Firefox Extensions

[funion987]

Lately, I've been adding a lot of extensions to my Firefox. I would love to add some more. What are some really good extensions that you would recommend to me? Feel free to put in links if you feel like it.

[urbestfreind]

Hmm...I can get you links and some more add-ons sometime tomorrow, as neither of my computers are connected to the internet atm, but I'll list a few of the addons I absolutely love.

 

 

 

NoScript - absolute must for security. Blocks all scripts unless you allow them (which has saved me from quite a few nasties, and cuts down on advertising).

 

 

 

FlashBlock - Blocks all flash applications until allowed. Again, great for security, and watching videos because I can open up 20 youtube videos and load them one at a time, instead of having to open them one by one, or quickly pause all the rest and go back to the beginning. I find it handy.

 

 

 

Adblock Plus - superb ad blocker.

 

 

 

NoSquint - adds a zoom toggle like in IE, and allows you to set default zoom for websites. Quite handy, as FF doesn't have one built in (or last time I checked it didn't, been using NoSquint for too long lol).

 

 

 

Save Session - allows you to save your session and exit FireFox. Although it's recently come to my attention that FF3 has this function built in? Or at least my dad's computer does it, and he doesn't have any add-ons yet (or I don't think he does), so this one might be useless

 

 

 

GreaseMonkey - allows users to change how websites look and are used.

 

Stylish - changes look of Web Pages (similar to GreaseMonkey, but more limited...a bit hard to explain, but you'll get it when/if you look it up).

 

 

 

Smart Bookmarks Bar - Squishes all your bookmarks down into just the symbol (on the furthest left of the address bar or tab), and shows the full title on mouse over. Really helpful because I have a lot of sites I frequently visit, and the regular bookmarks bar just looked bad with it all.

 

 

 

Tab Renamizer - Allows you to rename tabs manually or automatically. Can really save your bacon if you do it right.

 

 

 

Site Advisor - rates websites based on testing and user feedback. Not always reliable and accurate, but it's saved me a few times (plus it automatically blocks websites that are highly dangerous). Also a good website (siteadvisor.com) to check out suspect links.

 

WOT (Web Of Trust) - similar to Site Advisor - rates the danger level of a website. Haven't used too much, but it seems like a worthy alternative to Site Advisor.

 

 

 

Foxytunes - lets you scroll through your playlists through FireFox (opening up the media player in the background. Really useful, as you don't have to minimize the browser or anything to change a song, a simple click or swift key-combo will change the song, pause, change volume, etc.

 

 

 

Those are all the ones my tired mind can procure atm. I'll be sure to come back with some more of the (possibly lesser-known) ones that I use.

[Errdoth]

If you're into web design/dev, go for Colorzilla, Firebug, Fireftp, IE Tab, MeasureIt, and TamperData.

 

Stylish goes very well with greasemonkey (mentioned above)

 

Faviconize Tab is a good one if you frequently have massive amounts of tabs open.

 

Download Statusbar is a must, and tinymenu will let you compact your entire menu (file, edit, et cetera) into one button, giving you more screen to work with.

 

 

 

Oh, and don't forget the tipit one [/plug] :P

[D. V. Devnull]

Here's one I suggest...

 

 

 

"Full Screen" by Patrick H. Lauke

 

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/810

 

 

 

Put simply, FF does not come with an easy way to get back out of full screen. This extension totally fixes that, and provides a function that ex-IE6 users miss. 8-)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BTW, don't use the "Tip.It Extension" until Errdoth gets it certified with 'AMO' (addons.mozilla.org) ... Last I saw of that thread, that extension has serious bugs, such as killing java. :(

 

 

 

 

 

~Mr. D. V. Devnull

[Errdoth]

 

BTW, don't use the "Tip.It Extension" until Errdoth gets it certified with 'AMO' (addons.mozilla.org) ... Last I saw of that thread, that extension has serious bugs, such as killing java. :(

 

Oui! I'm not going to get it listed in the mozilla DB at the moment (maybe not at all, there really aren't any benefits to it, only hindrances) because it's a Tip.It thing, and it's still being constantly updated. I don't want to have to go through their approval process every time I change something, and it's not really the type of addon that goes in their database. And if you haven't checked the thread in a few days, I've ironed out all of those bugs. It's working quite nicely at the moment. It's a stable version for a reason :

[sloter]

 

BTW, don't use the "Tip.It Extension" until Errdoth gets it certified with 'AMO' (addons.mozilla.org) ... Last I saw of that thread, that extension has serious bugs, such as killing java. :(

 

 

D_V_Denvull, it has been a while sincei have seen you post. :D It is unfortunate to see you again on the other hand that is the right thing to same in TIF especially when you have no reputation around here. Then you come here and tell people not to use the Tip.It add on that Errdoth made. This just puts you in the negatives even more.

[D. V. Devnull]

 

BTW, don't use the "Tip.It Extension" until Errdoth gets it certified with 'AMO' (addons.mozilla.org) ... Last I saw of that thread, that extension has serious bugs, such as killing java. :(

 

 

D_V_Denvull, it has been a while sincei have seen you post. :D It is unfortunate to see you again on the other hand that is the right thing to same in TIF especially when you have no reputation around here. Then you come here and tell people not to use the Tip.It add on that Errdoth made. This just puts you in the negatives even more.

 

Hey, I wouldn't say to avoid something, unless I'd really seen something bad about it. You don't want to believe me, you go look at that dang thread and/or the page that the plugin is linked from. The mention about Java getting [bleep]ed up is right there. :geek:

 

 

 

And BTW, it is good to run into you again too, sloter. :)

 

 

 

~D. V. Devnull

[urbestfreind]

I'll +1 just about everything Errdoth said, although I never really got used to tinymenu.

 

I also have to thank him for the whole first line, save IE Tab (I use the User Agent Switcher), since I just got back into writing sites again.

 

 

 

Fission - puts the page loading bar in the address bar, which saves space on the bottom, and looks cooler. Some themes may not play too well with it though.

 

 

 

Hide Unvisited - Helps in removing all the crap from the "Awesome Bar", which I found to be very annoying.

 

Oldbar - Gives you results more like FF2, goes along with Hide Unvisited.

 

 

 

Undo Closed Tabs button. This is more helpful for me because I often close tabs by accident, or don't realize I need something in that tab. Only thing I wish it would do would give you a list of tabs so you don't have to re-open 4 you don't need to get to the fifth, but it's alright.

 

 

 

CookieSafe is alright, but it can be a bit annoying. Better for people like DVD who are paranoid when it comes to 'surfing the net.'

 

 

 

Forecast Fox is a decent add-on for people paranoid about the weather, like I am. It can cause a bit of a slowdown when it updates, but I believe you can change the update feature.

 

 

 

StumbleUpon. It can be quite interesting, I've found a few good reads, but some of the websites it sends you to are questionable at best. It's a decent thing to use to kill time, but have decent security measures in place (good AV/Anti-Spyware, NoScript, Adblock, etc.) just to be safe.

 

 

 

ChatZilla isn't a bad add-on from what I've seen, but I haven't used IRC in awhile and therefore haven't had a need to use this in awhile, but I remember good things.

 

 

 

Those are pretty much all the ones I've used and can recommend with some certainty. I'll probably spend some time tomorrow and the rest of this weekend going through and finding more add-ons, so if I find anything interesting and have time to get used to it and everything, I'll wonder back and add some more.

[Errdoth]

If I'm not mistaken, user agent only changes the name of the browser that get's sent to the server, IE Tab actually loads up IE in your firefox window, making it easier to check layout changes in both browsers.

[blade995]

Foxmark- this can synchronize your bookmarks between multiples computers. This is my favorite addon. This can also be used as a backup of your bookmarks because they are saved on the foxmark server.

 

 

 

Bugmenot - right click on a login form and it will log you into a username. This is very useful for site that require you to registry to view the content, such as news websites.

 

 

 

download helper - can download flash videos in webpages, great for youtube.

[urbestfreind]

If I'm not mistaken, user agent only changes the name of the browser that get's sent to the server, IE Tab actually loads up IE in your firefox window, making it easier to check layout changes in both browsers.

 

 

 

You may be right. I got IE tab now just in case, lol. I just used the Agent Switcher to get on a few iPhone only sites. As much as I hate to "hijack" the thread, can anyone recommend any other really good developer tools? Preferrably over pm (just easier to get to). That and I have a few other questions about website development.

 

 

 

Back on topic:

 

I haven't used Foxmarks, but I intend to (I usually just copy the favorites folder lol).

 

I wouldn't use BugMeNot. More often than not (at least in my limited experience with it) it failed to accomplish its goal, but it can be a bit helpful when it works. I just sign up for an account with a junk account. One of the bookmarks on my bookmarks toolbar is http://www.yopmail.com/en/email-generator.php, a free random e-mail generator. Just easier.

 

I also had issues with download helper, the converter was just horrible (I don't think it converted one video right for me). If they fixed the converter and a few other bugs, it may be worth my time, but it's really just frustrating, at least to me.

[D. V. Devnull]

Here's a question, pertinent to this discussion... Does 'AdBlock Plus' affect how 'IE Tab' works, such as filtering elements and content, like with the normal FF engine? 8-)

 

 

 

~D. V. Devnull

[Errdoth]

Here's a question, pertinent to this discussion... Does 'AdBlock Plus' affect how 'IE Tab' works, such as filtering elements and content, like with the normal FF engine? 8-)

 

 

 

~D. V. Devnull

 

And here's the answer: No.

[D. V. Devnull]

Here's a question, pertinent to this discussion... Does 'AdBlock Plus' affect how 'IE Tab' works, such as filtering elements and content, like with the normal FF engine? 8-)

 

And here's the answer: No.

 

Great... I'll add that to my reasons NOT to use IE Tab. :(

 

 

 

Thanks for the info. :)

 

 

 

~D. V. Devnull

[Errdoth]

Here's a question, pertinent to this discussion... Does 'AdBlock Plus' affect how 'IE Tab' works, such as filtering elements and content, like with the normal FF engine? 8-)

 

And here's the answer: No.

 

Great... I'll add that to my reasons NOT to use IE Tab. :(

 

 

 

Thanks for the info. :)

 

 

 

~D. V. Devnull

 

Well, that's really not what it's for..The whole idea around it is to be able to see how a site looks in IE versus Firefox easily when you're designing it, not to provide a replacement for IE.

[kam42705]

Fasterfox- Obsolete now that FF3 came out- they still have to update it... if you have FF2, then use it- it really helps... If you're willing to mess with the about:config, go ahead, (only if you know what you're doing) [if using FF3]

 

 

 

Better Gmail 2- Adds a variety of features into Gmail, only appears when you open your account with FF, and overall, it makes reading a lot easier...

 

 

 

DownThemAll! - A download manager that somewhat speeds up downloads- it's relatively useful for me...

 

 

 

Download Statusbar - A must have- places a little bar on the bottom of your screen, telling you the status of your downloads...

 

 

 

Google Toolbar! - It's google, and simplifies things- personally, I use the embedded search in FF for wikipedia....

 

 

 

Morning Coffee - Basically, it puts an icon next to the Stop/Refresh buttons, near the address bar, and when clicked on, it'll open certain cites that you program it to. You can set some sites to open everyday, some on particular days, etc. (useful when you just turn on the computer and want to read your usual news, etc)

 

 

 

Speed Dial- An Opera feature that's been integrated as an addon- it displays thumbnails of sites that you choose when you open a new tab, a blank page, or open FF, or as your homepage- very useful for 1 click access to your most viewed sites...

 

 

 

Those are some of the best that I use right now, and weren't posted thus far....

 

 

 

 

 

'

[n1h0k3r]

 

Tab Renamizer - Allows you to rename tabs manually or automatically. Can really save your bacon if you do it right.

 

 

i lol'd.

[Dracion1]

The ones I'd recommend:

 

 

 

Download statusbar: Infinitely useful, I don't know why this isn't a built in feature. As kam said you get a little bar at the bottom of the screen which tells you your speed, download percent, time left for download and more.

 

 

 

Page title eraser: Good for hiding page titles if you want a little privacy ;). This used to have a 'hide all titles' option, but it was sadly removed.

 

 

 

Gmail Manager: I find this really useful. It sticks a little icon in the bottom right hand corner of you screen telling you how much mail there is in your gmail inbox. Clicking on it opens a new tab with your inbox. It even works with multiple accounts.

 

 

 

TabKit: If you open a lot of tabs and want to be able to sort them. Has colour coding, multiple rows of tabs, etc.

 

 

 

Some that work with 2 but not 3:

 

 

 

Downloads in Tab: Opens the downloads window in a tab. Kind of redundant if you have download statusbar though.

 

 

 

Firesomething: Lets you change the Mozilla Firefox to whatever you want. You can have a list of randomly generated names which can be quite funny sometimes (Mozilla Hypnotoad for example :P).

[Latinoking]

Image Bot - Allows you to upload/clipboard pics to Imageshack or Photobucket. Even logs in for you. REALLY HANDY!

 

 

 

Flashblock - Very Useful when you don't want to allow flash on sites.

 

 

 

IE Tab - Allows IE to run in Firefox, for sites made to run in IE.

 

 

 

Chatzilla - Free IRC Chat Messenger.

 

 

 

Ad Block Plus - Blocks Ads!

 

 

 

Download Helper - Downloads Youtube videos, videos from websites in general, songs from artist on MySpace.

 

 

 

ColorZilla - Really useful to find the specific color of something in a site. I use this along with Image Bot a lot with Photoshop.

 

 

 

Download Embedded - Downloads embedded stuff which download helper can't download.

 

 

 

Download Statusbar - WAY BETTER then the default firefox download window.

 

 

 

Fast Dial - Exactly like Opera, but it's in Firefox!

 

 

 

Feed Sidebar - I love this one! Keeps up with my subscribed feeds!

 

 

 

Firefox Showcase - lets me see what's in all my tabs. Allows me to refresh etc.

 

 

 

Firefox Universal Uploader - Really helpful when uploading stuff to youtube and such.

 

 

 

Gmail Notifier - Shows me when I have mail in my gmail and allows me to log in automatically. Without this one, I'll prob would miss out on tons of important emails.

 

 

 

McAfee Site Advisor - Really useful, shows which sites are bad and gives a little report on them.

 

 

 

PicLens - I can see tons of pictures fast and easily.

 

 

 

No Script - It isn't Firefox w/o No Script. Blocks sites scripts such as ad ones.

 

 

 

Redirect Remover - allows you to find the "clean" link and stops you from being redirected

 

 

 

Quick Restart - Restarts Firefox!

 

 

 

Secure Login - Another thing from Opera which is now on firefox, which is it saves your passwords and when you log in it protects you from bad javascripts.

 

 

 

URL Fixer - Saves a lot of hassles!!!

 

 

 

Stealther - Blocks all information of the site your visiting when you have this on.

[dsavi]

 

Tab Renamizer - Allows you to rename tabs manually or automatically. Can really save your bacon if you do it right.

 

 

i lol'd.

 

You know, you have a lot of use for that. Actually, I can think of some situations in which you should be using it.

 

 

 

:anxious:

[Latinoking]

 

Tab Renamizer - Allows you to rename tabs manually or automatically. Can really save your bacon if you do it right.

 

 

i lol'd.

 

You know, you have a lot of use for that. Actually, I can think of some situations in which you should be using it.

 

 

 

:anxious:

 

 

 

Being on gaming site at school? TBH, I don't see the need for while you're at home.

[dsavi]

Gaming site at school? Pah. Our parents are very anti-piracy, and we can't afford any music. Add 1 and 1.

[ooberman]

Tab Mix Plus, excellent if you like to take control of your tabs

[urbestfreind]

 

Tab Renamizer - Allows you to rename tabs manually or automatically. Can really save your bacon if you do it right.

 

 

i lol'd.

 

You know, you have a lot of use for that. Actually, I can think of some situations in which you should be using it.

 

 

 

:anxious:

 

 

 

What's with all the "you"s in there? You trying to insinuate something about me?

 

 

 

And it is good for going to torrent sites or sites with questionable content at best (TOTSE, 4chan, etc). And it's great for if you get bored during research, but want to make it look like you're actually working. Just change the tab names to "Steve Jobs - Google Search" or whatever, and then you're golden (actually have an open tab of it though, so you can close tab and prove it's work).

 

 

 

Other than that, Latinoking put together a fantastic list, follow it (although I disagree with some choices, like Speed Dial, it's mostly because I didn't like the looks, or I just didn't see the point, like Fast Dial [nothing against the add-on, I just didn't see a point in using it]).