Firefox Extensions - August 2007

Extensions are small add-on programs that either enhance your Internet browsing experience or give you new tools that give you quicker access to information you already search for using the Internet. Mozilla Firefox gives you the most options at customizing your browsing your experience. In addition to being, what I believe, is the smartest and safest web browser around, Firefox extensions make Firefox a browser that is second to none.

To find Firefox extensions, Click Tools --> Add Ons --> Get Extensions from your Firefox menu.

Once you arrive at the Firefox extension page, you can search through what is available, and install the ones you feel might be helpful. Like almost everything in life, too much of a good thing can be bad, however, so install extensions judiciously so you don't end up with a browser that has SO many extras that it takes a long time to load and slows down your entire experience.

Once you find an extension you want to try:

1. Click the large, green "Install Now" button
2. Click "Install Now" again on the next screen
3. Restart Firefox if necessary (many extensions do require a restart).

My favorite extension is extending the capabilities of the built-in search box in Firefox. On installation, Firefox automatically gives you a search box that has Google, eBay, Amazon, Wikipedia, and a few other search engines. If you click the little arrow next to the search box and then "Manage Search Engines" and finally "Get more Search Engines", you can add as many search engines that are relevant to your needs.

To remove an extension that you may not like or use, follow these steps:

 To find Firefox extensions, Click Tools --> Add Ons --> Get Extensions from your Firefox menu.  Click the extension you want to remvoe, then click the "Uninstall" button.

Here is my list of favorite Firefox extensions (other than customizing the search box):

Forecastfox  - Great weather add-on including radar button

Google Browser Sync  - If you have more than one computer, this tool keeps your history, bookmarks and passwords the same on all your computers. GREAT!

PDF Download - Firefox supports reading PDF (Adobe Acrobat) files in the browser quite well, but this tool gives you more options as to what to do with PDF files.

Firefox Showcase - See all your open tabs in a single screen

IE Tab - Most sites look and act great in Firefox, but occasionally a site requires Internet Explorer. This tool allows you to open that site within Firefox by putting IE in a special tab.

There are hundreds of other Firefox extensions, and you can find them as I described above, but again, don't over do it!  I have provided a video tip of today's topic as well that you can see below.

 

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