5 Firefox Extensions I can't live without.
Firefox is the heart and soul of my online life. The first thing I do after I log in to XP is to start Firefox (Mainly because it takes time to start! lol! Its OK. Even my wife takes time to start too!!). I have the latest version 2.0.0.1. I have customized it to my convenient. That is the power of Firefox. It lets us customize the look and feel and functionality (to some extend) too.
Extensions are the real power of Firefox. It adds functionality and dynamism to the browser. I have installed many Extensions and I am used to live with that. Sometimes (very rarely) I have to work from my friend's computer or from a net cafe. At that time, I feel isolated without my set of extensions.
Here, I have listed the extensions that I can't use Firefox without:
1. McAfee SiteAdvisor
This is an absolute essential Extension for any Firefox user. Earlier it was simply called 'SiteAdvisor'. After McAfee aquired it, it is called 'McAfee SiteAdvisor'.
What does it do?
It monitors the sites you open and tells you if the site is good or evil. It has a very big (really big) list of sites, so it can judge almost all the sites you open. Of course it does not know about some new or unknown sites. It has an easy procedure to add sites to its database. It has a detailed report on every site it monitors. Give it a shot. Click here to download.
2. NoScript
This is also a security related tool. It deals with Java Script. As you may know already, Java Script is the technology that gives dynamism and interactivity to the web pages. It is a powerful scripting language. Having said that, we must understand that it is the same Scripting language that bad guys use to do evil to our computers and privacy.
It is like knife. It can be used for both good and evil cause. Now, this Extension 'NoScript' gives us the ability to control the usage of Java Script. You can decide which sites to be allowed to use Java Script and which to be banned (from using Java Script). Get it here or here.
If you make it a habit to browse with these two tools installed, chances of getting infected from virus or spyware are very less.
3. GMarks
Saving bookmarks on the web itself is very important. If something happens to our browser or computer, we may loose all our bookmarks saved for months or may be years. Google bookmark is online bookmark storage tool by Google. The Extension I am talking about helps us bookmark directly to google bookmarks in one click. Very very useful.
4. Diigo toolbar for firefox
Diigo is a Social Bookmarking site. It has this extension for Firefox that gives us many functionalities.
- When you come across something interesting on web, you may want to share it with your friend immediately. With this extension, you can simply mark the content you want to share and click to email it.
- Select a word, you will see a context menu. From that menu, you can find meaning for that word from many customizable sources like wikipedia or answers.com or search for that word in google or other search engines
- Just hilight and bookmark for future reference for you and other diigo users.
- Last but not least. Very simple but very useful feature. Just select a word or phrase. A menu will appear. Select 'copy' in that. Simple. No need to right click.
5. Google Browser sync
Google Browser Sync for Firefox is an extension that continuously synchronizes your browser settings – including bookmarks, history, persistent cookies, and saved passwords – across your computers. It also allows you to restore open tabs and windows across different machines and browser sessions. Very nice utility. Works silently. Click here to get it.
Apart from these 5 extensions, I use these too:
AdBlock, FEBE, Flashgot, FosterFox, Google Notebook, Internote, Google Toolbar, PDF Download, PermaTab
Technorati Tags: Firefox, Firefox Extension, McAfee SiteAdvisor, SiteAdvisor, Noscript, GMarks, Diigo, Diigo Toolbar, Google Browser Sync
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