It has long been one of the few things I have disliked about Firefox that I can’t get the browser’s ‘Send Link’ function to use Gmail instead of the operating system’s default e-mail client. I tend not to use a desktop based e-mail client like Thunderbird or Outlook in favour of Gmail’s web based interface and I find it irritating that I have to copy and paste a URL into Gmail when I want to send a link. Well now I’ve found out that Firefox 3 can in fact provide the functionality that I want!

Firefox has the ability to allow web-based protocol handlers to accept links like mailto: and irc:. This means that as long as the online service accepts the protocol you can pretty much use anything to handle these links. The Mozilla Links blog explains how to set up Firefox to allow Gmail to be the client for e-mail.

Although a little later than intended due to a skiing trip at the end of February here is this month’s site of the month. This time I want to highlight Smashing Magazine as a fantastic resource for web development. Although not intended as a programming reference (the programming content offered is somewhat light-weight) it is a fantastic resource for graphic design material and inspiration.

The content includes textures, wallpapers, icons, photography, design examples and analysis of design trends, usability and tools. Although the emphasis is on web design most of the content is useful in other areas too, even if just for inspiration. It’s definitely worth subscribing to the Smashing Magazine RSS feed (which has recently changed location) to keep up with their latest content.