Safari

Add a 'pull to refresh' gesture to Chrome, Safari

The "pull to refresh" feature that is now a staple of any great iOS app has found its way to your desktop via a Chrome and Safari extension. There is one caveat, however: you will need to be using OS X Lion in order for it to work.

Originally covered by Lifehacker, but brought to my attention by Twitter follower @StephToThe, the pull to refresh browser extension only takes a few seconds to install and set up.

Head on over to the developer's GitHub page. Download the ZIP file containing the Chrome and Safari extension. … Read more

Mobile Safari's default cookies settings changing randomly

Earlier this week it was found that Google had been overriding privacy settings for several Internet browsers, including Apple's Safari and Microsoft's Internet Explorer, in order to display its Google+ buttons in advertisements.

Now, according to a couple Apple Communities support forum threads (one, two), using Google products on Mobile Safari may be related to a bug that changes a user's "Accept Cookies" settings.

But, despite reports from many users saying the problems with Mobile Safari were in relation to the use of their Gmail accounts and the odd coincidence that Google is in the … Read more

Google getting around IE privacy settings?

Links from Tuesday's episode of Loaded:

Microsoft: Google bypassed IE privacy settings too

In the wake of reports that Google had sidestepped privacy settings in Apple's Safari browser, Microsoft announced today it had discovered that the Web giant had done the same with Internet Explorer.

"When the IE team heard that Google had bypassed user privacy settings on Safari, we asked ourselves a simple question: is Google circumventing the privacy preferences of Internet Explorer users too?" IE executive Dean Hachamovitch wrote in a blog post this morning. "We've discovered the answer is yes: Google is employing similar methods to get around the default privacy protections in IE and … Read more

Does your browser feed the cookie monster--or starve it?

Google's latest public display of cookie addiction revealed that while the ad side of Google enthusiastically embraces third-party cookies, the browser division is more hesitant. Here's how the five major browsers--Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Opera--protect you from those third-party tracking cookies.

But first: what's a tracking cookie? And why are they so important as a component of your online privacy?

A tracking cookie can be used to follow people around the Web as they jump from site to site. Though your IP address or your HTTP request header's referral field can also be used … Read more

Privacy brouhaha reveals Google's split personality

When it comes to privacy, is the Googleplex speaking with one voice?

A new Google privacy controversy has revealed conflicting messages and actions between two different factions within the company: those working to protect consumer privacy on the one hand, and those seeking to improve advertising and social networking on the other.

Meanwhile, the news that Google overrode default cookie settings in Apple's Safari browser has prompted two complaints to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and renewed calls for legislation and industry standards that would protect Web surfers from being tracked across sites if they don't … Read more

Microsoft denounces Google for bypassing Safari privacy settings

Microsoft is clearly looking for any ammunition it can find to criticize Google and win over Internet users.

Today, Microsoft seized on a Wall Street Journal report that Google sidestepped privacy settings in Apple's Safari browser to track Internet users. The Journal story said the search giant and other ad companies used special code to get around Safari's privacy controls in order to track users on computers and mobile devices.

"Apparently, Google has been able to track users of Apple's Safari browser while they surf the web on their Apple iPhones, iPads and Macs," Ryan … Read more

Apple knowledgebase Web pages not loading in Safari

Apple's knowledgebase articles are an excellent source for troubleshooting aspects of Mac systems and Apple's software. Apple links to them from numerous locations on its Support Web site, but recently a number of people have noted problems with accessing the knowledgebase articles.

In some instances when loading an article, the page will state that the requested information cannot be found on Apple's servers, but at other times the connection to the site has been refused or encountered errors with too many redirects or other problems that prevent the articles from loading.

When you are able to connect … Read more

How to add keyboard shortcuts to Netflix

Keyboard shortcuts make browsing Netflix and rating movies quick and easy.

Instead of clicking on menus and navigating to the areas of your interest, why not press one key? That's the functionality that a userscript written by Dustin Luck adds to your browser. The script states it will definitely work in Firefox, but also seems to work Chrome, Opera, and Safari without much of a hitch. Here's how to get it for yourself:

Step 1: Open your Web browser of choice. The notes for the script suggest that you use Firefox, … Read more

Q&A: MacFixIt Answers

MacFixIt Answers is a feature in which we answer questions e-mailed in by our readers.

This week people wrote in with questions about optical media not ejecting from the system, Firefox suddenly not opening, how to disable Safari-only mode in Lion, a missing Mac App Store option in OS X, and desktop backgrounds changing after waking from sleep. We continually answer e-mail questions, and though we present answers here, we welcome alternative approaches and views from readers and encourage you to post your suggestions in the comments.

Question: CD not ejecting from the system MacFixIt reader rlhbond asks:

I tried … Read more