Greetings to the Habrazhiters. I'd like to talk about my expansion and ask for a little help.
The extension is called Total bookmarks, because... its interface is almost completely borrowed from Total commander.

Why did it need to be done at all?

Indeed, many people put bookmarks in pre-created folders and never encounter rubble in which it is difficult to find something. Unfortunately, at one point I realized that I was not one of them. If I come across an interesting article that I don’t have time to read now, I put a bookmark right at the root so as not to forget, and then I forget about both the article itself and the bookmark. And one day, scrolling through the list of bookmarks for about 15 seconds, I realized that it was time to deal with this blockage. The problem was that the standard Firefox interface was completely unsuited for such tasks. For example, if I want to move important bookmarks from the end of the list to the beginning, I will have to drag them with the mouse for the same 15 seconds or more. And considering how many bookmarks I had accumulated, the whole process could take hours at this rate. The only convenient interface in this situation seemed to me to be the two-panel TC interface, and I could not find any implementations of it on the Internet. Actually, laziness in front of the stupid and tedious work of dragging bookmarks with the mouse forced me to spend a lot large quantity time for more intellectual work that will solve the problem once and for all.

Why such a strange (and many would say slow) choice as ExtJS?

The fact is that standard XUL, although fast, is extremely poor and non-extensible. For example, I needed a table whose rows could contain multi-line text with different formatting for each of these rows. The Firefox bug tracker even has a task: to make table rows multi-line, but it has been hanging there for many years, and it is impossible to add such support yourself. In addition, in terms of the richness of the palette of components, it is unlikely that any other library can compare with ExtJS. Well, besides, at that moment I was just mastering it in connection with another project.

Of course, ExtJS has one serious drawback that significantly ruins life. And I’m not talking about the slowness that the developers themselves are struggling with, and when correct use which can be minimized or even hidden. I'm talking about Sencha's unspoken policy: do not release a release until a fixed (and not so insignificant) number of bugs are added to the project, which you, as a user of the library, will have to deal with yourself. Even if you actively write bug reports, you shouldn’t think that with the release new version something will change, because... *cm. unspoken company policy :)
However, the pros outweigh the cons.

About the functionality

Almost all functionality is visible in the screenshot. The extension is mainly intended for convenient manipulation of groups of bookmarks. Let me list some main points:

• Work can be done entirely from the keyboard, since there are a bunch of hot keys for all occasions.
• Work can only be done with the mouse, since there is drag & drop and checkboxes on each line.
• It is possible to open a group of bookmarks more conveniently than in the standard interface (since there is either one element or the entire folder).
• In addition, the behavior that has always been annoying in TC has been changed: lines are not deselected if you move to another folder; It is also possible to open the same folder in the next panel as in the current one in one click.
• The extension monitors changes in the composition of bookmarks and automatically synchronizes, so you don’t need to monitor this. In addition, due to the buffering of all changes, there are no problems or noticeable slowdowns when working with other extensions like Xmarks.

Separately, I just want to note that I tested under macOS after almost all the functionality was ready (more precisely, on a Hackintosh under a virtual machine, since I didn’t have a Mac at hand) and noticed that F9, assigned to be deleted in a Mac, was already occupied by something systemic. Therefore, Mac users will need to press ctrl again. If someone's F9 is not intercepted, it will work the same as on other axes.

A little about implementation

As you know, you cannot use most JS libraries directly in XUL. There are some forks for jQuery, etc., but all this is far from a stable result. However, there is a way out for those extensions that do not interact through plug-in libraries with the XUL part of the interface. You just need to create an iframe for the entire window and work with regular html and familiar JS libraries in it.

To build, the Mozilla documentation suggests using make, but since I had previously worked with gradle, I used it. I think that it is more convenient in any case, because you can connect standard java libraries directly in the script. In my case, I don’t even know what else could be used to implement the assembly without writing separate utilities, because I had to make a simple replacement for SenchaCMD for the reason *see. Sencha's unspoken policy.

What I wanted to ask Habr

Much to my disappointment, I haven’t been able to post my extension to addons.mozilla.org for two months now. It all started with the fact that automatic tests when loading the extension failed due to the use of ExtJS. This was corrected immediately after communication with the editors. Then I waited in line for a couple of weeks and the extension was rejected because I forgot to attach the source code. Then a couple of weeks passed due to the fact that I did not immediately understand how to start the scan again. My questions were not answered quickly, and the language barrier took its toll. Some letters remained unanswered. But that’s not the point; it’s clear that editors have a lot of work to do and they can’t pay due attention to everyone.

After the last check, I received an email with the following response:

Familiarize

Your add-on, Total bookmarks 2.2.201308201235, has been reviewed by an editor and did not meet the criteria for being hosted in our gallery.

Reviewer:
Kris Maglione

Comments:
Your version was rejected because of the following problems:

1) Your add-on creates DOM nodes from HTML strings containing unsanitized data, by assigning to innerHTML, calling document.write, or through similar means. Aside from being ineffective, this is a major security risk. For more information, see developer.mozilla.org/en/XUL_School/DOM_Building_and_HTML_Insertion

2) Your add-on uses the "eval" function or Function constructor unnecessarily, which is something we normally don"t accept. There are many reasons *not* to use "eval", and also simple alternatives to using it. You can read more about it here: developer.mozilla.org/en/XUL_School/Appendix_C :_Avoid_using_eval_in_Add-ons

This version didn't pass full review because of the following issues:

1) This completely freezes my browser.

Please fix them and submit again. Thank you.

This version of your add-on has been disabled. You may re-request review by addressing the editor's comments and uploading a new version. To learn more about the review process, please visit

As the number of web browsers increases, so does the number of bookmarks in them. Probably everyone has encountered the problem of sorting saved pages. Bookmark managers can easily handle this.

For what?

Have you often encountered confusion in your browser? We spend a lot of time on the Internet. I come across cool articles all the time, useful material and labor resources. To avoid losing this, we “throw” everything into bookmarks. So we end up with tons of saved pages that even bookmark managers can’t seem to handle.

But confusion with sorting is not so bad. It happens that the web browser crashes or problems occur with the operating system. In addition to simply cool and interesting services, we may lose pages with information that is important to us.

In general, to prevent this from happening, many people synchronize their browser. It takes a little time. It is enough to register and work with the program. This is also beneficial if you use, for example, Opera not only on a PC, but also on a smartphone and tablet. Naturally, from the gadget it is also accompanied by saving pages. To keep them all in one place, you can link devices together and synchronize data. This way you can view bookmarks from your smartphone that were saved on your PC, and vice versa.

Diversity

As already mentioned, the number of browsers is growing rapidly. But the most popular is still Google Chrome. Moreover, this web browser is considered young compared to others, since it began operating in 2006.

Famous Internet Explorer long ago lost his primacy. In addition, with the release of Windows 10 it was renamed Microsoft Edge. Due to constant errors, crashes, crashes and other problems, no one needed it. The developer even took a decisive step and initially did not allow Windows users 10 change default browser.

Another equally popular service is Opera. Many people underestimate it, although it is very convenient to use. Operating since 1996. This year, its market share figures fell again to 3%. Regarding Google Chrome, this is a disastrous fall, since the latter, despite the decline, still accounts for 54% of the total market share.

Also a famous web browser. Appeared in 2004. This year it fell just short of 15% of the market share. It is the second most popular free software.

Bookmarks

Of course, each of the above-mentioned browsers has its own bookmark archive. You can synchronize it so you don't lose it. But still, the bookmark manager is considered a more convenient tool for this matter. Depending on the interface and functionality, it is possible to visually view and manage saved pages.

Reviewing bookmark managers is not that easy. There are a huge number of them now. Moreover, some are presented independent programs, some in the form of extensions or plugins.

We'll consider:

• Universal Atavi.com.
• Bookmark Manager.
• V7 Bookmarks.
• Linkman.
• Bookmarks Organizer.
• Bookmark OS.

This list can be continued for a long time, but here are the most popular bookmark managers for all browsers.

Atavi.com

It’s worth saying right away that this application has a fairly familiar set of functions. The service exports and imports bookmarks, allows you to add and delete them, share them in in social networks etc. But there are several features of the tool that allow us to say that this is the best bookmark manager.

We are talking about cross-browser compatibility and synchronization. No matter where you are, what device you use, no matter what browser you connect, you will always find an archive with your saved pages. All necessary data “flies” to the user from the cloud instantly.

The developer of Atavi.com thought about the user and his preferences. Therefore, there are more than enough plugins for various web browsers. To make the process of use go quickly, just install the tool in desired browser and register.

In addition to cool and useful features, there is also a joy for visual learners. You can switch to visual bookmarks and organize them into groups by topic. This way you get a clear, organized structure and logic. In addition to all this, there are also design themes.

Bookmark Manager

This is a bookmark manager for Chrome. It was released back in 2014. Very handy tool for those who are tired of the dull bookmarks of this browser.

The manager is represented by an extension that is easy to install and easy to use. Once the extension becomes part of Chrome, an asterisk will appear in the toolbar. Now, when you need to save an interesting article, you can click on it.

After adding, the user has access to a preview and description of the site. You can also specify the location where to save the bookmark.

V7 Bookmarks

This is a bookmark manager for Opera. Available for download as an extension. It's easy to find. You need to click on “Menu” in the browser, then go to the “Extensions” section. There, enter this name in the search and click the big green “Install” button.

This manager is quite easy to use. However, it has many functions. Can move one or more objects. Exports a tree of saved pages to an HTML file. Performs a quick search for the desired site. Copes with standard requirements for such tools: copy, delete, add, modify, export and import.

Linkman

This is a standalone utility that can work with many popular browsers, including: Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Google Chrome and Opera. This tool does not look as bright as, say, the version from Chrome, but it is very functional and useful.

The manager stores, organizes, checks and makes notes on the necessary resources. For the work to be effective, a database is involved.

Bookmarks Organizer

This is the manager Firefox bookmarks. The tool can be installed directly from the browser itself. It is presented here as a supplement.

Its interface is simple. If you are looking for a bright and memorable instrument, it is better not to use this one. But if you need a practical assistant, then Bookmarks Organizer is ideal. It is simple, unpretentious, understandable and useful.

Bookmark OS

The last thing worth mentioning is another manager for the Google Chrome web browser. The entire structure of saved pages is clearly organized. The service interface is pleasant. There is also a visual component. For example, a bookmark can be displayed as a screenshot of the site itself.

Saved pages are easy to search, add, delete, move, share, and do whatever you want. You can group them by tags or folders. The manager’s algorithms are configured so that he independently offers you the desired folder based on previously made saves.

Conclusion

Bookmark Manager - useful service, which will help you cope with the confusion working panel web browser. It organizes work quickly and uses pages efficiently.

The choice of tools is very large. The only problem that can arise is that you will get lost in the diversity and beauty of these extensions.

Every web browser comes with the ability to add bookmarks, thoughBookmarks are not as popular now as they were ten years ago, but it would still be fair to assume that most computer users usebookmarks. What's happened bookmarks? Standard bookmarks are nothing more than links that point to a web address. Bookmarks, like an address book, only for web resources, not people or businesses.

Advanced bookmarks, so-called bookmarks are also one form. They are a mixture of a bookmark and a small program. As a rule, they do not contain any information, but the links are stored in the folder bookmarks or on the toolbar on your computer.
Which is the best bookmark manager? Quite a difficult question as it may seem. The answer depends heavily on individual users. Computer users who run only one computer and one web browser may need no more than a built-in bookmark manager. Users running multiple web browsers on a single computer, or multiple computers with the same or a different browser, mobile devices, or on-site computer access without installation or synchronization rights bookmarks, can install all the necessary and various products.
Sometimes it may not be possible to synchronize bookmarks between various devices, and sometimes this may require the use of two programs or a workflow that requires manual steps.
Let's take a look at the built-in synchronization capabilities bookmarks for five web browsers: Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Opera, Internet Explorer and Safari.
Own bookmarks synchronization.
: Firefox users can use to sync bookmarks and other data between them and various Firefox profiles on the same or different computer systems. Firefox Sync is a built-in feature in Firefox 4 and is available as an add-on for Firefox 3. Data is stored on a Mozilla server or optionally on its own server.

Until now we haven't really looked at ways synchronization bookmarks in the browser on mobile devices such as iPhone, iPad or Android. There is no synchronization for them yet bookmarks, Unfortunately. Best solution installation mobile web browser, For example Opera Mobile or for synchronization Firefox Mobile bookmarks with a specific Internet browser, or to install applications such as Chromemarks Lite, My Bookmarks App or Firefox Home for synchronization bookmarks.
The best solution largely depends on the browsers used on computer desktop and mobile devices. There is no service that syncs everything bookmarks.
Two-stage synchronization: sometimes it is necessary set up synchronization in two steps, which mainly contains tools for synchronization bookmarks from one computer or device to another application, which can then sync data from the target device. Let's say you want to sync Internet Explorer or Safari favorite bookmarks with your iPad or iPhone. You can't do this directly; you won't find an app that supports this feature. But you can set it up as an intermediary.

Another option are apps that usually available only for a specific operating system. comes as free version for Windows PC can, for example, convert Transmute bookmarks between web browsers and even mobile devices. Paid version adds synchronization so that you can automatically sync bookmarks between web browsers and Android devices.
Verdict.

There is no one way to fit all solutions. I created a small Excel document with links and information about the possibility of synchronization between browsers and devices.

The table has many gaps and I ask for your help to fill them with information.

The number of Internet users is growing day by day, and in proportion to their number, the demand for various universal and convenient programs for work. A wonderful thing is a bookmark manager that ensures preservation, management, synchronization, and fast access to a very large number of your favorite tabs.

But not always the built-in browser manager can satisfy the needs of a demanding user, and of course there are many for this various reasons. In the express review below, we will consider advantages and disadvantages various built-in, free and paid services.

Built-in dispatchers

Almost all popular search engines have a built-in bookmark manager or link cataloger that can satisfy, let's say, an amateur set of tabs for housewives. Let's look at the functionality of dispatchers for popular browsers.

Google Chrome

Tabs in Google search engine separated from the tabs stored in the service " Google Bookmarks" That's the real inconvenience this method. As long as you use your search engine on your device, you will never notice the inconvenience, but if you use someone else’s computer, say while visiting, you will not get access to your link database.

Login to the dispatcher can be done in two ways: through the menu, as well as using the hotkey combination “Ctrl+Shift+O”.

Otherwise, bookmarks manager is very convenient and simple and does not pose a problem for a user of any level. Give a chance save, edit, organize and delete links. You can also freely customize the import and export of links or an entire folder of favorites from other browsers. Quick access to bookmarks is organized in the panel under search bar, which is functionally convenient. Built-in tools allow you to perform all the necessary operations without using additional software.

Yandex and Opera

In principle, two very similar browser extensions in which the dispatcher view is focused on visual preview. There is an impressive express panel to which you can add your favorite pages or websites; all saved links are smoothly moved to the Piggy Bank on the quick access page. IN Opera browser There is synchronization of tabs, so you can access your link database from any computer, tablet, smartphone connected to the network.

You can get to the dispatcher in two convenient ways, either using the interface through the menu or using the hot keys “Ctrl+Shift+B”.

Very convenient, understandable and clear interface search engine Yandex, allows you to quickly understand how to save, manage, and delete tabs.

Edge Browser and Internet Explorer

The Edge search engine has undergone some practical changes in its latest Windows build 10, functionality has been added pin bookmarks in the browser bar, as well as in the Start menu tile. To put it bluntly, it is not a very convenient, but rational solution. However, some common tasks, such as importing and exporting tabs, can cause problems.

What can't be said about Internet Explorer - it's simply an ideal candidate for importing and exporting bookmarks from files. To save the link you just need click on the star at the end of the query line, select the folder to save and add. All saved links in Explorer and Edge, unlike other browsers, are located in the “Favorites” section. This section is located in top menu toolbar, which can be docked if necessary.

Mozilla Firefox

The search engine has a fairly good built-in tool that allows you not only to save and manage tabs, but also, if desired, offers the possibility of qualitative improvement, for example, adding a visual component. For this purpose it is provided free add-on– ViewMarks, which provides high-quality creation, editing and management of images of the user's choice. In general, there is good support for multitabs and grouping of bookmarks for yourself.

Manage bookmarks, create new folders, subfolders and perform different functions by sorting and deleting, you can use the drop-down list " Control"in the left top corner"Libraries". Login is carried out through a menu item or using the hot keys “Ctrl+Shift+B”.

The only disadvantage of built-in managers is that after updating, new versions of browsers bring some significant changes to the appearance of the built-in tools. Naturally, developers strive to improve functionality, but these improvements raise controversial issues among users. Changes have their own obvious advantages, and shortcomings, due to which some users are asking to return the old type of built-in tools or are starting to look for additional convenient programs.

The best program managers

No loss of additional time and effort searching through bookmarks in different browsers– all you need to do is select and install the appropriate functional utility. If you are forced to use several search engines for work and business, then there will be an overview of the best and most convenient services for you. Now all your important and necessary bookmarks will be available in any browser extension, on any computer, laptop, smartphone or tablet.

comparison table best managers

Service	Price	Advantages
Atavi You can register on the official website of the service https://atavi.com/	Free Does not require additional software Registration required	Sorting bookmarks by thematic groups. Quick one-click access to social networks, mail and personal accounts. Sync bookmarks with all available devices. 100% safety of all tabs. Cross-browser compatible, the service is available on any operating system and in any search engine.
Linkman The software is Russified, latest version can be downloaded at http://soft.mydiv.net/win/download-Linkman.html	The service is free	Works well in browsers: Mozilla, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Google Chrome and Opera. The service has two databases for storing tabs for which you can set a password. Support for synchronizing tabs between devices is available.
V7 Bookmarks Service in English language https://addons.opera.com/en/extensions/details/v7-bookmarks/?=en	Free sidebar extension for Opera browser	Convenient intuitive interface, extensive functionality. Alphabetical sorting, removing duplicates, grouping folders. Export a tree of tabs with icons to an HTML file.
Session Manager The free add-on can be installed from the Chrome Web Store https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/session-manager/	Free utility for the Firefox browser	Improved session manager for saving and restoring the state of all or individual tabs. Quite flexible settings for yourself, managing and saving windows and bookmarks. Import sessions from other search engines. It has the function of encrypting saved sessions and closed windows.
Transmute Pro 2.04 It is better to download the licensed version from the developer’s website http://www.darqsoft.com/	Shareware	The manager converts bookmarks and favorites between all available browsers: Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Opera and Internet Explorer. Synchronizes, sorts and removes duplicates. Cross-platform with any software.
Raindrop You can download the software at http://www.softportal.com/software-39527-raindrop.html	Free Registration	Smart bookmark service from a series of innovations. Saves not only bookmarks, but also related thematic content. Allows you to organize and create entire thematic collections with different content. Compatible with all browsers except IE. Has an iOS client.
Evernote 6.11.2.7027 Download the Russian version here https://ru.vessoft.com/software/windows/download/evernote	Free Registration is required	A powerful utility that allows you to create as many notes as possible and save a huge number of bookmarks and web pages. Synchronization of bookmarks and notes occurs automatically and is freely accessible both from a computer and from a mobile device. Sorting tabs by groups, tags and content. Has convenient filters for quick search tabs, including the presence of a picture, tag or date.

In fact, on the Internet you can find hundreds of interesting, convenient and functional utilities, both free and paid. We tried to present you with the most portable, versatile and effective bookmark managers from the ratings of online user reviews. Naturally, the final choice always remains with the user, only you can decide which utility to choose.

A person who leads an active online life sooner or later accumulates an extensive collection of bookmarks on interesting web pages in his browser. Such archives, if they are not regularly put in order, inevitably turn into real landfills, where finding a link is very, very difficult. If there is a problem, there is a solution, and there are special programs - bookmark managers designed to work on a local machine, but over time, online bookmark storage services have also appeared. Such resources have attractive sides. Firstly, such archives are not tied to one computer, they are available always and everywhere, as long as there is an Internet connection. They are especially convenient for people who, on duty, sit at one or another PC, and are indispensable for those who often visit Internet cafes or other establishments for public use of the Internet.

Secondly, online services serve as backup storage for your data: valuable links will not be lost with an untimely departed hard drive or lost compact. Not everyone home user can afford daily data backup, which is mandatory for most serious web services. Thirdly, among such resources there is a unique subclass - the so-called social bookmark managers. They are focused on forming communities and active exchange of links between users. These unique hybrids of a web directory, blog and search engine allow Internet users to significantly expand their horizons and get acquainted with a lot of useful, hand-selected links.

There are a lot of online data storage services today; there is plenty to choose from. If you don’t like one, another will do. It is only important to immediately decide on the criteria.

Since the vast majority of contenders for the title of the best SMZ (social bookmark manager) are of foreign origin, when preparing this review First of all, services were eliminated that did not work correctly with the Cyrillic alphabet when creating bookmarks or when importing them from various sources. Services that were unable to import bookmarks from browsers were eliminated in the semi-finals. Agree, it’s a shame to lose the information acquired over years of surfing. At that stage, unfortunately, services that were attractive from a functional point of view, such as Connotea and SiteULike, were crossed off the list. Then the user policy of the site, the speed and stability of its operation were analyzed.

Tell me, who needs a service whose owners are not embarrassed to admit that the transfer personal information client and the information he has collected to a third party - is this a normal practice for them and, in general, the main way to earn money? A site that is intermittently inaccessible is also useless; in addition, it produces failure after failure. When evaluating the social bookmark manager, the presence of a more or less decent community of users around it was additionally taken into account. Of course, the final list included only free resources: given the current competition in this area, in order to pay money for storing bookmarks, you need very compelling reasons, which a private user usually does not have.

In general terms, online bookmark managers are designed in the same way. First, the user creates an account on the resource. Some projects also offer their own toolbars for popular browsers (usually Firefox and Internet Explorer), providing quick access to service functions. Adding new links on almost all sites can be done in several modes: either directly on the site, or through a form in a pop-up window while surfing the web. In the second case, you can send information about an interesting web page to the server without closing it. This window is called using a pre-installed browser add-on.

For this mechanism to work, it usually requires additional customization firewall or other means blocking pop-up. User interface, sorting tools, additional functions– this is where developers give free rein to their imagination. When considering services, special attention was paid to such highlights that highlight best services from among competitors.

To go!

Let's start our review of online bookmark managers with simpler resources. Their main task is to store bookmarks. Social functions are either absent or present, but as an optional add-on.

For privacy lovers, it makes sense to pay attention to the Connectedy manager http://connectedy.com/. Complete and final triumph of anonymity. When registering an account, you are not asked for any personal information at all. Of the shortlisted services, only for Connectedy, specifying an e-mail in your account settings is optional: if you want, provide it so that the system can remind you forgotten password.

Bookmark files are imported from Internet browsers Explorer and Firefox. The manager understands Russian perfectly, and there are no difficulties with recognizing encodings. The interface is emphatically strict: the page shows only a list of existing folders and bookmarks from the currently open directory. Additional features include a search bar for bookmarks, a menu for sorting and editing open entries.

Links are distributed into folders (nested ones are possible). Each catalog has a separate category, which also serves to search for suitable materials from other users. The resource supports the exchange of links between users, but this is clearly not its strong point. Connectedy – solid anonymous service, designed specifically for online storage of personal bookmarks.

The online manager “Yandex.Bookmarks” http://zakladki.yandex.ru/ works in approximately the same way. In order to use it, you need to go through the registration procedure on Yandex and receive a virtual passport. The manager can take bookmarks from Internet Explorer and Mozilla / Firefox. Importing links from any web page you specify is useful. This method of adding bookmarks saves a lot of time; it’s even strange that this service is not very widespread. You can import bookmarks both into the root directory of your private storage on the server, and into a subfolder (but there is no folder, so create it directly during import). There are thematic folders for sorting links.

The manager's interface is simple and clear. The resource page is divided into two parts: on the left is a hierarchical tree of folders, on the right is a list of entries and buttons for creating a new folder or bookmark, for editing or deleting items marked in the list. Available automatic check the functionality of the links you have saved.
A new bookmark is added to the list either directly on the service website or through Yandex.Bar. Since this is a personal manager in its purest form, there are no tools for opening access to your bookmarks or for exchanging data with other people. The only way to extract data from the system is to export it to an HTML file and then drag it into your browser's bookmarks list.

Very pleasant service without any frills. Thanks to the initial and full support of the Russian language, it stands out from the host of imported Varangians. If you already use Yandex services and just want to save your bookmarks online, the manager is suitable for you. Just don’t forget to visit the site at least occasionally: if you haven’t visited it for more than a year, all your data will be mercilessly deleted.

Interesting experiments with the user interface are being done at MyLinkVault http://mylinkvault.com/. This is still a very young resource, but nevertheless it has its own interesting features. The fact is that complete Drag-n-Drop reigns on its pages: any elements, be they individual links or folders, can be completely easily dragged with the mouse, like shortcuts on the “Desktop”. Double click for an object opens a dialog for editing its properties. Drop-down menus are widely used to work with collections. You are free to customize to your heart's content appearance each folder - change the color and font of the title, as well as the way links are sorted and other directory parameters.
Otherwise, MyLinkVault is a traditional online bookmark manager. Links are quickly and easily imported from Internet Explorer, Mozilla / Firefox, Opera and Safari browsers.

MyLinkVault definitely has the makings of a social manager, but they haven't developed into real talents. For now, it all comes down to viewing the list of fresh links that have entered the system. In the settings there is a filter that allows only bookmarks in certain languages, and Russian is also in the list of available ones. So, if you don't have a very large collection and want to keep your links visible, take a look at MyLinkVault.

Social checkers

Social bookmark managers are special products, and it is not without reason that they belong to the Web 2.0 generation. The rich possibilities for exchanging information within the resource community give such a service a special charm.

One of the pioneers in this area is Del.icio.us http://del.icio.us/. It was his administration that proposed basic set functions, which has become an unwritten standard for services in this category and, at the same time, an object of debate.

A separate topic is the mechanism collaboration resource users. Socialization turned out to be radical: links added to the system become public by default and accessible to anyone. Some people don't like this approach, but the price for your links is fair - bookmarks of the entire Del.icio.us community. Users are truly the strength of Del.icio.us. The audience of the project today is perhaps larger than that of others similar to it. Therefore, there are really a lot of links circulating in the system.

To organize the URL collection on Del.icio.us, tags are used (instead of the usual folders). The number of tags for one link is unlimited. However, each tag must consist of one word. Tags describing the file format are automatically added to saved links. Tags that are similar in meaning can be combined into groups (Tag Bundles), which allows you to correctly classify the collected links.

In addition to the traditional form filling and importing bookmarks from the browser, Del.icio.us also has original options for adding links. The service client has the right to take into its collection any link stored on the resource and assign its own tags to it. It's very easy thanks to the internal search engine. Due to the initial publicity of links in the system, you can search not only for links with certain tags, but also for links belonging to specific users. Moreover, it is possible to sign up for a kind of subscription to newly received “urls” corresponding to a specific topic, or to track bookmarks collected by certain representatives of the service’s audience.

The “desktop” of the Del.icio.us user is quite simple: a list of personal links in chronological order, as well as a panel of tags that can be sorted by various criteria. The Tag Clouds tool identifies which tags you access most often and highlights them in general list(in a special color or large font) so you can quickly find your favorite categories.

An interesting feature of http://del.icio.us/ is the ability to quickly navigate the resource using specially compiled links. So, for example, to find all the links published by the user user, just type “del.icio.us/user” in the browser address bar, and in order to see all the links marked with a specific tag, enter “del.icio.us/
<нужный тег>" Complex requests are also accepted: “del.icio.us/user/<тег1+тег2>" Other features include searching by file type. Request “del.icio.us/tag/system:
filetype:avi” starts searching for links to videos in AVI format.

Another discovery of the Del.icio.us developers is the widespread use of RSS technology for data export. Content for the corresponding channels is generated based on a pre-compiled request to the system and is updated twice an hour. In addition, Del.icio.us offers a number of “spare parts” (including Link Rolls and Tag Rolls) that may be of interest to webmasters and site owners. Essentially, these are news feeds that run on JavaScript and display either a simple list of recent links to Del.icio.us, or a list of bookmarks tagged with certain tags. It’s easy to add such a feed to your website. Competitors Del.icio.us quickly picked up the idea. Nowadays, using RSS is mandatory for most serious social bookmarking managers.

A large community is a strong trump card that is not so easy to beat. However, the concept of only exchanging links and social functions is not suitable for everyone. In addition, Del.icio.us can no longer be called an independent project. In December 2005, this resource, with all its giblets and collected bookmarks, was purchased by Yahoo!, which for now promises to preserve the service in the form in which it has become familiar to the audience.

Catch up and overtake!

New status Many people did not like http://del.icio.us/, and soon several free clones of Del.icio.us appeared. For some time, the resource De.lirio.us was noticeable, which was positioned precisely as an independent alternative to Del.icio.us. In June 2006 he moved to new site under the name Simpy http://www.simpy.com/, with De.lirio.us customer information transferred to Simpy. In general, the service has become a typical social bookmark manager. In addition to public bookmarks, you can also create private ones, visible only to you. One of the interesting features of Simpy is that it automatically assigns tags to new links based on an analysis of the content of the original web pages. To be fair, we note that when applied to Russian-language sites, this mechanism does not always work accurately. In general, you should not rely completely on automation.

It quickly became clear that it was difficult to achieve success by simply copying a successful project. The second wave of social bookmark managers is characterized by expanding the functionality of services and experimenting with the user interface.

The service name Spurl http://spurl.com/ stands for “Special URL”. Spurl is easy to connect with your Del.icio.us account: if the corresponding option is activated, all links that you save through Spurl are automatically added to your collection at http://del.icio.us/. Thus, you can use two resources at once through a single interface. Importing bookmarks from browsers is excellent, we note good support various platforms: Internet Explorer and Mozilla / Firefox, as well as Opera and Safari. When dealing with Spurl, you don't have to import the entire bookmark file from your browser, but choose which sections or even which links should be uploaded to the server. At the same stage, you will be asked to determine which links will become public and which will remain private.

You will also be asked to mark materials (if you have any) that should not be shown to minors: based on this data, the service’s “family” filter will then work. Adding a new link in normal mode is done through a pop-up browser window, and a screenshot of the page is automatically attached to the page description. Bookmark sorting on Spurl is well thought out: you can either distribute them into folders or apply tags.
The system analyzes the tags you use and after a while begins to automatically offer fresh links on related topics. (You can view them in the Discover tab.) Like its venerable competitors, Spurl supports the creation of custom RSS feeds. Such data is provided in XML formats and ATOM or via JavaScript.

Another good online bookmark manager is Blinklist http://www.blinklist.com/. It was opened quite recently, and it has many interesting features. An interesting division is into personal links that are available only to you, public links that are visible to all clients of the service, and links that are open to a limited group of your friends. There is a standard import of bookmarks from a browser (Mozilla / Firefox or Internet Explorer), but you can transfer your links from online resources Spurl and Del.icio.us to Blinklist.
Blinklist's interface is pleasant: adding and editing links is quick, with numerous panels at your fingertips. Since this entire facility runs on AJAX, the speed of the resource is high, despite the large number of reference elements and management tools.

The basis for sorting and searching bookmarks is tags and tag groups. Note that tags in the description are separated not by spaces, as on Del.icio.us, but by commas, so you can use keywords if necessary. Blinklist has a developed rating system: the user assigns them to his bookmarks and tags (thus creating the “Favorites” section). This makes it much easier to navigate through a large collection of links. Blinklist also has its own search system, supporting the use of basic logical operators. The search bar autocompletes when you type tags from your collection.
Because Blinklist is a social manager, you can share your bookmark list with other site visitors. Analysis of tags used by users allows you to search for “interest groups” - users who save bookmarks on topics that interest you.

The Watchlists tool is used for this. Moreover, you have access to a list of people who are interested in your bookmarks. Among Blinklist's additional tools, it is also worth noting Quick Tag Access, which speeds up searching through a large database of bookmarks, as well as Related Tag Clouds, which tells you which tags have already been used in conjunction with the one you just entered. This is very convenient when you find it difficult to choose keywords when describing a new link.
By viewing the public links of other Blinklist users, you can rate them and save them to your own archive. And you don't have to take the time to add your tags right away. Used the Quick Blink function, copied bookmarks to background- and that’s it, return to them in free time.

Like other social bookmark managers, in Blinklist you can create an RSS feed for a website or blog based on your collection. Firefox lovers also have access to an original way to extract data from Blinklist - automatic synchronization online bookmarks with local browser bookmarks. Enable the Live Bookmarking option in your account properties, and every time you add a new link to your collection, it will be automatically reset to your local Firefox bookmarks file. Blinklist also offers its own home page– Quick Start, which shows your favorite bookmarks and favorite tags, as well as a list of the resources you frequently visit.

Well, the Blinklist developers have created a decent service with rich functionality. We can only wish him to quickly acquire a good community of users.

Tags vs. folders

Online bookmark managers use themed folders and tags to sort links. With folders, everything is clear: first, the necessary directories are created, into which the links are then saved. The result is a strict structure, everything is in its place. It’s just that it takes a lot of time and effort to create it. And not everyone has the patience to maintain it in proper condition. Tag technology is a worthy alternative to this method of information classification. Tags are keywords, verbalized associations that arise when you get acquainted with a certain resource. This method of describing Internet sites is very easy to learn and becomes the basis for additional tools and services.

Tags have one more thing important advantage– flexibility. If, when using folders, one bookmark can be saved only in one specific directory, then when using tags, no one is stopping you from assigning exactly as many thematic labels to the link as you deem necessary. However, this method there are also some nuances. Since tags are placed by ordinary people (usually without any special training), the quality of indexing varies, to put it mildly.

Competent indexing

A full and comprehensive description of a resource can take a lot of time, so many limit themselves to one or two tags, which are not enough to fully characterize the subject of the found web page. Don’t forget about the existence of synonyms: to describe a certain concept, one user will put some tags, another – others. In addition, there is a possibility of banal spelling errors. These points significantly complicate the search for the necessary links. The creators of online managers are trying to improve the situation by offering various tools for auto-completion of entered tags and hints (similar keywords). This, firstly, speeds things up, and secondly, it allows us to at least somehow maintain the uniformity of the tags used.

In order to help the system when arranging keywords - tags, it is enough to follow some simple rules indexing developed in the pre-Internet era. Whenever possible, try to assign the same tags to links on the same topic. For maximum full description put tags not only on the topic specific page, but also indicating generic characteristics, generalizations (for “browsers” - “programs” and “Internet”), do not neglect synonyms and associations (“network”, “web surfing”, “standards”, etc.) . These rules are especially relevant for owners of really large collections of bookmarks.

Alexey Kutovenko