Filed under: Internet, Mozilla, Freeware, Open Source, Browser Tips
Downloaders Anonymous: My 15 Essential Firefox 2.0 Add-ons
Okay, okay, the "essential Firefox addons" list has been done to death, but if everyone else can beat a dead horse, why can't I? Having just freshened up my system I had the unique opportunity to take a fresh look at which Firefox addons I have installed and which ones I can't live without. As it turns out, there's quite a lot of them, so without further ado, here's my 15 essential Firefox add-ons:
Adblock Plus: I don't like red-and-green flashing YOU ARE A WINNER!! ads any more than you.
BugMeNot: I don't like giving my e-mail address, much less taking the time to fill out yet another form and click on another e-mail confirmation link, any more than you.
DownThemAll!: DownThemAll! isn't just useful for downloading a ton of files at once (though that's most certainly its best feature)--it also makes a great general-purpose download manager for when Firefox's built-in options aren't enough.
ErrorZilla: Firefox's standard the-site-could-not-be-reached error message is so passé. ErrorZilla augments the lowly "Try Again" button with six more: Google Cache, Coral Cache, Internet Archive Wayback Machine, Ping, Trace Route, and Whois.
FireBug: Before FireBug, all was darkness. Then Joe Hewitt released it, and there was much rejoicing at its powerful JavaScript, DOM, and CSS debugging capabilities. Don't code for the web without it.
FoxyTunes: FoxyTunes 1.0 was great. FoxyTunes 2.0 is incredible. With support for controlling a zillion media players (even Pandora!) from within Firefox, skin support, lots of configurability, and a ton of thoughtful features like built-in lyrics search and fast player switching, this is one of the most solid add-ons available for Firefox.
Gmail Notifier: Google's official Gmail Notifier is plenty nice, and even a little more featureful than its Firefox namesake, but I prefer to get my notifications right inside Firefox. Productivity tip: Set Gmail Notifier's mail-checking interval to 30 minutes or more. If your e-mails are really more urgent than that, give the sender your phone number already.
Greasemonkey: If this list were in order of "essentialness," Greasemonkey would be in the top 3. With scripts available that alter the behavior and appearance of hundreds of sites, adding great new functionality and eliminating obnoxious stuff, it opens up a whole new web to you.
How'd I Get Here?: This is an innocuous little add-on that does one thing only: Tells you how you originally found the site you're looking at. It has an elephant's memory, so even if you bookmark the site and come back to it six weeks later, it will still be able to send you back to where you first discovered it.
IE Tab: Let's face it: Some sites are stupid. "Get with the program, people!" we can shout, but ultimately there will always be a few sites that are stuck in 1999 that just don't work right in our beloved browser. IE Tab is a lifesaver, allowing you to switch over to an Internet Explorer-rendered view of any page without leaving Firefox.
ImageBot: ImageShack and Photobucket: The kings of the free image upload racket. If you ever want to put a picture online without cluttering up your own web space, that's where you turn. ImageBot, however, makes uploading to ImageShack and Photobucket much easier, allowing you to drag-and-drop multiple files, browse all the files you've uploaded previously, and even make custom templates for posting to forums or your blog.
Live HTTP Headers: Another indispensible add-on for developers, Live HTTP Headers lets you see the traffic going in and out of Firefox, which can be a lifesaver when debugging wayward forms and Ajax actions, or just poking around other people's sites.
PDF Download: A PDF file can hold so much useful information, but the experience of viewing it in your browser can be excruciating. PDF Download lets you choose how you want to handle a PDF: Read it in your browser, download it, open it in an external application (may I recommend Foxit Reader?), or view it as an HTML document.
View Cookies: Firefox's Cookies manager does what it's supposed to, but View Cookies gives you a little more control. It adds a tab to the Page Info dialog that shows only the cookies for the site your looking at, and lets you do away with them at your whim.
Web Developer: I barely feel like the Web Developer add-on needs an introduction. Nowhere else does a more comprehensive suite of client-side tools for web developers exist. Whether you just write a little HTML here and there or if you code 10,000-line web apps, you need this one.
I had a hard time limiting this list. I may be addicted to Firefox add-ons, but that's what Downloaders Anonymous is all about, right? In case your appetite is as insatiable as mine, here's a few that I love dearly but didn't quite make the cut: del.icio.us, Download Manager Tweak, Nightly Tester Tools, SmoothWheel, and Stylish.
As always, we want to hear about your favorite downloads, so post your own Top 5 (or 15) in the comments!
Adblock Plus: I don't like red-and-green flashing YOU ARE A WINNER!! ads any more than you.
BugMeNot: I don't like giving my e-mail address, much less taking the time to fill out yet another form and click on another e-mail confirmation link, any more than you.DownThemAll!: DownThemAll! isn't just useful for downloading a ton of files at once (though that's most certainly its best feature)--it also makes a great general-purpose download manager for when Firefox's built-in options aren't enough.ErrorZilla: Firefox's standard the-site-could-not-be-reached error message is so passé. ErrorZilla augments the lowly "Try Again" button with six more: Google Cache, Coral Cache, Internet Archive Wayback Machine, Ping, Trace Route, and Whois.
FireBug: Before FireBug, all was darkness. Then Joe Hewitt released it, and there was much rejoicing at its powerful JavaScript, DOM, and CSS debugging capabilities. Don't code for the web without it.
FoxyTunes: FoxyTunes 1.0 was great. FoxyTunes 2.0 is incredible. With support for controlling a zillion media players (even Pandora!) from within Firefox, skin support, lots of configurability, and a ton of thoughtful features like built-in lyrics search and fast player switching, this is one of the most solid add-ons available for Firefox.Gmail Notifier: Google's official Gmail Notifier is plenty nice, and even a little more featureful than its Firefox namesake, but I prefer to get my notifications right inside Firefox. Productivity tip: Set Gmail Notifier's mail-checking interval to 30 minutes or more. If your e-mails are really more urgent than that, give the sender your phone number already.
Greasemonkey: If this list were in order of "essentialness," Greasemonkey would be in the top 3. With scripts available that alter the behavior and appearance of hundreds of sites, adding great new functionality and eliminating obnoxious stuff, it opens up a whole new web to you.
How'd I Get Here?: This is an innocuous little add-on that does one thing only: Tells you how you originally found the site you're looking at. It has an elephant's memory, so even if you bookmark the site and come back to it six weeks later, it will still be able to send you back to where you first discovered it.
IE Tab: Let's face it: Some sites are stupid. "Get with the program, people!" we can shout, but ultimately there will always be a few sites that are stuck in 1999 that just don't work right in our beloved browser. IE Tab is a lifesaver, allowing you to switch over to an Internet Explorer-rendered view of any page without leaving Firefox.
Live HTTP Headers: Another indispensible add-on for developers, Live HTTP Headers lets you see the traffic going in and out of Firefox, which can be a lifesaver when debugging wayward forms and Ajax actions, or just poking around other people's sites.
View Cookies: Firefox's Cookies manager does what it's supposed to, but View Cookies gives you a little more control. It adds a tab to the Page Info dialog that shows only the cookies for the site your looking at, and lets you do away with them at your whim.
Web Developer: I barely feel like the Web Developer add-on needs an introduction. Nowhere else does a more comprehensive suite of client-side tools for web developers exist. Whether you just write a little HTML here and there or if you code 10,000-line web apps, you need this one.
I had a hard time limiting this list. I may be addicted to Firefox add-ons, but that's what Downloaders Anonymous is all about, right? In case your appetite is as insatiable as mine, here's a few that I love dearly but didn't quite make the cut: del.icio.us, Download Manager Tweak, Nightly Tester Tools, SmoothWheel, and Stylish.
As always, we want to hear about your favorite downloads, so post your own Top 5 (or 15) in the comments!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Jason Clarke said 5:09PM on 11-13-2006
Great list. I'd add Smart-Curor:
https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/2771/
It subtly changes the cursor depending on the type of link you're hovering over. Useful for warning that you're about to click on a PDF link, or an MP3 that you'd rather right-click and save. It also lets you know if the link will open in a new tab/window.
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Ryan Carter said 5:14PM on 11-13-2006
1. Colorzilla (https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/271/), which makes element detection and CSS colors easy to pick up on a page for use in my web pages.
2. Download StatusBar (https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/26/)
Makes downloading easy, without having the cumbersome download window in the way. Awesome!
3. New Tab Homepage (https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/777/)
4. Flashblock,
addons.mozilla.org/firefox/433/
blocks flash-based content from cluttering your browser, and allows per-site white-listing so you can easily exempt yourself from having to click the button every time.
5. Of course, Greasemonkey, del.icio.us, IEtab, etc.
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Josh said 5:34PM on 11-13-2006
https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/1320/
Gmail Manager is a much better alternative to Gmail Notifier, to be honest.
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Andrew said 5:44PM on 11-13-2006
All in one Gestures - https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/12/
Navigate with mouse gestures
AllPeers - https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/3234/
Drag and drop p2p file sharing
These are must have's.
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The Tick said 5:52PM on 11-13-2006
My top favorites are
Tab Mix Plus
Answers - https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/735/
Download Statusbar
MinimizeToTray - https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/2110/
Stop-or-Reload Button - https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/313/
Linkification
PDF Download
Full Screen Homestar Runner
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Bryant said 6:11PM on 11-13-2006
Video Downloader add on is the best for firefox, lets you download videos from Youtube, Google Video, Metacafe, Dailymotion, etc.
http://javimoya.com/blog/youtube_en.php
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Phil "digizen" said 7:09PM on 11-13-2006
Highly recommended:
Map This (select address and map)
https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/1886/
Fetch Text URL (for links that aren't "linkified")
https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/518/
2nd the previously commented add-ons: Flashblock, Gmail Manager, Download statusbar.
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Jared said 7:21PM on 11-13-2006
You probably should mention that some of the extensions on that list don't work in Firefox 2.0 (BugMeNot specifically), and you need Nightly Tester Tools or something similar to make them work.
You got a lot of my favorite extensions, though I have a couple I'd add to the list as well.
Tab History: It's similar to How'd I Get Here, though it's a bit simpler and more integrated. When you open a link in a new tab, it brings the tab history along with it. No more opening a dozen tabs in the background from half a dozen pages, closing the original page, forgetting which page the link is from.
https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/1859/
The other one I really like (and I think I read about it here first, actually, is Link Alert.
https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/3199/
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Angelo said 7:44PM on 11-13-2006
Microsoft Firefox 2007….no comments, just take a look
http://www.soft-go.com/blog/2006/11/14/microsoftr-firefox-weve-made-it-better-teral/
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abhijeet said 7:53PM on 11-13-2006
You're recommending AdBlock, doesn't your site pay its bills through advertising revenue? ;)
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xFilthyxJesusx said 8:05PM on 11-13-2006
SourceEditor
View and Edit source of HTML element.
Use the button on status bar to activate/desactivate and the double click or the context menu to edit source of the selected element.
I find it to be awesome. You can quickly change the source of websites.
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Mark Kawakami said 8:07PM on 11-13-2006
Your description of Firebug is 100% accurate. I have no idea how I did my job before it. Web development before Firebug was like being a scientist before microscopes.
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alex dante said 8:09PM on 11-13-2006
NoScript is almost essential: site specific control over Java, JavaScript & Flash.
Google Browser Sync ties my home & work browsing together. So damn handy.
And the Update Notifier. 'Cos I'm too lazy to go and click 'Find Updates' on a regular basis :)
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Victor Agreda, Jr. said 10:19PM on 11-13-2006
The Gmail scripts for Greasemonkey make my life worth living. OK, they just give me more time to live life, which was what computers were supposed to do!
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Chris Knight said 3:22AM on 11-14-2006
Scrapbook ( http://amb.vis.ne.jp/mozilla/scrapbook/)is one of the very best ways to collect web pages that you wish to keep.
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sk said 6:41AM on 11-14-2006
My top favorite is prefbar. It controls Firefox settings such as accepting cookies, Flash, Java and much more in an easy to use control button list.
http://prefbar.mozdev.org/
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Haseeb A said 12:22PM on 11-14-2006
Video OOk 0.6
great for caching videos from Youtube, google etc!! without visiting a third party website!
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Gary Z said 4:41PM on 11-14-2006
Greatest Add On Ever:
COLORFUL TABS!
Makes differentiating between many tabs simple...and fun!...and colorful!
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Chad said 8:43AM on 11-15-2006
Great list. I agree with almost all of them, but there are three I would add.
Linkification - turns text links into clickable ones
- https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/190/
SourceForge Direct Download - one click downloads
- https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/1436/
Tab Mix Plus - now compatible with 3.0 visual tweaks
- https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/1122/
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Rivetto said 8:45AM on 11-15-2006
MOUSE GESTURES:
Allows you to execute common commands (like page forward/backward, close tab, new tab,increase/decrease font dimension or image) by simply mouse gestures drawn over the current webpage, without reaching for the toolbar or the keyboard.
https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/39/
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