Filed under: Internet, Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Mozilla
14 Extremely Useful Firefox Addons
by Lee Mathews Sep 29th 2008 at 9:00AM
My affinity for Firefox comes as much from the fantastic community of addon developers as it does from the program itself. Now, I'm sure you will have heard of some of these before: good Firefox addons tend to spread like wildfire. I hope I've managed to include some that you might have missed.
I've ranked just over a dozen addons that I find to be particularly useful - even to more casual Firefox users.
1. Cybersearch - Customizable Google searches in my Awesome Bar? Yes, please! It also supports keywords so you can enter things like "ds firefox addons" and limit your search to a specific web site (like Downloadsquad, for example). Enter a comma separated list of URLs to search a group of sites.
2. LastPass - I used to use KeePass, but I just like LastPass better. It did a great job of importing (and then removing) my Firefox stored passwords, and its secure password creation tool makes using different passwords on new sites a snap. The web interface is a great way to manage my logins and groups.
3. FEBE - As with anything else on your computer, it's never a bad idea to back up your Firefox install. FEBE will back up everything - extensions, themes, bookmarks - or just what you choose, and you can set up an automated schedule. It's also got integrated Box.net support, which is actually a fairly nice way to roll-you-rown manual Firefox syncing.
4. AdBlock Plus. I don't really use AdBlock because I hate advertisements, but because I don't like waiting for web pages to load. Flash ads and multiple banners really gum up the works, so I depend on AdBlock to keep things running smoothly. It's also a decent way to cut back on your bandwidth usage.
5. DownThemAll - When a friend first showed me DTA a few years ago, I couldn't believe I was still just using FF2's built-in manager. DTA rocks, and would definitely make my Top 5. It's simply one of the best download managers out there.
6. OpenItOnline - I don't do enough work with Office-type documents anymore to warrant installing a suite on my laptop. OpenItOnline lets me send DOC, XLS, and all the other supported file types to ZohoViewer for perusal instead of downloading them. It supports all Zoho and Google Docs apps to open files.
7. Deng Google Bookmarks - I'm not sold on Weave yet, so for now I let Google store my bookmarks. I switched to the Deng addon after using GMarks for the longest time - because I got tired of the giant "bookmark" button on my toolbar. Deng displays only a small star icon, and its management interface is superior.
8. Screengrab! - To quickly capture an entire web page, Screengrab is a great tool. It can save or copy an entire page, the visible portion, or a rectangular selection. If I don't actually need to print a page, Screengrab is an easy, environmentally friendly way for me to keep a copy of it.
9. HP Smart Web Printing - When I do need to print, HP's addon gives me the option to combine multiple web pages on one sheet of paper, eliminate elements I don't need to print, and it even allows saving to PDF. Always nice to see the big boys release something great for free.
10. Web Of Trust - WOT is a great way to keep yourself out of malware trouble. I think I'm a pretty responsible surfer, but I don't know the reputation of every site on the Internet. WOT gives you a heads up about the trustworthiness of a link (based on community input) before you visit it.
11. Shareaholic - Anyone that enjoys sharing links would do well to install this one: it supports a ton of services, including Digg, Delicious, Twitter, Pownce, Reddit, Facebook, MySpace, and Google. It's also a quick way to see how many Diggs or Delicious bookmarks a page has received. Bzzster support gives quick access to sharing items via email.
12. Pingfire - Another must for the social surfer. Ping.fm's multiple-site update service is rad, and Pingfire kicks it up a notch. No need to even visit Ping, just add the Pingfire icon to your toolbar and update your microblog and status sites with ultimate ease.
13. Tab Kit - It's got a whole slew of options for tab management: grouping, coloring, sorting, protection, mouse rocker and scroll wheel support, and many, many others. Visit the devloper's page for a full list of features.
14. Yet Another Smooth Scrolling - Firefox's default scrolling isn't quite as refined as I like it, so I use YASS to tweak things until they're just right. It supports up to three presets, which is nice for laptops. Keep one set for your touchpad and one for your mouse.
Since Downloadsquad readers are largely Firefox users, did I miss your favorite? Share it in the comments so our other readers don't miss out!
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
buddhapkt said 10:15AM on 9-29-2008
Don't forget better gmail for all u gmail users...Definitely a must have.
Reply
jeesusfreek said 2:24AM on 10-02-2008
GSpace! Lets you use your 7GB of storage like an online FTP file server
OpenDownload! Mimics the IE "Run" functionality...simply downloads the executable (or whatever file - it will open movies, etc with "the default Win32 application") to a temporary folder and runs them...I hate saving files in Firefox and then having to run them!!!
Fasterfox! Let's you tweak network settings with the push of a button. Enable Enhanced Prefetching to utilize idle bandwidth to cache links in the background, so you can have zero waiting time.
River said 10:15AM on 9-29-2008
I've taken quite a liking to Sxipper for my Firefox passwords.
Reply
Delvis said 9:29PM on 10-02-2008
I prefer Abduction over Screen Grab, always seems much fast, and easier to use. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/search?q=abduction&cat=all
Try it, it works great.
Reply
Stuart Halliday said 10:15AM on 9-29-2008
Here is my top 10 to make using FF better.
1.Foxmarks
2.SearchWith
3.Print/Print preview
4.QuickRestart
5.Stay-Open Menu
6.Image Toolbar
7.Flashblock
8.Adblock Plus
9.QuickJava
10.New Tab Homepage
Reply
Lucas said 10:27AM on 9-29-2008
I've used GMarks fora a while but I really wished something that would synchronize the real Firefox bookmarks, not create another button on my toolbar.
I tried Weave, but I feel it is quite unstable on the server side (at least for now).
Now I'm using Foxmarks, and I'm must say I have no complains whatsoever! It's already one of my favorite addons!
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bhix said 11:10AM on 9-29-2008
Foxmarks does this. Keeps my laptops and desktop bookmarks all synced.
Anthony Catalano said 10:32AM on 9-29-2008
My Personal Favs:
Foxmarks. Syncs your bookmarks toolbar between your machines. Its free and works beautifully. I don't usually feel it OK to impose my favorite web pages on the world (Guess its just me)
Tab Mix Plus: Almost unlimited control over Tabs opening, closing, merging etc., etc., Fairly complex options take awhile to learn
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CGA said 10:37AM on 9-29-2008
Nice to see Yet Another Smooth Scrolling getting some attention, my second on a fresh install after Adblock Plus.
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Bob Clay said 10:42AM on 9-29-2008
HP Smart Web Printing is not compatible with Firefox 3.0.3!
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idodialog said 10:54AM on 9-29-2008
Even tho it went into "I can't get out of Development Mode" mode Tab Mix Plus remains completely indispensable (http://tmp.garyr.net/). It just may not be compatible with every last one of your addons but I run 18 without a glitch.
Pretty well no one uses QuickDrag (was Super Drag'N Go) but its the first addon I install and I would go back to Maxthon (from whence it came) if I couldn't have it! (Drag, even tiny drag, any link, even under an image, to open it in a new tab - sounds silly but its great.
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Cal! said 11:35AM on 9-29-2008
I prefer Screenshot Studio to take screenshots. It has an in-built editor and the screenshots can be uploaded automatically. It has some other features-- and a Pro version, as well.
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supernova_hq said 1:16PM on 9-29-2008
I know it's beta, but I find Ubiquity unbelievably useful.
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Tsudohnimh said 1:16PM on 9-29-2008
I much prefer Foxmarks for bookmark sync my other must haves:
TinyMenu
Mozilla Ubiquity
ForecastFox
PDF Download
Download StatusBar
AdBlock & FlashBlock
Gestures
Stylish - Start here http://tinyurl.com/6xxj2j
Secure Login
For my full list check out http://twurl.cc/5d9
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Bob White said 1:20PM on 9-29-2008
I recommend my life saver: Select-n-Go by Cleeki:
http://www.cleeki.com/firefox.html
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/7750
This can be Firefox’s enhanced alternative to IE8 Accelerator (Activities). Select any text on your screen, and you can preview search results immediately in the same page. Support Google (text, image, …), YouTube, Maps, Amazon, etc. and you can manage/add your own channels.
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Neowster said 1:20PM on 9-29-2008
Lastpass rocks. FEBE and HP Smart Web Printing made it into my firefox. Here's my essential firefox add-ons list.
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DK said 1:25PM on 9-29-2008
Regarding bookmarks sync, I used to think Weave was bad too, till I found that you can use another webdav server. Configuration is a bit trickier than normal, but with 10 mins, the entire setup is far far better than the alternative. So here are the steps.
1. Get yourself an account at http://mydisk.se
2. Install weave and restart.
3. Now Weave will ask for settings. Cancel the wizard.
4. Go to about:config and type weave.serverURL, change this to https://mydisk.se/
5. type weave.username =
6. Now on the firefox statusbar, click on signin and give your pw.
That's it. Trust me, you will be surprised at how fast it is.
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Butters said 1:32PM on 9-29-2008
Great list. I will definitely be trying some of these out.
I have to agree with a lot of the comments above, Foxmarks is the best bookmark syncing addon I have used.
A couple of my other favorites include:
Evernote Web Clipper (Save part or full web pages to your Evernote account)
Chatzilla (IRC Client)
I.E. View (Opens Internet Explorer to view those few remaining pages that are not Firefox friendly)
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Wolfsvein said 5:00PM on 9-29-2008
adblock Filterset.G Updater
Adblock Plus
All-in-One Sidebar
Cooliris
Download Statusbar
FireFTP
FireShot
Forecastbar Enhanced
Gmail Notifier
IE Tab
Link Alert
MinimizeToTray
Stealther
Translator
Reply
Freezer said 3:36PM on 9-29-2008
Seconding Foxmarks , TinyMenu and Download Statusbar. And to add my own choices:
Greasemonkey
All-In-One Sidebar
ImageZoom
MR Tech Toolkit (bunch of tweaking tools)
1-Click Weather
BugMeNot
LiveClick (Adds functionality to Live Bookmarks)
Speed Dial
Reply