Unless you has lived in a cave in the last 2 weeks, you problably already know the new browser of Google: Google Chrome. But, I will not speak the same thing that has been said in all the technology blogs of world.

The fact is that I, like any geek, already download and install the browser soon that I could. And now I’m using, even as my default browser.

One of the new features announced by Google is the multi-tasks address bar, called Omnibox: It can be used to enter directly into a particular site, or to do searches on Google and also to look for sites you have visited or are stored in your favorites. Still, you can also use it to search directly on other sites. You can use it, for example, to search for a product directly into Amazon, or an article on Wikipedia.

However, the default search engine of the browser is still Google, so enter a search term into the address bar is like to enter the home page of Google, type something and click “Search” and is shown shortly after the search results.

But, Firefox users already known a more practical browser, in which type something in the address bar leads them directly to the first site found in the search, as happens when you enter into Google and search using the “I’m Feeling Lucky”.

There seems to be a great delayed migrate to a browser that does not contain such facility that is a trademark of Google, even more when the browser is developed by… Google?

In spite of contradictory opinion, it is easy to understand why Google does not implement the “I’m feeling lucky” as standard in Chrome: To avoid losing money. This feature, by not allowing to display of advertising, costs for the company’s coffers about 110 million dollars a year. Looking for that angle, concluded that it is easier Yahoo! launch a browser with a large button “I’m feeling lucky” than Google.

To our lucky (no pun), you can change that and make the Chrome itself to behave like Firefox, showing the first page of results when you make a search. It is a very simple procedure.

First, we need to create a new search engine in Chrome. To do this, click on the address bar with the right mouse button, click “Edit search engines…” and then in the window that opens, click on “Add”. Once that’s done, fill in the fields “Name” and “Keyword” in the way he deemed appropriate and in field “URL”, paste this address:

Then, just select the new search you just created and click “Make Default” for it to be used whenever you look for something in the address bar. As in Firefox!

Finally, we believe that the times you would like to use the old regular Google search, without falling directly on the first page. No problem. Find the old search engine default, which is usually the first and is named “Google”, double-click on it to edit it and then assign a new keyword. I, for example, use g. So when you want to do a search and see the results page, just type “g the search term.”

Well, thinking about it, and on a moment of complete idleness, I maked a automatic degradê (synonymous to gradient, in Portuguese) generator. I didn’t make it exactly, because the core of the code has been writed by someone to the WordPress Kubrick theme. I make just a better interface (that not depends of WordPress) to fast change the parameters of the gradient, like colors and size, and see a instantly result.

So, I am presenting them the 5SecDegradê.

Ok, I already know that have a small bug with the color picker in Firefox, what should I correct so I know how to do it.

So… Well, is a gradient generator. It is nice to be used in background from blogs and Twitter, is not much to say. Come on, do the test and, as it has a large “BETA” on top, go back and tell me what you think that can improve.

I finished the Login-box theme that copy the WordPress 2.5 appearance, as you can see the image above.

Click to get the new theme

Install it is very easy:

First, unpack the downloaded file and move the wp25 folder into login-box folder, which is in the WordPress plugins directory.

Now, open the login-box.php in a text-editor and change the line 11, replacing “wpclassic” to “wp25″.

(Should be like @define("LB_THEME", "wp25"); )

Remember: Login-box only opens when you are not logged in system, so logout before test it.

Well, the plugin is called Login-box and its function is…

Login-box is a WordPress plugin that inserts in all your pages a login form, making faster the authentication process. As the Login-box is hidden, it doesn’t draws attention of your readers to this part of the blog that doesn’t interest them, but, for you (and the others editors of your blog), becomes quite practical to be opened with a simple combination of keys.

Simple, huh? Visit the Login-box page to see more info and download.

Ah! Yes, it uses the old theme of WordPress, used up to version 2.3.3. That’s because I writed the Login-box before officially release of WordPress 2.5. However, this can be corrected easily through themes. That’s right, themes! As with WordPress, the Login-box have themes support, that can be created if you know a little bit of CSS. So I will soon make available a theme that simulates the WordPress 2.5 login page.

Your theme

I don’t wanted see all blogs with the same Login-boxes, so I already did the plugin thinking to supporting themes. Make your own theme is very simple, just need some knowledge of CSS. Take a look at the file style.css, included in the folder of the standard theme, wpclassic, and learn how it was done. If you share your theme, let me know by comments so that I can divulge it here.

Next versions

Do you have some ideas for the next versions of the Login-box? Leave a comment, say what you think can be added, or that can be removed or modified… Today, this may seem a joke, but your opinion is REALLY very important for us!

And again, to download the plugin, go to Login-box page!