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20 Must-have Firefox Extensions
An anonymous reader noted that Computerworld is running a story on the 20 must have Firefox extensions. Several of my favorites are in there so I'm looking forward to playing with the ones I haven't heard of.
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https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/2254/
It allows you to rip streaming content easily from websites. It can handle everything from flash movies (.flv) on youtube to mp3 data streamed to your web browser. Paired with the Flashgot plugin:
https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/220/
You can download all of the links on a webpage, just like certain download managers used to. Its a great combo.
Flashblock makes sites browsable again. Stop autoplay falls into the same category :) And No script is just plain sensible.
Other simple extensions that make life saner include copy as plain text (A life-saver in this "MS-we-know-what-you're trying-to-do" world) and the BugMeNot extension.
-- Trinity in high heels carrying a whip: The donimatrix - there is no spoonerism
As the site has been Slashdotted already, have a Coralised, Printer-friendly version.
Neither of those are necessary if you use NoScript.
I don't want to see zero ads anyway. I just don't want them to take over my browser.
Can you be Even More Awesome?!
Although I've not generally had stability issues with too many extension, I have found that certain ones do conflict and can makes FF amazingly efficient RAM usage become even more efficient. /sarcasm
But yeah too many does it make it more bloated and often will make it eat even more RAM that it does normally, its a shame cos there are some great extensions out there, but they need to be tested a lot more with others so that they conflict less and don't cause even more memory leaks.
if this list were anywhere near accurate it should have included these extensions:
Most of the authors of these extensions are not yet members of the Pornzilla project.
If you're using AdBlock Plus, I'd recommend that you subscribe to EasyList rather than use Filterset.G. Filterset.G is designed for the original AdBlock, and doesn't take advantage of a number of featues that AdBlock Plus has; for example, it features automatic subscription updating, so you don't need another extension just to update it. Also, the Filterset.G updater will blow away any customizations you've made to the block list when it updates, while EasyList won't. For more info, read the FAQ.
Karma: Terrifying (mostly affected by atrocities you've committed)
DownThemAll! 0.9.9.7 - can download all files from page (both links and directly embeddeded) with settable filter, custom renaming and all other features you'd expect form download accelerator
Image Zoom 0.2.7 - zooming images (and only images) - i found it very needed for high-dpi displays, or where the OS-specific zoom-tool isn't enough.
MR Tech Local Install 5.3.2.3 - nice tool for managing extensions - can make any older extension compatible on one click (simple change of required firefox version), also can generate installed extension list like this one you're reading now, either in text, HTML or BBcode
Remove It Permanently 1.0.6.3 - more useful version of NukeIt - shows you what content is actually being removed in red outline, can remove parent widget of what you're hovering over, or 'all similar items', on per-page,per-domain,per-website basis;useful for pages heavily infested with ads
Tiny Menu 1.4.2 - the whole menu is compacted to one button 'Menu' which you can drag on your address toolbar (it's actually the other way round), saving needed screen space
Unread Tabs 0.3 - shows opened-but-yet-unread tabs with Italics
People who like this sort of sig will find this the sort of sig they like.
Nope.
Firefox extensions are generally simple JavaScript and XML files that are effectively appended directly to the core JavaScript and XML files that make up the browser. (Obviously I'm oversimplifying a bit here.)
In any case, because extensions just add on to the general browser in the same namespace, there's no way to separate what memory is used by one extension and what memory is used by another or what memory is being used by the core browser itself. They're all in the same namespace. This can cause conflicts with extensions, of course: if two extensions make different use of the same variable (or XML id) they'll conflict and the results will be unpredictable.
But in short: no, it's not possible, because the extensions are effectively loaded as if they were part of the browser, and there's no way to tell when something is part of an extension or part of the core browser.
Dragdropupload . If you have to upload files regularly, you'll enjoy this extension, as you just need to drag a file from your desktop/explorer/nautilus into the upload box, you you don't have to type the path manually, or navigate through one of those sucky 'open file' dialogs.
"It's easier for people to control what's displayed on their computer than most think."
Of course it is.
And they have every right to do so. But when some of us are providing others resources where the power users are blocking the ads, and these are the only things that are keeping these resources running, they are shooting themselves AND EVERYONE ELSE THAT DEPENDS ON THEM in the foot.
Personally, I don't even care if someone ever clicks on an advertisement on any of my sites. I never wanted to advertise on any of my sites until costs got to be a few hundred a month just to keep the servers online (let alone taking up a good deal of my time that I could be doing other things...I love doing this stuff, but not when it requires time away from other activities that I find just as important...but the users don't see it that way...a lot of them are counting on these services).
Just like if Tivo were to be the norm, costs will be either directed straight toward the user -- which I'd actually prefer, but at the same time would I want to spend $5 a month on something vs. seeing a simple advertisement that I can ignore -- or the advertising will be built into the product where its not so easy to block and lowers the value of the product to both the owner and the customers of it. I've stopped trusting most review sites out there because you can see that that products they advertise are also the ones rated the highest without any bad ratings (how does that work???)
I've seen how this integrated advertising use to work in the early days of television. And there is a real reason it isn't used today. Occasionally, it makes a comeback and people complain and it goes away...but every idiot thinks its a novel idea that no one else had and tries it before failing.
Anyhow...as someone that provides several webservices, you can either agree to view the ads, pay not to or not use the service at all. Why is that so hard to understand. Just because technology exists to do something, this doesn't make it morally right (even if I understand the rational behind wanting to do so). Personally, I just don't go back to sites that barrage me with advertisement.
I have only encountered two really useful extensions so far, the rest usually being too bloated or insecure to install them.
The first is the PrefBar, which allows to quickly change browser options.
For example, enable or disable Cookies, Java(Script) with a single click. Or choose from different proxies, which is very useful in combination with Tor.
For web developers, LiveHTTPHeaders is a must. It allows you to track redirects, view Cookies or view and manipulate POST requests.
OS Reviews: Free and Open Source Software
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Tools for taming the Web
StumbleUpon
Yahoo Mail Notifier
Gmail Manager
Greasemonkey
Visual Improvements
Firefox Showcase
Cooliris Previews
Colorful Tabs
ChromaTabs
Matters of convenience
Google Browser Sync
Foxmarks Bookmark Synchronizer
Session Manager
All-in-One Gestures
IE Tab
Download Statusbar
Download Sort
Nuke Anything Enhanced
Information gatherers
Forecastfox
Answers
Web developer essentials
FireFTP
Firebug
Web Developer
MeasureIt
ColorZilla
Yes, there are more than twenty, but 20 sounds better, doesn't it? By the way, please skip the IE tab. If you are using Firefox, it is in your best interest to abandon sites that only support Internet Explorer. I should go on to say something more, because I apparently don't have enough characters per line: more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more more
So, without ads, where do they get the money to stay online?
That's the obvious question. Do people just volunteer and donate all their time and money? Have you ever done that to help something else?
Tab Groups does this to some degree.
> Isn't everything so much better when it's only for the elites?
Well, it's much better when it's only for people who don't act to ruin it, yes.
If not harvesting email addys and spamming them to death makes one "elite", if not trying to jack unsecure machines into botnets makes one "elite", then yes, the internet was much better when it was only for the elites.
There is a plugin that might help you: Aardvark.
It has an 'isolate' option, that will let you do what you are mentioning.
You can try it out here: http://karmatics.com/aardvark/
Cheers.
It happens whether you use Firefox or IE. Google use your IP address to make the decision. This allows them to sell ads to German companies, and know that only people in Germany will see those ads. I'm in Canada, and Google re-directs www.google.com to www.ggogle.ca. You can over-ride local re-direction by going to http://www.google.com/intl/en/
I'm not repeating myself
I'm an X window user; I'm an ex-Windows user
Console2 - improved javascript error console
Greasemonkey - inject your own javascript
livehttpheaders - capture headers
WebDeveloper - major toolbox
HtmlValidator - based on HTML Tidy, validates HTML as your view pages
meh
You betcha.
I don't want to pay money every month or year to support them to avoid ads.
Why not?
If you say "it's not worth it" - how long do you spend reading or posting on slashdot?
Slashdot does actually have a quite good system to pay to remove ads, with good options. And it's cheap. Some other sites assume that there are only "freeloaders" and "premium professionals" and therefore offer only overpriced subscriptions (like IMDB) that are not worthwhile to casual users, but slashdot is not one of those sites.
For every expert, there is an equal and opposite expert. - Arthur C. Clarke