I didn’t immediately fall for Firefox the first time I saw it, but when I discovered the power of add-ons (also known as extensions), there was no turning back. Perhaps by introducing the add-ons I’m using, you can make browsing even more fun!
System Proxy [Mac OS X]
System Proxy is an extension that enables Firefox and Thunderbird to read proxy settings from the Mac OS X System Preferences and be aware of network location changes.
This add-on will eliminate having to manually change the proxy settings in Firefox each time you’re in a different location. Just configure the Locations in Mac OS X, and Firefox will pick up on the changes. A real time-saver!
Gina Trapani is a tech writer and web developer based in San Diego, California by way of Brooklyn, New York. She has created quite a lot of Firefox addons, most designed to improve functionality of popular websites. I use the ones created for Google:
- Better Gmail: adds useful extra features and skins to Gmail, like hierarchical labels, macros, file attachment icons, and more.
- Better GReader: preview web pages inline in Google Reader, collapse the header and sidebar for more reading area, get a Mac OS X like skin, add favicons to feed subscriptions and more with Better GReader
- Better GCal: adds collapsible header and sidebar, event title text wrap, coloured weekend days, week numbers, and skins to Google Calendar.
As I’m an avid user of Google’s applications, these add-ons really are great to have and really make a difference. They are created from individual Greasemonkey scripts, making it easier for you to install and configure them. If you’re using Google, even just casually, then you should have a look at these add-ons. Be sure to check out Gina’s other add-ons as well!
Safari View [Mac OS X]
Safari View has a right click menu item to open a page in Safari and a list of sites to always open in Safari. It can close tabs automatically and you can select other browser. Safari View is a Mac version of IE View Lite by Grayson Mixon. All the same features are there, but only works on Mac OS X.
RIP (Remove It Permanently)
RIP provides the ability to point at and remove permanently any item you can select. It provide a flexible and easily configurable solution to removing unwanted content from a web page.
If the content that you want to remove is not an add or you don’t like running something like Adblock Plus (see below), then this add-on might be something for you. Now you can really customize the look of your favourite sites. Focus on what you really want to see, and remove anything else! More information is available on ripWiki. gHacks has a small review of RIP; Lifehacker has a tip for Firefox 3.0.1 users..
Veteran add-ons
These are add-ons that have earned their mark and immensely popular. I won’t elaborate too much, but if you haven’t used them before, these are really worth checking out.
- NoScript (homepage): This is really one of my favourite add-ons, effectively blocking all JavaScript unless you allow it (either permanently or temporarily). While this might not be for everyone, if you want to take control of your browsing experience, this is a must have. NoScript has received an antagonist: YesScript. More information can be found on gHacks.
- Adblock Plus (homepage): Get rid of those pesky ads!
- Greasemonkey (homepage; scripts can be found here)
In closing
This post is certainly not an attempt to list all the extensions I’m using.If you’d like to see what else is available, then these sites will certainly appeal:
And of course, if you have a favourite add-on that you’d like to share, let us know in the comment section!
September 1, 2008 at 2:06 am |
Proxomitron