Author Topic: A simple "Start Page" (Read 17345 times)

zridling · « **on:** January 29, 2010, 04:01 AM »

Not sure how others surf the web, but the idea of "start pages" like mine below have been around since the beginning. I've been using a similar setup of this one since early 1995. Unseen, farther down the page, I keep a list of all my personal desktop settings, colors, and tweaks, just for reference. Sometimes I change the background color based on the browser I'm using, I don't know why.

A simple "Start Page"

A version is kept online in case I'm at another computer. In all, this page alone has over a 1,000 links. I usually run through about 200 each day. This was created using the KompoZer editor.

KynloStephen66515 · « **Reply #1 on:** January 29, 2010, 09:27 AM »

I much prefer Opera's Speed Dial option, and the favorites link at the top is well organised if you put them into folders named to what type of website they link to.

I personally find it much more aesthetically pleasing and much tidier.

Just my opinion though

zridling · « **Reply #2 on:** January 29, 2010, 11:37 AM »

Yea, Opera is great. This one is merely text-based, and like arranging a room, I know exactly where every link is.

Bamse · « **Reply #3 on:** January 29, 2010, 02:26 PM »

For Firefox the brilliant Awesomebar taking advantage of 90 days history and of course extensions has taken over but I think many would like something like your start page. Have no idea how to make own, not their very own. Netvibes, igoogle and others are not alternatives because indirectly they encourage chaos which is opposite of goal.

What is the url?

wraith808 · « **Reply #4 on:** January 29, 2010, 03:35 PM »

I use Fast Dial in firefox. I tried New Tab King, but I couldn't get used to it (not to mention that it used pages that I'd rather not see appear every time I open my browser)

Tuxman · « **Reply #5 on:** January 29, 2010, 04:44 PM »

What's wrong with about:blank and a list of bookmarks (built-in)?

MilesAhead · « **Reply #6 on:** January 29, 2010, 04:57 PM »

What's wrong with about:blank and a list of bookmarks (built-in)?
-Tuxman (January 29, 2010, 04:44 PM)

I always use about:blank but how do you embed the bookmarks?

Tuxman · « **Reply #7 on:** January 29, 2010, 04:58 PM »

Why embedding them when I can choose them from a side bar, a tool bar or a menu anyway?

KynloStephen66515 · « **Reply #8 on:** January 29, 2010, 08:54 PM »

I use Fast Dial in firefox. I tried New Tab King, but I couldn't get used to it (not to mention that it used pages that I'd rather not see appear every time I open my browser)
-wraith808 (January 29, 2010, 03:35 PM)

Stop going on dodgy pr0n websites then?

wraith808 · « **Reply #9 on:** January 29, 2010, 10:20 PM »

I meant financial institutions and such $:-\$

Tuxman · « **Reply #10 on:** January 29, 2010, 10:24 PM »

Stop going on dodgy f1nanci@l websites then?

MilesAhead · « **Reply #11 on:** January 30, 2010, 01:53 AM »

Why embedding them when I can choose them from a side bar, a tool bar or a menu anyway?
-Tuxman (January 29, 2010, 04:58 PM)

When you wrote "a list of bookmarks (built-in)" I thought you meant some tweak to have a blank page with a bunch of links or something. As I said, I just use about:blank myself. It does get a bit hairy though. I'm glad FF does search of bookmarks when typing in the address bar... but I think it's getting to the point where I need some AI thing that knows what I'm looking for when I can't remember the name of the stupid bookmark or which folder it's stuck in. I have the bookmarks toolbar as all categorized folders but sometimes it's a toss up which folder I would put something in if it sort of spans categories.. esp. if I haven't used that bookmark for awhile.

Bamse · « **Reply #12 on:** January 30, 2010, 06:09 AM »

Firefox messing about with bookmarks does not suit that many Tuxman. Ok to a point, like where you have to remember it can't even sort! Also torture for hard disk to manage - at least up to 3.1/3.5 there were something very wrong with how it delete/copy/move bookmarks. In theory there are no lack of options.

I use Gmarks

- besides being fast I guess it help my awesomebar since it now only search history.

Have had success in setting up Sitelauncher for a 5 year old who does not understand bookmarks. Does folders and all so like a modern start page.

wraith808 · « **Reply #13 on:** January 30, 2010, 08:36 AM »

Stop going on dodgy f1nanci@l websites then?
-Tuxman (January 29, 2010, 10:24 PM)

The jokers are out in force!

Tuxman · « **Reply #14 on:** January 30, 2010, 09:45 AM »

@MilesAhead: A manually made list of bookmarks on a "start page" can not help you either then.

KynloStephen66515 · « **Reply #15 on:** January 30, 2010, 10:29 AM »

I suppose the easier and quickest way (rather than having to code any software) would be to code a simple HTML website containing links in each frame/section of an index page, advantage of this, of course, is you can design it to your own specification, using your own banners etc...make it look spiffy by using favicons or logo's for each website, or keep it simple by having it pure text based.

If anyone needs one running up, please feel free to contact me with a list of websites you want putting into it and an idea of how you want it to look and i will happily do it for you, free of charge of course

-Stephen

patthecat · « **Reply #16 on:** January 30, 2010, 11:04 AM »

I do a similar thing with having a "Start page" of html links locally on my computers but I also put it on my web hosting so I have access to it on any computer, while traveling, etc.

KynloStephen66515 · « **Reply #17 on:** January 30, 2010, 11:09 AM »

thats a good idea tbh, easpecially if its an obscure link like mybrowserlinksarestoredonthispage.html so no1 can randomly access it haha

Jammo the OrganizedFellow · « **Reply #18 on:** February 06, 2010, 12:14 AM »

I have a similar to zridling but nowhere near the 300 links!!!

MilesAhead · « **Reply #19 on:** February 06, 2010, 12:45 PM »

Hmmmmmm, I wonder if there's a FF AddOn that searches the descriptions for when you forget the name of the site? Like if you typed in Programming it would pop up all your bookmarks with the word or substring in the description.

edit:

For example, for some reason I keep forgetting the name Robert Vesco. But if I could search on keywords "financier thief" it should pop up the bookmark.

I searched the word Description on FF AddOn bookmarks section and didn't come up with that AddOn.

Deozaan · « **Reply #20 on:** February 06, 2010, 06:49 PM »

I use Google Chrome's new tab page as my "start" page. And finally I started using bookmarks again because of Chrome for two reasons:

1. My bookmarks are synchronized to all Chrome browsers.
2. I have it set up so that the bookmark bar only shows up on the new tab page.

zridling · « **Reply #21 on:** February 07, 2010, 10:30 AM »

I use Google Chrome's new tab page as my "start" page....
2. I have it set up so that the bookmark bar only shows up on the new tab page.
-Deozaan (February 06, 2010, 06:49 PM)

That's a great idea. Never thought to do that. Thanks.

SKesselman · « **Reply #22 on:** February 09, 2010, 08:10 PM »

Hmmmmmm, I wonder if there's a FF AddOn that searches the descriptions for when you forget the name of the site? Like if you typed in Programming it would pop up all your bookmarks with the word or substring in the description.
-MilesAhead (February 06, 2010, 12:45 PM)

Miles,
This thread seems a little over my head

, so forgive me if your question is more complex than this:
If you are in FF, go to View, Sidebar, History & it has a search bar for you to type in your keywords.
Is this what you meant?

MilesAhead · « **Reply #23 on:** February 10, 2010, 02:04 PM »

No, what I was thinking, since they are using a database format anyway for Bookmarks, you should be able to search on the little descriptions or keywords in the bookmarks database(maybe not that great an idea since I don't have them all filled in, but if this worked then I probably would make a point of it when I saved the Bookmark.)

Say I had a bookmark to a site(fictional) named Histerocity but I can never remember what it's named because I only go there once a year. If the keywords or descriptions had the word collectables and I type in the keyword with some AddOn, it could pop up all the Bookmarks with that description/keyword. I have no clue how to do FF AddOn programming. I don't know how difficult it would be.

I have folders with most of my Bookmarks categorized but there's really more categories than room on the Personal Toolbar(and I've never seen a multiple row wrap hack that worked in FF like Opera has.) There tends to be some overlap. Like something could be Documentation but it's strictly Programming Documentation so it might be in either folder.

I guess the alternative would be to periodically export bookmarks as HTML and just load the page to search it. That might be easier.

edit: for now I exported the bookmarks.html and made a bookmark to the file on disk. I have to fill in more of the descriptions and keywords for it to be useful though.