Author Topic: Multi-browser Bookmark Synchronization Tool and Other Multi-Browser Ideas? (Read 45828 times)

mouser · « **on:** March 29, 2007, 12:20 PM »

So i just released the latest version of my FARR plugin FarrFox which allows you to search firefox, ie, opera bookmarks (see here).

Having written code to read bookmarks from ie, ff, opera, i wondered if there was any need for another tool in the universe to work with bookmarks from dif browsers. Is there need for another tool which can work with browser bookmarks from the different browsers, or do good free tools for this already exist and nothing more is needed. Any other ideas?

urlwolf · « **Reply #1 on:** March 29, 2007, 01:18 PM »

If you have to use multiple browsers, why not have them all in an external, 3rd party place (e.g., delicious) and connect to that from each browser?

Sorry, I know it doesn't answer the question and sync'ing is yet another problem...

rjbull · « **Reply #2 on:** March 29, 2007, 04:41 PM »

LinkStash (not tried by me) looks good, with a different approach:

LinkStash is an outstanding new bookmarks/favorites manager which works for Internet Explorer, Firefox, Netscape, NetCaptor and Opera. Just 5 minutes with LinkStash and we are betting you will never want to use the IE favorites, Netscape & Opera bookmarks again! Easily store and organize all your favorite links. With fields for comments, ratings, password, date last visited, and much more. Make your bookmarks visible and easy to find by using color highlights.

LinkStash will open and close with your browser, and using LinkStash means you can store and organize all your favorite links in a familiar Explorer-style tree arrangement. With fields for comments, ratings, password, date last visited and so on, links can be easily edited, maintained and kept up to date. You can make your bookmarks visible and easy to find by using color highlights. A customizeable toolbar allows you to arrange all your favorite commands in a sensible, custom arrangement of your choice.

[...]

All bookmarks are kept together in one single file, easily fitted on the average floppy diskette. This means your bookmarks are totally portable and can be taken to and from work, and easily synchronized between computers.

[...]

*** Linkstash now combines the functionality of a top notch bookmark manager with complete automated password control. Store all your passwords safely and securely encrypted in LinkStash, protected by a master password and enter complete username/password information on any web site login page with a common configurable keystroke!

cnewtonne · « **Reply #3 on:** March 29, 2007, 10:32 PM »

I do use LinkStash and it is the best I've seen so far. The developer John is working on a major update now. I was planning to write a review on it and I will sometimes next week. I have also used netsnippets as a bookmark manager but its limited search was a turn-off. Powermarks was another one I liked a lot, but it looks like it is abadonware now.

andrew_x · « **Reply #4 on:** March 30, 2007, 04:37 AM »

I'd like to recommend you checking Bookmark Base.

It's a small portable (in terms of software portability, not cross-platform) tool which supports IE, FF, Opera and other browsers based on IE and FF core (like Maxthon or K-meleon).
It can import|export bookmarks in any direction between browsers, merge them, clean duplicates, check bookmarks for validity and so on. Here's a comprehensive Softpedia review of it.

justice · « **Reply #5 on:** March 30, 2007, 06:18 AM »

Powermarks is the best! (http://www.kaylon.com/power.html) it not only synchronises your bookmarks, crossbrowser, also lets you instant searches them, extract tags from them so they're grouped, backup/store them online so you can use them between multiple pcs.

A quick test found a couple of issues with vista / opera, but I hope to keep using this.

HareKrishna · « **Reply #6 on:** March 30, 2007, 07:54 AM »

The best is Link Commander and its portable modification Portable Bookmarks

I don't know more powerful bookmark manager! There is one trouble: it's a bit complicated

KenR · « **Reply #7 on:** March 30, 2007, 06:02 PM »

THANK YOU VERY MUCH to Mouser for raising this topic and to everyone who contributed a bookmark manager they thought was the best. I've been looking for one for a while. I have downloaded all mentioned and will try each one. I'm sure that one of these will be great for me and you will have saved me many hours of searching and testing!

Gratefully,
Ken

rjbull · « **Reply #8 on:** March 31, 2007, 03:46 PM »

There's also LinksBase by FSL, but it's permanently "coming soon"

KenR, any hope of a comparative review?

KenR · « **Reply #9 on:** April 01, 2007, 11:33 AM »

KenR, any hope of a comparative review?
-rjbull (March 31, 2007, 03:46 PM)

Hmmm, interesting question rjbull. I'll tell you what, you take a look at Link Commander and then tell me if you think there's any need for a comparative review. I looked at all the programs and I thought it blew the others away.

Ken

rjbull · « **Reply #10 on:** April 01, 2007, 02:59 PM »

KenR, any hope of a comparative review?
-rjbull (March 31, 2007, 03:46 PM)

Hmmm, interesting question rjbull. I'll tell you what, you take a look at Link Commander and then tell me if you think there's any need for a comparative review. I looked at all the programs and I thought it blew the others away.
-KenR (April 01, 2007, 11:33 AM)

I looked at the cost of a commercial license for the portable version, and thought it too high for me. Also I'm not sure if the license would cover all needs, such as using it from a USB stick in an Internet cafe or similar, though I suspect it would cover such uses. Actually, as a registered user of ClipCache, I had a chance I passed on for a discount on LinkStash. I'm kind of hoping that Rose City Software might make me another special offer some time

It will be interesting to see if FSL ever finishes his freeware...

mwb1100 · « **Reply #11 on:** April 01, 2007, 03:19 PM »

Has anyone tried SiteBar (http://sitebar.org/features.php)? It's a combination of a web application and client pieces to integrate with IE, Firefox, Opera, etc.

The idea is that your browser would uses the web application to store bookmarks, so they'd all be in one place, synchronized, and accessible from any Internet connected machine.

They have the web application set up on their server with free basic service and for-pay options for extra service, or since it's open source, I should be able to set it up on my web host and not have to depend on a third party.

KenR · « **Reply #12 on:** April 01, 2007, 05:37 PM »

It will be interesting to see if FSL ever finishes his freeware...
-rjbull (April 01, 2007, 02:59 PM)

Yeah, I agree. When I looked at that one, it seemed to me that one way for someone to make extra money in a situation like that might be to keep it in development, motivating people to pay by giving them special access to the otherwise unavailable software. Of course, I have no way of knowing whether that is going on here.

Ken

rjbull · « **Reply #13 on:** April 02, 2007, 08:37 AM »

It will be interesting to see if FSL ever finishes his freeware...
-rjbull (April 01, 2007, 02:59 PM)
When I looked at that one, it seemed to me that one way for someone to make extra money in a situation like that might be to keep it in development, motivating people to pay by giving them special access to the otherwise unavailable software.
-KenR (April 01, 2007, 05:37 PM)

Isn't that much like old-fashioned commercial transactions, before the idea of shareware got invented? Not sure I see how it would make extra money, especially as alternatives exist...

app103 · « **Reply #14 on:** April 02, 2007, 10:12 AM »

It will be interesting to see if FSL ever finishes his freeware...
-rjbull (April 01, 2007, 02:59 PM)

Yeah, I agree. When I looked at that one, it seemed to me that one way for someone to make extra money in a situation like that might be to keep it in development, motivating people to pay by giving them special access to the otherwise unavailable software. Of course, I have no way of knowing whether that is going on here.

Ken
-KenR (April 01, 2007, 05:37 PM)

That's not his style of releasing software.

He releases 2 versions of everything: 1 regular freeware version for everyone, and one with an extra feature or 2, to thank those that have donated to him in the past.

I am sure it will be released to the public when he feels it is ready and stable. He may have stopped deveopment on it for awhile to work on other projects.

Just think of how long we have all been waiting for this.

KenR · « **Reply #15 on:** April 02, 2007, 12:45 PM »

That's not his style of releasing software.
-app103 (April 02, 2007, 10:12 AM)

Glad to hear that! Thanks for letting us know that about him App103.

Ken

patteo · « **Reply #16 on:** April 08, 2007, 02:08 AM »

I do use LinkStash and it is the best I've seen so far. The developer John is working on a major update now. I was planning to write a review on it and I will sometimes next week. I have also used netsnippets as a bookmark manager but its limited search was a turn-off. Powermarks was another one I liked a lot, but it looks like it is abadonware now.
-cnewtonne (March 29, 2007, 10:32 PM)

I have been using Powermarks for many years now. I would not say that Powermarks is abandonware.

In fact, I could almost would call it almostperfectware, which may the reason you don't find that much development at all.

But the author did release minor updates. Also, when Firefox came along, the author initially had problems getting it to work with Firefox but he managed to solve the problem and quietly created an extension that works very well.

Powermarks 3.5 Beta
"This is an update for Firefox 2.0.0.X. We had to make changes, since our last beta release that worked with Firefox 1.5, in order for the plug-in to work with this new version.

See their beta page extract below. Please don't be put off by the word beta. Gmail has been on beta forever now and it works without problem. Likewise for Powermarks 3.5 which you will notice is dated only 5 months ago in Nov 2006.

"Powermarks 3.5 Build 387 (11/8/2006 - 812 KB)"
http://www.kaylon.com/beta/index.html

This new version of Powermarks contains a Firefox toolbar that allows Powermarks to work seamlessly with this popular browser. A user can open links in the current tab or window, a new tab, or a new window.

The process of accessing Powermarks or adding bookmarks can be easily achieved by using the Firefox toolbar buttons."
http://www.kaylon.com/beta/index.html

It has served me very well all these years and I've look looking for something out there that could possibly be better. But I have yet to find anything better.

It works with IE7 and it works with Firefox 2.0.0.3 and its search is instantaneous (which is a real killer). Love it.

KenR · « **Reply #17 on:** April 08, 2007, 02:18 AM »

On the other hand, see my cautionary note about Link Commander here.

patteo · « **Reply #18 on:** April 08, 2007, 02:51 AM »

I understand your cautionary tale.

But then again, Link Commander is not necessarily like Powermarks.

In all the years I've used Powermarks, I have been very happy with it.

Never had a need to contact the author for anything other than once when I email him about support on Nov 30, 2005 for Firefox 1.5 (support for Firefox 1.0 was existing) and got a reply on Dec 16 2005, telling me that support for Firefox was ready at
http://www.kaylon.com/beta/index.html

After that email initial reply, response was quick for my next couple of queries in which he told me that he was working on a cross platform version.

I have had no need to contact him since then since the current version works flawlessly with Firefox 2.0.0.3 as well as IE7.

Frankly, I rather have a product/software that works so well, we have no need to communicate with the author than one that is really buggy and we get quick responses from the author. Powermarks is one of the 1st software that I install if I have to do a re-installation of my laptop. No bugs, no crashes, really instantaneous search and I really do tax the full power of Powermarks. In fact, I would kind of feel a bit helpless without it. Besides, how much support can I expect for US$24.95 which I paid maybe like 8 or 9 years ago

And if Link Commander is really good, then lack of support is not necessarily bad since you may not need to contact the author at all.

Better a fire chief that prevents fires (and can fight fires) than one who is good at fighting fire and is constantly fighting fires.

KenR · « **Reply #19 on:** April 08, 2007, 03:00 AM »

I understand your cautionary tale.
But then again, Link Commander is not necessarily like Powermarks...
-patteo (April 08, 2007, 02:51 AM)

My warning ONLY applied to Link Commander.

urlwolf · « **Reply #20 on:** April 08, 2007, 04:57 AM »

FYI, mag.nolia does pretty much like del.icio.us but it also copies a local version of each page you bookmark so if it dissapears, you can still see it in there.

Is there any software here that can synch with mag.nolia / del.icio.us? They kind of negate the need for this kind of soft, but in many browsers (all but firefox with del.icio.us bar) it sucks to bookmark pages in these services (you need to visit a "post" page, yet one more client/server communication!).

KenR · « **Reply #21 on:** April 08, 2007, 05:27 AM »

FYI, mag.nolia does pretty much like del.icio.us but it also copies a local version of each page you bookmark so if it dissapears, you can still see it in there.

Is there any software here that can synch with mag.nolia / del.icio.us?
-urlwolf (April 08, 2007, 04:57 AM)

Thanks urlwolf. I appreciate the information. Also, I am sorry, but I don't know the answer to your question.

Ken

iphigenie · « **Reply #22 on:** March 07, 2008, 09:48 AM »

I am looking at the bookmark managing/synch'ing area again and have tried a few online options but the management of things is just too slow online, no matter what they try.

I tried again pretty much everything mentioned in this thread and at the moment my 2 favorites are Outertech's linkman and resort labs' link commander

Linkman: I really like the small toolbar that linkman leaves at the bottom of the screen, I can see that having this I might just use it and never use my browser's bookmarks. When I had it on I would actually click on that to add a bookmark instead of my browser's add and I loved how it warned me of duplicates. It was also as-you-type search always visible but without using much space.
I also kind of like the idea that you can have your browser's bookmarks open in the second pane, so you can control the synchronisation, but in practice I just don't seem to get around to using it, anduse that bit less than in a tool with preview or properties.
It is quite fast and powerful, the search worked really well, has all the tools I could think of needing. I only miss an internal quick view browser, somehow it helps me when checking bookmarks as it reminds me what the site was. There are a lot more features which I am not at all sure what they mean or how useful they are, but that's just typical of me :\
I had a weird issue with the trial locking up after less than a week and contacted the developer, and got a quick response, plus a follow up email when there was a new version released. Which is very nice and professional.
I almost registered this one years ago so maybe this time around I should

Link Commander: I find link commander quite intuitive to use for management, in a way more so than linkman. Somehow I just *like* it better. It integrates very well with opera, i can even look up the history or list of all open tabs, live, and allow me to bookmark them in bulk. It was very easy to clean, move, manage the bookmarks, but unlike linkman I didnt find myself using it to add the bookmarks while browsing. On the other hand the build in browser comes in handy for me, and it keeps a screenie if i want it, and I found I did spend a bit more time getting keywords and meta information than I ever did with linkman - in summary I used it only for managing/cleaning the bookmarks, but I used it more as it made that bit feel easier.

So I used linkman more when in conjunction with my browser, and link commander more for the move-tag-check of links. Ugh, need more cash to spend!

Between the two I am torn

must try a bit longer

rjbull · « **Reply #23 on:** March 08, 2008, 03:17 PM »

I registered LinkStash a while back now, and like it, but it may not have all the features you want. It now has duplicate detection and dead link checking - I think, haven't tried them - and a good license. Adding URLs from your browser is done by user-definable hotkey.

iphigenie, if I remember correctly, you're a big fan of Martin Aignesberger's programs. Have you tried simply using WebSite-Watcher as your bookmark manager? It puts that little icon at the top of your browser and functions are available from there.

iphigenie · « **Reply #24 on:** March 08, 2008, 05:54 PM »

I tried really hard to like website watcher but it's just not made for me - on paper I should just love it but it's too much setup work and then it still managed to puzzle me. Mostly I have tons of bookmarks I check once in a blue moon and just want for reference so I can find them again, and a tiny number of sites i check regularly. It was just too much work to set them all up so it wouldnt show me whenever things i am not interested in are changed...

In a way I am far too lazy - I want the tool to feel logical and smooth, and I also want it to be an improvement over the browser bookmark thing out of the box.