The Good Life... a weblog about life, technology, and the Opera web browser

NOTE: This fix should no longer be necessary, as it appears they've fixed their login script.

As you've probably noticed by now, Gmail doesn't work with Opera. Due to a bug in their login script, you can't even login. Well, here's a work-around (from Hallvord and Andrew Gregory):

1. ID as Opera
2. Click "sign in anyway" to get past their notice that Opera is an unsupported browser :sad:
3. Type in your username and password
4. Disable Javascript
5. Click "Sign in"
6. Enable Javascript
7. Click "click here to continue"

Mind you, this won't fix some of the other problems you're bound to run into, but we're working on it. In the mean time, check out Andrew Gregory's Gmail page.

I want an iPod. I want one so badly that I've taken a plunge off the deep end and signed up at FreeiPods.com to get a free iPod. That's right; a free iPod.

FreeiPods.com is a company that gets people to try offers from their affiliates. I sign up for an offer and refer five friends that do the same and I get an iPod. There are a variety of offers to choose from: a credit card, a CD or DVD club, a trial with Blockbuster.com, etc. I did the free trial with Blockbuster.com. It's a good way to get free movies, so why not?

And you've probably realized the reason I'm posting this is that I want y'all to help me get my iPod by signing up for an offer at FreeiPods.com. Don't think it's legit? Check out this recent Wired.com article. I guess I'll see for myself once things get rolling. They have received some criticism, but also praise. It's worth the trouble to me. Is it worth it for you?

If you'd like to help (and you're a US resident), please click this link to FreeiPods.com (or any of the other ones in this post) to register my referrer ID and sign up for an offer. Google has some more interesting reads, if you want more information. Thanks.

NOTE: If you are going to help me (thanks!), please use a throw-away mail account. I've been getting spam at the e-mail address I used (and I haven't used it for anything else). I have a couple Gmail invites left, though I've read they aren't accepted.

To this day, I can't properly shop at unisex stores. As a youth, I feared going into one of these stores (Gap, Abercrombie, etc.) and thumbing through racks of clothing to be interrupted by a sales associate or giggling classmates informing me I was looking at the women's clothing. Department stores are nice enough to have large signs telling you which section belongs to which sex. At the Gap, I have to rely on mannequins, posters, and vague clothing style tips to point me in the right direction. Until they provide more adequate clothing sex clues, I will not frequent such establishments. It's their loss.

Well, after a long wait, Opera 7.60 Preview 1 is now out. This release comes with lots of fixes and some great new features, too. And it works (mostly) with Gmail! Check it out. :)

Some of may have noticed that my .sig has switched from Customer Service (CSD) to Quality Assurance (QA). CSD was the only department that would employ me as a telecommuter from the US. Well, I'll be solving that problem at the end of September when I move with my then-wife to Oslo.

As part of this change, I've relinquished the Opera Mail tutorial back to CSD. They are all very capable people and will maintain it much better than I was able to. I'm currently still doing preview changelogs, as time permits.

In QA, I'll be able to take a more proactive stance on getting problems fixed, hopefully before they reach the public. Of course, I won't always be working on desktop releases. That's why I'm happy to be part of such a good team that has you, the user's, interests in mind.

Fun times lie ahead!

As some of you may have read in the recent press release, Opera will be releasing a speech-enabled browser some time soon. As with IBM's release, speech-enabled browsing will only work on Windows 2000+. But for those looking forward to 7.60, don't dispare, there are plenty more nice enhancements on the way.

The initial previews of 7.60 will not have the new IMAP back-end, as previously planned. It is also very likely that 7.6x will not include the new back-end at all. Getting IMAP up to the necessary level has taken longer than expected, but it is still being actively worked on and is a priority. I cannot comment on when users should expect to see the new back-end in a public release.

As for what features and bug fixes will be in 7.60, you'll have to wait and see. :) Initial previews will most likely only be available for Windows.

The beta version Opera Mail tutorial has been getting a bit of attention lately. I've stripped out most of the stuff that should be covered in the help file and formatted it more like a tutorial (rather than a help file). There are going to be some dead links, but hopefully all the unique and important information remains. Work is unfinished, but it's getting there. Comments? Send 'em my way. :)