Top Firefox add-ons
One area where Firefox reigns supreme is the sheer number, quality and diversity of add-ons available for it. We take a look at some of the best.
07 April 2010
DownThemAll
Ever wanted to copy more than one image (or file) from a Web page? All of that right-clicking and saving can be tedious. DownThemAll does what it says on the tin: it downloads all of the images from a Web page. Or MP3s. Or whatever. (It even downloads other files that are linked to, such as higher resolution versions of an image.)
AutoCopy
Copying text from a Web page and pasting it into a document is something we all do every day. OK, it's not hard, but AutoCopy makes it much easier - because all you need to do is select the text, and, er, that's it. Once the text is selected, it's automatically copied to the clipboard. No tedious mucking about with Control-C. A real timesaver.
Download Statusbar
A lot of people find Firefox's Download Manager a bit untidy. It's just another window to clutter up the screen. Download Statusbar tucks your downloads into the Firefox statusbar, neatening things up no end.
Close'n Forget
Some browsers have got private browsing modes (where any trace of a site that you've visited is removed once you close the browser) but they are a bit unilateral - they tend to work across the board for all sites during the current session. Not so with Close'n Forget, which gives you a special button to close a site - deleting cookies, history and so on - without affecting other sites you've looked at.
Adblock Plus
The Internet is full of adverts - well, it's what funds quite a lot of websites. Still, they can be annoying. Adblock Plus is an effective way to block almost any kind of advert. It's highly configurable so, with a bit of effort, you can customise it to your needs. If you hate adverts, this can change your on-line life.
SearchPreview
Rather usefully, SearchPreview adds a thumbnail preview of a website to the standard Google, Yahoo and Bing search results - so you can see the site before you visit it. Neat. (It does also add 'sponsored links' but these can be turned off in the options dialog box.)
Firebug
An essential tool for website developers, Firebug lets you edit and debug HTML, CSS and even JavaScript, live, on a Web page. It's great for debugging your own pages, but also useful for deconstructing the work of others.
ColorfulTabs
Tabs are great - most browsers now have them and we've all got used to them as an efficient way of managing the websites we're browsing. But there is one problem: they all look the same. To help tell tabs apart at a quick glance, try ColorfulTabs - it makes each tab a different colour, making your sites just that bit quicker to navigate.
Fireshot
Sometimes you want to create a screenshot of a Web page - or part of one. Fireshot lets you do just that, easily. It also has a set of quick editing and annotation tools, so you can add comments and highlights to a screenshot before you send it on to someone. (Currently does not work for OS X, though.)
RSS Ticker
RSS newsfeeds are great - they can keep you posted of changes on lots of websites. But you do have to remember to go back to your RSS reader, or bookmarks page, or click on the RSS menu. RSS Ticker takes all of your live bookmarks and displays them as a scrolling ticker, just underneath your bookmarks toolbar. So your RSS updates are always there, whatever you're doing, without taking up acres of screen space.
