What are the main advantages and disadvantages of using a single computer?
As a web developer, I like to build and rebuild websites. My own website is no different.
bootstrap codeigniter debian fediverse jquery markdown mastodon php
I was asked to find a bunch of spooky sound effects for a charity Haunted Walk event at work. I figured it would be much better to have an app for that, so I created a creepy SFX soundboard as a PWA. It's kind of silly, but it was fun to work on. I used the Dracula theme, which is not just for Halloween!
After more than a week of using/testing Vivaldi browser, I've moved back to using Firefox. I really enjoyed using Vivaldi, it's a great browser with lots of settings/features that other browsers don't offer (without extensions/add-ons). It's good to know that if Firefox ever dies, I can switch to using Vivaldi and be happy.
Also, a good thing to come out of using Vivaldi, it forced me to edit my personal Firefox extensions to work with both Firefox and Vivaldi/Chrome.
Working on a single-page application. It's not something I would normally do and I didn't start it as a SPA, it just kind of happened. The application may never be published, but I had a free Saturday afternoon and it was kind of fun to hack on.
I have spent today mostly writing Sass/CSS. Maybe it's just me, but it takes me a while to mentally switch to working with front-end stuff; even more so when I've mostly been working on back-end stuff. I find there is much more freedom to experiment and play on the front-end, and this can take time, which makes me feel like I am going slow. I guess I need to remind myself that it is OK to take my time.
I've added my website to a webring. It feels like I've stepped back in time! IndieWeb Webring: xn--sr8hvo.ws
Browsing the scheduled track for OggCamp 2024. There are a number of sessions I'm interested in, including a couple related to ActivityPub.
I've had my iPhone 11 for 4 years and for the most part, it has just worked. However, recently it has decided that it does not like to stay connected via Bluetooth to my car, unless the screen is turned on. I'm thinking it might be time to get a new phone and I'm toying with the idea that I might go back to using an Android device. I'm looking at Google Pixel devices, but I'm not fully committed to the idea just yet.
Writing some notes about personalising Vivaldi web browser: philipnewborough.co.uk/blog/vivaldi...
Cutting off access to all WordPress.org services for WP Engine customers is proper mental.
Interesting to read that Vivaldi are supporting the new Social Web Foundation, but there is no sign of Mozilla. I guess this is not a surprise as they announced they were shutting down their Mastodon instance last week. Just seems like something they should be involved with.
Molly White, Citation Needed / Web3 Is Going Just Great - XOXO Festival (2024) - YouTube Molly White believes a better web is possible.
A free and open internet shouldn’t come at the expense of privacy We can’t just ignore online advertising — it’s a major driver of how the internet works and is funded. We need to stare it straight in the eyes and try to fix it.
The blogosphere is in full bloom. The rest of the internet has wilted | John Naughton | The Guardian As blogging pioneer Dave Winer’s site turns 30, it’s a reminder that good writing and thinking has flourished beyond the reach of social media.
CSS Loaders: A collection of more than 600 loading animations 
Place Cats Seems like a good alternative to PlaceKittens, since it seems to be gone 😿
Do not comment on another website, when you can write on your own – disassociated.com Post comments are not unheard of here, but I rarely enable them. And that’s because I’ve long believed the best way to comment on something you’ve seen here is to either contact me, or, preferably, write a post on your own website.
A Blog Directory A home for everyone's blog and post rolls.
opensearch/opensearch-1-1-draft-6.md at master · dewitt/opensearch This document defines the OpenSearch description document, the OpenSearch Query element, the OpenSearch URL template syntax, and the OpenSearch response elements. Collectively these formats may be referred to as "OpenSearch 1.1" or simply "OpenSearch".
OpenSearch description format | MDN The OpenSearch description format can be used to describe the web interface of a search engine. This allows a website to describe a search engine for itself, so that a browser or other client application can use that search engine. OpenSearch is supported by (at least) Firefox, Edge, Safari, and Chrome.
Thomas the Transformer Unlicensed, undefeatable, and undoubtedly awesome. Toot-toot is his death cry, and he will crush you as he screams his sweet revenge, all in the voice of Ringo Starr.
I like tag all content on my site. See below for my ever-growing list of tags.
My name is Philip Newborough and I’m a full stack web developer living and working in Lincoln, England. This website (philipnewborough.co.uk) serves as my personal homepage. When I’m not working with tech, I love to ride bicycles with my wife and friends.