How to get ProxySwitchy working in Chrome again [Updated]

If you’re a fan of Chrome and you need to use a proxy to secure your traffic once in a while, you’ve probably been using ProxySwitchy to get things running. You’ve probably also noticed how it’s broken down in the last couple of weeks, suspiciously timed to the release of Google Chrome 12. Yep, it’s broken. Here’s how to fix it on Mac OSX.

Step 1: If you’re using a PAC file, go to your System Preferences > Network > Advanced > Proxies > Automatic Proxy Configuration and make sure the URL to your PAC file is correct. Because if you were using Auto Switch Rules, the URL might have been replaced with a weird Chrome extension path.

Step 2: Uninstall ProxySwitchy.

Step 3: Upgrade to Chrome 13. (Here’s the technical background)

Step 4: Install Proxy SwitchyPlus SwitchySharp.

Step 5: You should be taken to the SwitchySharp options page. Configure your proxy and switch rules like you did before. On the “Network” tab, make sure the “Revert proxy changes done by other apps” is checked.

Now your proxy switcher as well as switch rules should be working again.

I’m leaving the comments open in case you have additions or corrections to this.

Quick Thoughts On Googles Just-Launched Chrome Extensions Gallery

Google is clearly working the midnight oil trying to get Chrome extensions up and running for Add-On-Con next week. They’ve just launched both Chrome beta for Linux and the official extensions gallery:

Chrome_Extensions_Gallery.png

While extensions aren’t yet available for the Mac, I would assume an extensions-capable beta is what’s next on the menu.

Some thoughts:

  • Nice and simple design, loads fast, classic Google style.
  • Feels like it’s easier to find the good extensions than it is using Firefox’ extensions gallery, and that’s despite there already being a good amount of extensions ready.
  • The “Top Rated” filter is likely to be useful once there are enough ratings.
  • The “search for extensions” textfield is styled… I really miss the good old days of unstyled Google widgets.
  • Of note is the fact that apparently, adblocking is okay (AdSweep).
  • Until recently, nearly all extensions added a button to an “extension shelf”, a bottom-most panel in Chrome. This panel is now disabled by default, but it seems most extensions add an icon right next to the page and wrench buttons instead. It’ll be interesting to see how far this goes as more and more extensions are developed. I imagine that little area can fill up quickly.
  • Quite possibly extensions add icons because it’s the only way to add configuration screens without having you click the wrench > extensions section first. Can we hope for either a page / wrench menu API, or perhaps just a unified extensions menu button?
  • There’s no global keyboard shortcut API yet, which means I’ll have to wait patiently for an “Omnibar Tab-To-Select” extension to appear (or be written by yours truly).
  • Since Google Chrome can compile a greasemonkey script into an extension for you, we can expect quite a few of those to appear soon.

Overall, very nice, moreso the potential.

Extensions I’ll Be Checking Out

  • I’ve already run the RSS Subscription Extension from Googles Samples gallery for a while. It works as advertised, i.e. it mimics the built-in behavior of competing browsers.
  • Because I still run Firefox side-by-side with Chrome, It’d be nice to have the same set of bookmarks, which X-marks promises to do. I hope it’s more stable now; the first alpha was really flaky.
  • Docs PDF/PowerPoint Reader is kinda like my bookmarklet, but built-in and auto loading. Neat!
  • Google Tasks looks like a glorified bookmark, but just what I need.
  • Just to see how close it is to “Click To Flash”, I’ll be trying out Kill-Flash.
  • Google Calendar Checker, hoping it one day gets notifications as well.

Extensions I Still Miss From Firefox

  • I use Aardvark on a daily basis, because it’s so much faster than Firebug.
  • Firebug, for when Aardvark falls short.
  • IE View, but I’m assuming it’ll be postponed until a right-click-menu API becomes available.

Penny for your thoughts?

Elegant Finger

There’s a little game of cat and mouse going on between Google and Microsoft, a game that just got a bit more interesting. Just now, Google sent a love-letter to web-developers worldwide; everyone except those at Microsoft. They got a Dear John letter.

Fresh off the stove, Google Chrome Frame allows users of Internet Explorer to leverage the speed and advanced rendering features of Google Chrome. In a nutshell, it lets users browse the web using the browser that came with their operating system, but actual page rendering is done by the Google Chrome engine.

Here’s an awesome HTML5 demo website in Internet Explorer 8:

HTML5_IE8.png

Here’s the  website in Internet Explorer 8 with Google Chrome Frame:

HTML5_IE8_Chrome_Frame.png

For web-developers, including myself, this is a joygasm. Where I used to be able to offer my customers two options: not caring about Internet Explorer and asking extra payment to hack and compromise, I can now offer to detect and/or suggest that users install Chrome Frame. It’ll even make Internet Explorer more secure. How about that.

There are a few thorns on this rose, of course. It takes a second more to load the Chrome Frame engine on websites that ask for it (but once Chrome Frame is “warm”, it loads unnoticably fast). Also, it’s a plugin; people will still have to install it. Finally, to leverage the power of Chrome Frame, developers have to add a single line of code to their websites to invoke Chrome Frame when available. All that, I find, is fine, comparing it to the alternative.

The question is whether “fixing” Internet Explorer is actually conducive to the adoption of superior browsers (i.e. all other current browsers on the market), or whether it hurts the cause by letting people snooze in their trainwreck blast-from-the-past browser. It’s like making your Cadillac Escalade fuel efficient and safe for others than yourself with a snap of your fingers;  but do we want people to drive a Cadillac Escalade in the first place?

We’ll see how things play out. For now, Google has elegantly raised their middle finger in the general direction of Internet Explorer, and all Microsoft can do is sit back and suck it. Again.

It's All Text! Edit Anything With Your Text-editor

Edit textareas using an external editor, because it’s all text! Right click on a textarea, select “It’s All Text!” and edit the text in the editor of your choice. Alternatively, click on the edit buttons added for your convenience. Right click on the edit buttons for even more options, including preferences.

—It’s All Text! Really convenient.

Google Browser Sync

Google Browser Sync for Firefox is an extension that continuously synchronizes your browser settings ? including bookmarks, history, persistent cookies, and saved passwords ? across your computers. It also allows you to restore open tabs and windows across different machines and browser sessions.
– Google Browser Sync