Split Firefox

Wants to write a Firefox extension to make reading Gmails even easier (now there are Gmail Conversation Preview, Gmail Macros and many more) by seeing emails and reply at the same time. This needs to split the view the tab so that one views the email received and another views the reply to that email currently being composed. Scrolling any view must not affect the position of another. This way, the questions in the email can be answered one by one easily.

The first splitting ability I came across was found in popTart, but it only works for Digg. Then, I noticed Tricky Frames and Split Pannel (deliberate typo?!). The most promising extension available is Content Holder from lots of extensions unlisted on the official Mozilla Add-ons.

They are not very suitable for the Gmail reading purpose and are not quite well developed. All but Split Pannel supports only up to FF1.5. They all load separate pages in each view, but maybe splitting only the view of the same page, like Word of Acrobat, is a better idea.

Truly Disposable Gmail Address

Disposable Yahoo! email address can be made on top of their original Yahoo! email. Gmail has similar thing by letting you receive emails sent to basename+keyword@gmail.com in the basename@gmail.com account, but sooner or later spammers will spam your original address because the prefixes are the same. To make a truly disposable Gmail address with alternative base name:

1. Create a new Gmail (preferably with shorter name).
2. Set auto forwarding from the new Gmail to primary Gmail.
3. In the primary Gmail, create a filter having "basename OR basename+ -keyword" in the "To:" field, where basename+keyword@gmail.com are given out.
4. In the next step, select whatever you want to do with the spams, say "delete".

To clarify, you get a new Gmail a@gmail.com, and give out a+b@gmail.com to a website, the "To:" field of the filter in your primary Gmail c@gmail.com should read "a OR a+ -b". In future, when more disposable address are made say a+d@gmail.com, just append " -d" to the filter.

Filters are not set up in the new Gmail (and hence step 2) so that no logout is needed to modify the filter. The "To:" field allows about 1400 characters, so many disposable addresses can be filtered (even if it is full, create up to 20 filters, or even get create in the new Gmail or at worst, get another new Gmail for more filters...).

Ultimate Method to Make Gmail Default

Neither Gmail Notifier nor Google Talk nor Google Toolbar works consistently to make Gmail the default email client. GoogleCity » GMail Default Email Program / Start Menu looks promising, but than adding "Google Gmail" in the Internet options, it doesn't work.

Hack: Window Registry Edit to make Gmail the default mail handler should work but the file paths are not updated, so I have corrected and optimized it. Somehow it seems that a local file (dll / exe) is needed to direct email requests to a web mail and in this case gnotify.exe of Google Notifier is needed. If Google Notifier is installed, simply download this registry file and merge by opening it. Change the paths before merging if Firefox or Google Notifier are not in their default directories, or if Firefox is not used.

It should work for the default browser "send link", browser initiated email compose, mailto links and commands, plus change the email icon in Windows XP start menu to Gmail (this can be removed afterwards). "Google Gmail" is chosen in the Internet options, and emails are directed to the more secure https Gmail.