Ask Slashdot: Most Useful Browser Extensions?

An anonymous reader writes: One of the most powerful features of modern browsers is the ability to install third-party extensions. They allow third-party developers to work on really useful niche functionality, and let users customize their browser with the tools they need. Unfortunately, this environment has the same discover-ability and security problems as standalone software. Thus, my question: what are your most useful (and safe) browser extensions? I can't live without some privacy basics like NoScript, AdBlock, and Ghostery. I also find FoxyProxy helpful for getting around geolocation requirements for media streaming. OneTab works pretty well for saving groups of browser tabs, and Pushbullet keeps getting better at managing my phone while I'm at my PC.

Comments

Browser Makers Should Get The Message

[Anonymous Coward]

A lot of these addons have millions of downloads. Perhaps browser makers need to get the message and include popular functionality that people want.

Re:Browser Makers Should Get The Message

[master_kaos]

Well think aboout it, why would Google want to have adblock enabled by default, when most of there revenue comes from ads.
Similar with mozilla where a lot of there revenue comes from google (or I guess yahoo now)
Microsoft with bing.

Re:Browser Makers Should Get The Message

[Anonymous Coward]

I almost always want the new tab to open in the back. I'm usually opening shit that I want to read after I finish whatever I'm currently reading.

Re:Browser Makers Should Get The Message

[JMJimmy]

As well, why not have a neutral platform you can build on to your needs instead of introducing bloat that only some people will like/use.

Firefox:
  - AdBlock Plus + Element Hiding Helper
  - Chatzilla (IRC Chat)
  - FireFTP
  - SnapLinks Plus (right click multi-link select/copy/open)
  - Firebug
  - HTTPS Everywhere
  - Quickdrag (drag drop links into white space to open in new tab, drag drop images to download them)
  - SQLite Manager (manually browse and fix Mozilla's privacy blunders)
  - TableTools2 (manage table data when site options don't offer it)
  - YouTube HD (forces specific sizes when possible)
  - Live HTTP Headers (see what's really being sent)

Re:Browser Makers Should Get The Message

[gsslay]

Having them as addons is the browser makers getting the message. Some people want what an addon does, some people don't. Providing capability for addons to deliver functionality is giving people exactly what they want, and not burdening them with stuff they don't want.

Or would you rather have your browsers provided as bloatware full of functionality you don't want and can't get rid of?

Hola

[X10]

Hola internet is the most useful plugin. It helps me watch video's from the US, Canada and the UK that are limited to their respective countries. I wonder, I have BBC on my TV, I can rightfully watch any BBC program, but I can't use the service on the bbc web site to watch it a day later. With Hola, I can.

Adblock

[master_kaos]

Adblock is the 2nd thing I install on a fresh install (right after Chrome)
I had the misfortune of having to use a computer that did not have it installed. The internet pretty much seemed unusable.

Re:Adblock

[Anonymous Coward]

I had the same experience. I actually tried to give no ad blocker a chance but so many of the websites I tried to go to would not load in a reasonable amount of time. At first I just stopped following links, but eventually a case came up where really wanted to know what was said on the other side... so installed the ad blocker. It is very strange behavior to make your page unreadable due to advertisements.

Re:Adblock

[Hadlock]

Adblock, Flashblock, uBlock, Ghostery all pick up slightly different items to block which combined do a pretty good job of breaking things like Facebook (whitelisted) and news sites with embedded non-youtube videos. I just don't watch embedded videos anymore, the article is typically better anyways.
 
Now that Youtube is HTML5 by default for 99.99% of their videos you can safely enable flashblock for 100% of all sites, the only one I have whitelisted anymore is Pandora because they're stuck in 2007.

Re:Adblock

[KiloByte]

Adblock and Ghostery work on an opt-out basis, which is semi-adequate for ads and totally inadequate for tracking. Request Policy is my #1 mandatory extension.

Re:Adblock

[Anubis IV]

uBlock and AdBlock do indeed block the same stuff, but if you're going to pick one, go with uBlock, since it's significantly more efficient.

Clearly AdBlock

[GroeFaZ]

While I do regret the real financial consequences for creators whose content I consume and appreciate, the annoyance factor and sometimes security risks of online advertising far outstrip my capacity for caring. Pure text ads would be fine by me, but as soon as ads start screaming at me audio-visually, I turn them the fuck off, no matter how much I like the content they surround.

My lists

[Nexion]

FireFox:

noscript
ghostery
noredirect
firebug
flash video downloader

Chrome:
scriptno
ghostery

Re:web designers

[whopub]

It's not the web designers' fault! I'm a small time self employed web designer. When it comes to designing a website, we don't do what we want! We don't even do what the customer needs. We end up doing what he asks. Most of the time what they ask for sucks, and that's what they/you get.

Re:web designers

[TWX]

So you're saying that the customer demands cross-site scripting hell, where to look at a simple article I have to have fifteen different sites' javascript enabled, including probably half a dozen ad/tracking sites that have nothing to do with reading text on a screen?

We'd like your feedback...

[SoCalChris]

Is there an extension that blocks these "We'd like your feedback" messages that seem to be popping up on every single site lately? Or a way to block them easily with AdBlock?

Re:web designers

[gauauu]

So you're saying that the customer demands cross-site scripting hell, where to look at a simple article I have to have fifteen different sites' javascript enabled, including probably half a dozen ad/tracking sites that have nothing to do with reading text on a screen?

Yes.

Re:web designers

[pspahn]

Yes, that's exactly what they're saying. Was there something you weren't clear about?

Do you think developers just sit around all day looking for tracking scripts to start installing on client's sites?

Since the advent of saving markup in the DB, clients have become empowered on what code runs on their site. They google something, find a script snippet that they don't understand, copy and paste it into their CMS' "additional header scripts" field and save. They don't understand the concept of optimizing image files, let alone be concerned with the number HTTP requests on each load.

Exactly!

[dfm3]

If I had mod points, I'd mod you up.

First, having a platform onto which developers can build plugins that users can choose from and enable as needed is far superior to being stuck with the single half-baked implementation that is built in to the browser.

Second, building features directly into browsers eliminates any chance of security-through-obscurity that comes with an ecosystem of security and ad blocking plugins. Two examples: popup blockers (everything is done in javascript now), and the do not track header (arguably, useless even before major browsers implemented it, but even more useless now...)

Re:web designers

[Jason Levine]

Obligatory Oatmeal: How a Web Design Goes Straight To Hell.