Entry before last I was talking about Facebook lite, and how with a few fixes on their side and a new Greasemonkey script, it could be ideal. Well, although bug fixes and other general fixes have not been released by Facebook as of this entry, a nice Greasemonkey script has been and so I've decided to re-post it here.
This script will completely remove the right column of Facebook lite, which will in turn remove the 'People You May Know' section and any advertisements. In case it hasn't sunk in yet, I'll draw attention to it: This means that when you visit Facebook lite you will be able to interact with Facebook with faster loading times, no bloat, no apps and no advertisements. This is the best way to interact with Facebook that I have found to date. There are Greasemonkey scripts that allow you to strip advertisements and apps out of Facebook proper but Facebook will still take ages to load and most the scripts I have found are a bit sloppy.
Those of you who know about Greasemonkey can skip this paragraph, while those who don't should continue reading. Greasemonkey is a Firefox add-on that allows users to run scripts that (among other things) alter the way in which content is displayed in the browser. In order to use these scripts you need to install the add-on by visiting this Firefox page using the Firefox browser. Please be sure that you have the latest stable version of the browser installed. Once you install the add-on by clicking on the green button that reads "Add to Firefox," you will be prompted by a dialogue box to restart Firefox, which you should do.
Although there are ways to use Greasemonkey scripts in browsers like Safari (using GreaseKit), some scripts will not function properly, and unfortunately this script is one of them. For this script, to my knowledge thus far, you will need to run Firefox. I have alerted the author of the script but as it is not his concern that it doesn't work for unintended applications, I don't expect any changes to be made.
Head over to this page on userscripts and click the green install button. If GreaseMonkey is already enabled, you should be able to then click 'Install' again on the dialogue after a few seconds. If clicking this button instead takes you to a page with a bunch of code, make sure that you have Greasemonkey installed properly by checking your Add-ons in Firefox under 'Tools,' 'Add-Ons.' It's as easy as that. Now, when you head over to Facebook lite you shouldn't see any ads or the annoying 'People You May Know' frame. Although Facebook still needs to fix a lot of bugs in lite, this is as good as it gets for this dying service (perhaps I will explain later why, counter to all indication, I actually believe facebook is dying).
EDIT: There are few bugs that are showstoppers. I cannot imagine that these bugs could last more than a weak without being fixed by a company as big as Facebook though, so I stand by this being the best way to view Facebook.
Showing posts with label lite. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lite. Show all posts
Monday, September 14, 2009
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Facebook Lite Review
I thought that I would jump into the fray by posting a short review of "Facebook lite."
Facebook lite is a stripped down version of Facebook that is now available in India and the U.S. for testing purposes. Facebook has claimed that the alternative website is for those with slower connections, but I am not completely convinced that this is Facebook's only (or even primary) aim. Of course, people are comparing the altered site to Twitter. While I think that the two sites are completely different in level of functionality and in their uses, I do see Facebook lite, at least in part, as an attempt by Facebook to compete in the microblogging realm.
First though, let me tell you what isn't working in Facebook lite. As best I can tell, everything under the 'Settings' tab with the exception of selecting the language that the site is displayed in is nonfunctioning. These aren't things that are stripped out, they just aren't implemented yet. What I like though is that the way in which things are laid out in the Settings tab suggests that Facebook is finally getting serious about their promise to simplify their nightmare-inducing-settings-dialogues.
Facebook lite is also lacking in many features that it's big brother has. How many of these are actually purposeful (and not just unimplimented) is your guess, as some of the missing features are not just bloat. These features include lists, chat, applications (thank God), the ability to post links (as anything other than plain hyperlinks without image preview), the ability to record video (you can upload video but I couldn't find an option to record straight from my webcam) and the ability to post anything like videos or pictures directly onto another user's wall. Perhaps many of these are lacking because, again, Facebook touts this as low bandwidth.
Facebook lite also represents a stylistic change. the "Home" link at the top has been removed (one clicks on the Facebook logo to go home) as has the "Friends" link. Added to the top is a link to "Events." When viewing a person's profile, the links "Wall" and "Info" now appear on the left instead of the top along with a new link to "Friends" and a combined link to "Photos and Video."
When looking at a picture the comments appear on the right side instead of underneath the picture, and as with the rest of the site photos do not appear next to those who comment on content (photos also do not appear in the search bar).
My impression is that Facebook lite is a good idea that is in need of a lot more work. This shouldn't be surprising in a beta, but I truly believe some of the changes necessary are very fundamental. I would love to see the "People you may know" section removed in favor of "Events," or a simplified notifications pane as is in use on the regular iteration of Facebook. Yes, I know that "Events" is now big and bold at the top, but I liked the quick overview. Notifications are also now a lot more informative (and moved to a different page), but it wouldn't hurt, again, to see an overview. Additionally, the inability to record video directly from my webcam or post videos or pictures on a friends wall is unacceptable. This is so simple and wouldn't require that much extra interface distraction (which I know "lite" aims to minimize).
Not all of the changes are bad though. Removing applications is a Godsend. Applications are ruining the Facebook experience, and they have almost driven me away completely on multiple occasions. I should never have to see a single word about an application (especially ones I don't choose to seek out). I do also think that the "Photos & Video" interface is much improved (with the comments on the side for simultaneously viewing and typing, etc). The best change though is the speed at which Facebook lite loads. It's much faster that it's big brother.
Overall I would say that Facebook lite is a good alternative for those who want to rid their lives of Facebook Apps. The inability to control posted content in as fine-grained a way as on Facebook proper is a sacrifice I shouldn't have to make, but one I likely will (because of my hatred of Apps).
Now the community just needs to wait for a Greasemonkey script to make a good thing better, and hope that Facebook brings a few more things over. I would love to run a Greasemonkey script to get rid of the "People you may know" section as well as the advertisements.
Facebook lite is a stripped down version of Facebook that is now available in India and the U.S. for testing purposes. Facebook has claimed that the alternative website is for those with slower connections, but I am not completely convinced that this is Facebook's only (or even primary) aim. Of course, people are comparing the altered site to Twitter. While I think that the two sites are completely different in level of functionality and in their uses, I do see Facebook lite, at least in part, as an attempt by Facebook to compete in the microblogging realm.
First though, let me tell you what isn't working in Facebook lite. As best I can tell, everything under the 'Settings' tab with the exception of selecting the language that the site is displayed in is nonfunctioning. These aren't things that are stripped out, they just aren't implemented yet. What I like though is that the way in which things are laid out in the Settings tab suggests that Facebook is finally getting serious about their promise to simplify their nightmare-inducing-settings-dialogues.
Facebook lite is also lacking in many features that it's big brother has. How many of these are actually purposeful (and not just unimplimented) is your guess, as some of the missing features are not just bloat. These features include lists, chat, applications (thank God), the ability to post links (as anything other than plain hyperlinks without image preview), the ability to record video (you can upload video but I couldn't find an option to record straight from my webcam) and the ability to post anything like videos or pictures directly onto another user's wall. Perhaps many of these are lacking because, again, Facebook touts this as low bandwidth.
Facebook lite also represents a stylistic change. the "Home" link at the top has been removed (one clicks on the Facebook logo to go home) as has the "Friends" link. Added to the top is a link to "Events." When viewing a person's profile, the links "Wall" and "Info" now appear on the left instead of the top along with a new link to "Friends" and a combined link to "Photos and Video."
When looking at a picture the comments appear on the right side instead of underneath the picture, and as with the rest of the site photos do not appear next to those who comment on content (photos also do not appear in the search bar).
My impression is that Facebook lite is a good idea that is in need of a lot more work. This shouldn't be surprising in a beta, but I truly believe some of the changes necessary are very fundamental. I would love to see the "People you may know" section removed in favor of "Events," or a simplified notifications pane as is in use on the regular iteration of Facebook. Yes, I know that "Events" is now big and bold at the top, but I liked the quick overview. Notifications are also now a lot more informative (and moved to a different page), but it wouldn't hurt, again, to see an overview. Additionally, the inability to record video directly from my webcam or post videos or pictures on a friends wall is unacceptable. This is so simple and wouldn't require that much extra interface distraction (which I know "lite" aims to minimize).
Not all of the changes are bad though. Removing applications is a Godsend. Applications are ruining the Facebook experience, and they have almost driven me away completely on multiple occasions. I should never have to see a single word about an application (especially ones I don't choose to seek out). I do also think that the "Photos & Video" interface is much improved (with the comments on the side for simultaneously viewing and typing, etc). The best change though is the speed at which Facebook lite loads. It's much faster that it's big brother.
Overall I would say that Facebook lite is a good alternative for those who want to rid their lives of Facebook Apps. The inability to control posted content in as fine-grained a way as on Facebook proper is a sacrifice I shouldn't have to make, but one I likely will (because of my hatred of Apps).
Now the community just needs to wait for a Greasemonkey script to make a good thing better, and hope that Facebook brings a few more things over. I would love to run a Greasemonkey script to get rid of the "People you may know" section as well as the advertisements.
EDIT: As an additionI must report that I have had no success being able to remove status updates. If you update your status and click to remove it, you will be taken to a blank page and the status will need to be removed using facebook proper. Very annoying. Additionally, I found no way to exclude certain friends' updates from appearing in my news feed.. so you will have to deal with all of your more annoying friends even if you don't have to deal with application and quiz related annoyances. Boy does lite need some work.
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