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= Welcome = | = Welcome = | ||
Ubiquity is an | Ubiquity is an experimental Firefox extension that gives you a powerful new way to interact with the Web. | ||
You're used to telling Firefox <i>where you want to go</i> by typing <b>Web addresses</b> into the URL bar... | |||
[Picture Here] | |||
With Ubiquity installed, you'll be able to tell Firefox <i>what you want it to do</i> by typing <b>commands</b> into a new Ubiquity input box. | |||
[Picture Here] | |||
Ubiquity commands can do nearly anything. Ubiquity comes with a set of built-in commands that make common Web tasks faster and easier. But these commands are just the beginning: anyone can create new commands and share them. In fact, one of our major goals is to make it as easy to create a Ubiquity command as it is to create a web page. | |||
In this tutorial, we'll teach you how to use some of the most useful built-in commands. By the end of this tutorial you'll be able to perform a quick wikipedia, google, definition, and yelp search; add maps to your email; and translate a snippet of a web page, highlight a word, and then email it to a friend. | |||
If you want to learn how to create your own commands, please see the <a href="xxx">Developer Tutorial</a>. | |||
Ubiquity is still a work in progress, and we are eager to hear your suggestions for how it could be improved. If, when reading this tutorial, you think of a way that Ubiquity could be made easier to use, or an idea for its future development, we hope you'll take a moment to <a href="">share your thoughts with us</a>. By getting involved with Ubiquity while the project is still in its early stages, you have an opportunity to shape the direction of its growth. | |||
== Starting Ubiquity == | == Starting Ubiquity == | ||
If you haven't already done so, <a href="">install Ubiquity</a>. Once you've done that, you can summon Ubiquity by tapping '''option-space''' on the Mac, or '''control-space''' if you | If you haven't already done so, <a href="">install Ubiquity</a>. Once you've done that, you can summon Ubiquity by tapping '''option-space''' on the Mac, or '''control-space''' if you're on Windows. | ||
(On Linux, Ubiquity isn't fully supported yet. Some of the commands will work, but others won't. To learn about why this is, and how you can help us fix it, <a href="">read this</a>.) | |||
Once you hit the appropriate key-combo, you'll be presented with a transparent black box, with a blinking text cursor, in the upper-left of your browser. | |||
[Picture Here] | |||
You give Ubiquity a command by typing something in here and then hitting the Enter key. For the sake of brevity, we'll call this "issuing" a command. For the rest of this tutorial, when we say to "issue 'XYZ'", we mean "hit alt-space (or ctrl-space) to bring up the Ubiquity box, type XYZ, then hit Enter (or Return)." | |||
== First Commands: How to Search == | |||
Let's start with Wikipedia. Say you want to know what a "babel fish" is. You simply | Let's start with Wikipedia. Say you want to know what a "babel fish" is. You simply issue "wikipedia babel fish" and you'll get some summaries from Wikipedia which you click on to find out more. To be explicit, to issue "wikipedia babel fish" you tap option-space and type "wikipedia babel fish". If you know that you want to go directly to Wikipedia without dealing with search preview, just tap return and you'll immediately be brought to the Wikipedia page for Babel Fish. | ||
Now, Ubiquity is smart so you don't need to type "Wikipedia" all the way out. Instead, you can just type the first couple of letters: try | Now, Ubiquity is smart so you don't need to type "Wikipedia" all the way out. Instead, you can just type the first couple of letters: try issuing "wi babel fish" to see what happens. | ||
Another command that starts with "w" is "weather". Try | Another command that starts with "w" is "weather". Try issuing "weather sf" to get a forecast for SF. Hit return to go to Wunderground.com's full page. Of course, you could have just issued "we sf", or "we 94115" to get the same results. | ||
Defining words is oft-taken action. Ubiquity makes it easy. Try, for instance selecting the following word: "aglet". Now | Defining words is oft-taken action. Ubiquity makes it easy. Try, for instance selecting the following word: "aglet". Now issue "define". Notice that Ubiquity defines the selection. You could also issue "def this" and Ubiquity will know what you mean. | ||
== Emailing == | == Emailing == | ||