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Filed under: Browser Tips

Manage multiple Firefox profiles with CookieSwap

CookieSwapIf more than one person uses your home computer, odds are you're constantly logging in and out of your Gmail, Flickr, YouTube, and other online accounts. Sure, you could set up separate profiles for each person who uses your operating system, but who wants to take the time to switch user logins just to check their email?

That's where CookieSwap comes in. This lightweight Firefox extension lets you create several distinct cookie profiles in Firefox. Just right-click on the profile button and choose the profile you want to use for each session. Any cookies you download during your browsing session will be saved to your current profile. So for example, if you sign into Gmail and check the box for Firefox to remember your login information, it will be saved to the current profile. You can then switch to a different profile if you want to login as a different user.

CookieSwap works reasonably well, but it's a bit rough around the edges when it comes to tweaking or adding profiles. If you click the "manage profiles" button all you'll get is the directory where your profiles reside. You'll have to navigate to that directory to manually rename your profiles or to add extra profiles if you need more than three.

[via DailyApps]

Filed under: Internet, Google, Social Software

Google Profiles: Cyberstalking just got a whole lot easier

Google Profiles
Google has an awful lot of services, and while you've been able to create a personal profile for some of those services, like Blogger, Orkut, or Google Groups, you had to reenter your information every time you signed up for a new services. Now Google is rolling out Google Profiles. Basically your Google Profile will show up in all supported Google services, saving you a lot of time and energy.

Right now your Google Profile will only show the information you enter. For example, you can customize your nickname, about field, or put a list of links. Google will not automatically populate those links with other Google properties, although we imagine they might in the future. For example, if you fill out a profile on Google Maps, we wouldn't be surprised to see Google automatically add your Blogger, Orkut, and other information. We certainly hope your Gmail and Google Talk info stays private though.

For now, only the links that you enter will show up in your profile. So if you want to promote your web site, or give attention to some of your favorite sites (like perhaps, Download Squad?), you can share those links with anyone who reads your profile.

If you want to fill out your Google Profile today, your best bet is to go to Google Maps and click the "My Profile" button at the top of the screen. You won't find this link on most other services yet. But eventually Google plans to make your profile visible on multiple services. If you use your full name as a nickname, people will also be able to discover your profile by doing a Google Search for your name.

[via Google Operating System]

Filed under: Internet, Mozilla

DLS Tip: Manage your Firefox profile(s) on Windows, Mac and Linux

Firefox profiles are a seemingly hidden feature that brings a lot of power and flexibility to the browser. Users can create separate profiles that have different add-ons installed, preferences, bookmarks - you name it. Each profile is like a new, clean slate for the browser, but accessing the profile tool isn't exactly straightforward. Other Mozilla efforts like Thunderbird and the Mozilla Suite offer better access to profile tools, but for Firefox users, Mozilla maintains this Profiles support page that offers step-by-step processes for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux on how to access the profile manager (however, this page is also handy for copy/paste-able command line code). With this manager you can create and delete all the profiles you need, as well as toggle whether the profile manager appears when you start Firefox (this setting, as you might imagine, is turned off by default).

If you aren't a chronic nut for Firefox profiles however, this tip can also be handy for another reason: troubleshooting. If Firefox is misbehaving or crashing a lot lately, chances are an add-on or Greasemonkey script is the culprit, and not Firefox itself. Setting up a clean profile to test things might just be the trick you need to get back to trouble-free browsing.

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