Resources of the Week: 10 Seriously Useful Firefox Add-ons
By Shirl Kennedy, Senior Editor

Most of the information professionals I know are huge fans of Firefox, mainly because it is so…extensible. The sheer number and variety of add-ons that increase the browser’s utility…just staggering. If there is something you wish that Firefox could do, the odds are very good that someone with programming talent had the same thing in mind — and has created some sort of extension that adds precisely that functionality.

Since I spend so much of my working existence online, my Firefox browser is seriously pimped out with a stalwart set of add-ons that, collectively, make my life so much easier. The following are road-tested and highly recommended:

+ Add to Search Bar — Fire fox already has a built-in search box that allows you to add different site searches — e.g., the major Web engines, Amazon.com, Wikipedia, etc. This extension permits you to instantly add (right click menu) search functionality for any page you stumble across.

+ Coupon Craze — I do a lot of online shopping. This Firefox add-on automatically alerts you to any coupon codes, special deals, etc., when you are visiting online retailers. A similar extension is RetailMeNot.

+ Flashblock — I don’t know about you, but I really, really do not like it when I click on a link that takes me to a website where I am greeted by a Flash movie or animation that begins playing immediately. This extension proactively blocks all Flash presentations, replacing them with a right-pointing arrow that you can click to view the Flash content. When YOU want to look at it.

+ Forecast Fox — There are no windows in my workspace at the Day Job. This extension puts current weather information (from AccuWeather) in the bottom right of the browser window frame, and even lets me know when there are special alerts. So now I don’t have to actually get up from my desk and find a window to see what is going on outside. (Which is kind of sad, when you think about it…but that’s life.)

+ Foxmarks Bookmark Synchronizer — If you use more than just one machine to access the Internet — e.g., one at home, one at work — you need this. It keeps all of your Firefox bookmarks synchronized across every computer that you use.

+ Gspace — Nifty extension that lets you use your Gmail online space as an external hard drive. Who can’t use more storage?

+ No Squint — OK, my eyes are not what they used to be. If this is also true for you, download this extension immediately. It allows you to adjust the default text zoom level for any site — and then remembers it on a per-site basis. Lovely.

+ PDF Download — Click on a PDF link and it gives you the option to open, download or covert the PDF to HTML. What I find particularly valuable is that it tells you how large the PDF file is before you click to open it. Since I always like to inform people about PDF file size when I am posting to DocuTicker, this is extremely helpful.

+ Repagination — You come across a lengthy online article, and the website offers no apparent way to view/print it as a single page. Repagination makes this happen. Simple but elegant.

+ Video DownloadHelper — Makes it easy to download videos from YouTube and similar sites. Says it also works for audio and picture galleries, though I’ve never tried it with either. As always, copyright emptor.

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 25th, 2008 and is filed under Resource of the Week, Source File, Technology and Internet. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.