@Roriniho: Click [step 1 code], [step 2 code] and [step 3 code]. They're a little tiny but should be relatively easy to find near the section headers.

Of course, install the Greasemonkey extension before all that...

kureshii

@Roriniho: If you just want to use it with Wikipedia, you just need to install the Greasemonkey extension. If you want to apply the idea to another web site, that's another story. :)

Adam Pash, LH Senior Editor

Errrr... bit too technical for my liking. Is there a set of instructions that you don't need a degree in computer science to work?

Roriniho

so...it only caches pages that you visit? if so, that is very cool

my first thought was something similar to the pre-fetching that fasterfox employs, which is bad net etiquette. (no, not "netiquette", dammit)

boandmichele

Okay, so I can finally download the internet on my computer now?

gpsnomad

Isn't it slightly pointless though? What real application would it have that couldn't be done with 'save page as .pdf'?

How much information would you really need in a place with no internet access?

minus19

You can also download webpages with WinHTTrack ([www.httrack.com]), however, be prepared to have some space ready on your computer for the files. The utility of an application like this is in being able to browse a website that you would like to read later when you have some time but suffer from a firewall-restricted or limited internet connection. You can set a time for the downloads with WinHTTrack too. For those who prefer to take one page rather than an entire website, check out the Scrapbook ([addons.mozilla.org]) add-on in Firefox (we are all using Firefox here, aren't we?) Happy Thanksgiving!

Mark

Mark

Perhaps there's an opening for a "Better Gears" extension here to take the hard work out of all that javascript jiggery-pokery...? :o)

AragornsBeard

But where is the cache stored?

kaushalmodi

@kaushalmodi: Data/profile/... same folder as your bookmarks. I'm using Firefox Portable though, so I'm not sure if it's the same for the regular flavour.

@minus19: Well, think about embedded video... and hyperlinks... not things I'd like to manually manage out of a PDF ;-)

kureshii

@Mark: Yep, I second Scrapbook - couldn't live without it!

da5id_nz

Forgot to mention a favorate trick: Export your bookmarks and/or del.icio.us and then have httrack download that page so that instead of just links you have the actual pages.

m.c.cookie

I'm psyched about this too, but want to second HTTrack and Scrapbook. Httrack and wget are powerful tools, but be sure to back the speed way down (# of con; speed;etc)because it can be very hard on a sites servers.

Wikipedia on web crawlers/offline browsers and being cool.
[en.wikipedia.org]

And a specific request not to tax their servers.
[en.wikipedia.org]

m.c.cookie

So with WinHTTrack I can download Lifehacker? That would be so cool to have it to read and search through.

lilparker780

This is good too (Windows only):
[WebReaper]
I work on a secure PC not connected to the Net. Sometimes I must use apps whose developers maintain their docs online instead of bundling them with their apps. (Can't blame them, especially with actively-developed projects whose docs are often updated.) I use WebReaper to download the folder containing the doc webpages, beginning with the TOC's URL. It automatically converts the links to local paths, so I can still click through the content.

ander

I see this as semi-groundbreaking, yet another use for Google Gears...but why use it on Wikipedia...? Doesn't Wikipedia offer batch downloads of the wiki somewhere...? Of course in huge compressed files...I thought I remember reading something about "Wikipedia on your iPOD" or something a while back.

ahoier

This works quite well on Firefox 2 on my Powerbook, though there are some formatting errors in some articles (notably ones with a right-floating info panel). The prospects of applying these to any site with a "simple" script is a stroke of genius.

As of June, I'm eagerly awaiting the Safari version of Google Gears, since that's my browser of choice. Now that we've finally got GreaseMonkey running well enough (GreaseKit for Safari), Gears is the last of the _major_ plugins-of-envy keeping the (dog-slow) Firefox in my apps folder for anything but web-development tasks (Firebug rocks!).

avocade

OK so then is the basic idea to install the code from the 3 steps and then use the description of the code to go in and hack it to work with other websites?

eKiTeL

I don't understand why we aren't able to "surf" the pages which we have already read while offline as a normal feature of any browser. After all the pages are already saved on your HD. Firefox 3 will support this I believe.

davidbrake

Does this mean we can finally use Google Gears for Gmail and Google Calendar? Anyone want to develop those scripts?

Solarusdude