Add-Ons posts

Filed under: Features, Mozilla, Browsers, Lists

Five essential addons for new Firefox users (Happy fifth birthday, Firefox!)

by Lee Mathews Nov 9th 2009

Five years ago today, a new web browser arrived on the scene. Yes, it was Firefox 1.0. At the half-decade mark, Firefox has become a force to be reckoned with. Nearly one in four people on the Internet is now using Firefox - and that includes the entire population of Antarctica!

If Firefox users were a country, they'd be the third most populous in the world - behind only China and India - at 330 million people! 2009 has certainly been a big year for the Fox.

Mozilla's add-on site reports 4.3 million registered users using nearly 164 million add-ons. That's a lot of people using a lot of add-ons. If you're a new Firefox user, you might be having trouble deciding which are worth installing.

Since this is Firefox's fifth birthday, here are five add-ons that can make browsing better for just about anyone!

Tags: add-ons, addons, extensions, features, firefox, lists, mozilla

Filed under: Mozilla, Browsers

Mozilla Jetpack contest winner harnesses GPU power to process data

by Lee Mathews Nov 6th 2009

Mozilla Labs has announced a winner of the Jetpack .5 contest. While Jetpack is known primarily as a framework for allowing coders with a web development background to put together add-on type enhancements for Firefox, the winner 's project wasn't your run-of-the-mill sidebar hack.

Alex Miltsev's submission was jetpack-to-CUDA, and it provides Jetpack developers with a simple way to offload intense processing tasks to GPUs. CUDA (demo video above) is NVidia's parallel computing architecture - and with CUDA-capable chips in more than 100 million PCs, Miltsev's handiwork could enable some seriously cool (and powerful) Jetpack add-ons to be developed.

The runners up (not to take anything away from them) were much more standard Jetpack offerings - a Google Translate extension, link shortener and sharer, and Twitter client.

Kudos to Miltssev for his creative entry! Here's hoping we see some truly awesome things in future versions of Firefox and Jetpack as a result.

Tags: add-ons, addons, cuda, extensions, firefox, jetpack

Filed under: Features, Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Google, Browsers, Lists

15+ great Google Chrome extensions

by Lee Mathews Nov 2nd 2009

We've already mentioned other ways to power up Google Chrome. Before extensions arrived on the developer channel, Userscripts and bookmarklets were your only options. Both are still great ways to add some kick-ass functionality to Chrome. If you're running the stable or beta builds, you may want to stick to them for now.

10 handy Userscripts for Google Chrome users
15+ handy bookmarklets for Google Chrome (and other browsers, too!)

Now, onto the extensions!

If you have a favorite that I left off, feel free to share it in the comments!
Share

Tags: add-ons, bookmarklets, browser, browsers, chrome-4, chromium, developer-channel, extensions, features, google chrome, google-chrome, GoogleChrome, lists, productivity, UserScripts, utilities

Filed under: Google, Browsers

Fittr Flickr extension for Chrome enhances your Flickr experience

by Lee Mathews Oct 15th 2009

Using Google Chrome for your day-to-day browsing? Spend a lot of time paging through photos on Flickr? You owe it to yourself to check out the Fittr Flickr extension.

Apart from chopping the Yahoo! branding off the site's logo, Fittr Flickr adds a number of very useful features. For example, keyboard navigation - that's the pop-up help screen in the image above. The hotkeys make navigating through photo sets and adding images to your favorites a breeze.

Fittr Flickr also adds expandable EXIF information below each photo, direct links to different image sizes, a "Tweet this photo" link, and a link to view the current image using Big Huge Labs' On Black. Flickr's shortened flic.kr URL to the image is also displayed.

[via CNet]

Tags: add-ons, chrome-extensions, chromium, crx, flickr

Filed under: Security, Google, Beta, Browsers

LastPass extension for Google Chrome now available, and it rocks

by Lee Mathews Sep 30th 2009

A number of Download Squad readers have been echoing the same sentiment in recent posts about Google's browser: as soon as LastPass is available, we're leaving Firefox for good.

Well, gang, grab your parachutes, it's time to bail! The LastPass crew has released an alpha version of their Google Chrome extension, and it rocks. Check out the screens after the break!

Tags: 1password, add-ons, chrome, chromium, extensions, google, google-chrome, lastpass, password, password-manager, roboform

Filed under: Google, Open Source, Beta, Browsers

Extensions now enabled by default in Google Chrome dev channel, now where are they?

by Lee Mathews Sep 10th 2009

Did Google just take the next step in making extensions play a more interesting role in Google Chrome? Possibly, but at least now we can trim our command line switches down a little.
Those of you running Chrome's bleeding-edge developer channel builds can now drop the --enable-extensions switch. They're now supported by default.

Of course, that assumes you've bothered to enable them in the first place. After using Chrome almost exclusively for about a month, I found that I had amassed a nice collection of Userscripts and bookmarklets but had yet to find a truly interesting extension. XMarks is getting close, and the LastPass team is also hard at work.

New updates to the developer documents have also been published, so perhaps that will help things take off.

At any rate, it's the "first step in [the] launch process," according to Chromium developer Aaron Boodman. Next stop: the beta channel.

Aaron's blog post also indicates that the UI may change by the time the jump to beta happens. That'd be nice, because the puffy, light-blue bar at the bottom of the browser window? It's not going to win any UI beauty contests.

Tags: add-ons, chromium, dev channel, DevChannel, extensions, google-chrome

Filed under: Utilities, Web services, Browsers

Greasemonkey to Firefox add-on converter: why bother?

by Jay Hathaway Sep 2nd 2009

Firefox users love their extensions, and Greasemonkey is one of the coolest. The ability to run Userscripts that change the appearance of virtually any webpage is some powerful stuff.

But what if you want to install all those userscripts as separate add-ons? Well, there's a userscript-to-xpi converter that – Wait a minute.

Why the heck would you want to install your userscripts that way? Loading up Greasemonkey is a lot faster than individually converting your scripts, and it also gives you access to any preferences that might come with them. Converting them to extensions seems like it would bog down your add-ons list, on top of being a royal pain the butt.

If you still want to go through with it, for some reason, the converter is an easy web form and seems to work pretty well.

[via gHacks]

Tags: add-ons, extensions, firefox, greasemonkey, scripts, userscripts, xpi

Filed under: Audio, Browsers

Fire.FM adds a Last.FM toolbar to Firefox

by Brad Linder Aug 27th 2009

Last.FM is an internet radio service that lets you create radio "stations" by entering artists you like and listening to an ongoing stream of music from similar artists. Normally you'd visit the Last.FM web page to get started and leave it open in the background while you go about your business. But Fire.FM lets you run the service from a browser toolbar.

The Fire.FM toolbar is compatible with Firefox 3 and higher. It lets you create a new station by entering an artist name, see a list of similar bands or musicians, and access a list of recent stations. You can also use the toolbar to adjust the volume or skip tracks. And if you login to your Last.FM account and grant the toolbar access, Fire.FM will also let you tag and "love" tracks.

You can also hide the toolbar and it will keep playing in the background.

Last.FM is free for users within the US, the UK, and Germany. Outisde of those regions, it costs €3/month to use the service.

[via MakeUseOf]

Tags: add-ons, fire.fm, firefox, last.fm, music

Filed under: Mozilla, Open Source, Browsers

Make Firefox 3 or 3.5 look like the Firefox 3.7 new theme mockup

by Lee Mathews Jul 24th 2009

Well, that sure didn't take long.

Just days ago Mozilla posted a few conceptual images displaying a new default theme for Firefox 3.7. Thanks to DeviantArt user Boneyard Brew and his friends, you can now tweak your existing Firefox 3 install (provided you're not running 3.6) look pretty dang close to the mockups.

You'll need to grab a couple things to pull off the transformation:

Personal Menu - One of my favorite add-ons. Needed to combine the bookmark and tools icons.
All Glass - To add Vista / Windows 7 Aero Glass effects to the toolbars
Stylish - To apply the provided UserStyle which tweaks inactive tab text
The theme .JAR, from DeviantArt (of course)

The end result is pretty faithful to the mockup. Pull the switcheroo and confuse your pals - tell them you got your hands on an early pre-alpha (Make it more convincing with a quick Titlebar Tweak)!

[via Tweaking with Vishal]

Tags: add-ons, extensions, firefox-3.7, skiins, skinning, themes

Filed under: Utilities, Features, Windows, Macintosh, Browsers

10 Safari plugins that could make you drop Firefox

by Jay Hathaway Jul 20th 2009

Wait, Safari has plug-ins? Yes, it's true! When it comes to choosing a browser, a lot of people consider Safari because of its speed and standards support, but ultimately settle on Firefox for one reason: plug-ins. Firefox has a plugin for everything, and it's hard to live without them once you get used to the added functionality. Some of the best plugins have Safari equivalents, though, so take a look at these and see if it changes your mind about Apple's browser.

Glims

Glims is the pinnacle of Safari plugins, adding a whole Swiss Army knife of features to your browser. Glims does tabs really well, letting you open links in a new tab instead of a new window, and choose whether new tabs open on the left or the right. It restores tabs from previous sessions.

It adds thumbnails to Google and Yahoo! search results. It lets you change search engines, and adds configurable search suggestions. And, as if that weren't enough for one plugin, It also allows you to enable full screen mode. You can adjust all of these features in the preferences, so don't skip Glims just because it sounds like more than you need.

Saft

Saft is a direct Glims competitor, offering a slightly different (and a bit more extensive) set of features. The two plugins tend to conflict, so take a look at what both have to offer before you decide which one to install. It's also worth noting that the full version of Saft costs $12.

Tags: add-ons, extensions, glims, greasekit, inquisitor, plugins, safari, saft

Filed under: Developer, Mozilla, Browsers

Good night, and don't forget to tip your add-on developers!

by Jay Hathaway Jul 18th 2009

Mozilla's add-on repository recently added a new feature that might make the developers of popular Firefox extensions very happy: a tip jar. Nobody's charging users to download add-ons, but at least the option is there to reward the (mostly) unsung heroes behind some of the software we use every day. Add-ons aren't really the most glamorous or profitable arena in software development, but Adblock, Greasemonkey and other favorites make daily life on the web a lot more enjoyable.

Because Mozilla's add-on site does such a good job cataloguing and signing add-ons, most people who use them never need to visit a developer's website where there might be a way to donate, so the PayPal tip jar on the Mozilla site might be the only way they get paid anything for their work. I know most people writing Firefox extensions aren't doing it for the big money, but in some cases, I'm actually making money by using their add-ons to work more quickly. I don't see a problem with kicking back a few bucks to the folks who made them.

[via Webware]

Tags: add-ons, donation, firefox, mozilla, tip-jar

Filed under: Google, Browsers

GButts adds every Google service imaginable to your Firefox navbar

by Brad Linder Jul 17th 2009

If you spend a lot of time accessing Google services in Firefox, GButts is an add-on that can save you a few seconds of valuable time. Basically, the add-on includes links to virtually every Google service including Gmail, Google Maps, Google Docs, Picasa, YouTube, Orkut, and Google Voice.

You can configure GButts to either show some or all of these bookmarks in your browser's navigation bar or you can just create a single Google icon that provides a drop-down menu with links to your favorite Google web applications.

[via Lifehacker]

Tags: add-ons, firefox, gbutts

Filed under: E-mail, Productivity, Beta

Mozilla-based email client Postbox finally gets add-ons

by Jay Hathaway Jul 1st 2009

Postbox is a powerful email client based on Mozilla's Thunderbird, and, like Thunderbird, it now supports extensions. The selection of add-ons is limited right now, but it includes some useful ones: ReminderFox handles reminders and to-do items. Minimize to Tray is just what it sounds like, allowing Windows users to put Postbox in the system tray. Nostalgy adds keyboard shortcuts, and MozBackup backs up your messages and settings. This is a good start, but it'll interesting to see what other useful extensions pop up now that the door is open.

The latest build of Postbox also adds a long list of other useful features. If you're switching from Mail.app, you can now easily migrate your settings to Postbox. Postbox will now also pull photos for your contacts from OS X's address book or from Twitter. Several performance upgrades and fixes of annoying issues from earlier versions are also in place now, so it looks like a good time to consider giving Postbox a try.

Tags: add-ons, email, extensions, mail, mozilla, postbox

Filed under: Mozilla, Browsers

About:Me Firefox extension shows what you've been up to

by Brad Linder Jun 15th 2009

Firefox has a few hidden menus that let you adjust settings or find detailed information about your web browser. For instance, typing "about:config" (without the quotation marks) into the address bar bring sup a whole slew of advanced settings options.

Future builds of Firefox will also have an "about:me" screen that will show you which web sites you visit most frequently and what time of day you do most of your browsing. But if you can't wait for Firefox 3.6, you can install a add-on that will add an about:me option to Firefox ~~3.0 or~~ 3.5 beta.

Once the add-on is installed, you can click on a URL to visit a web page, or click on the red bars to see more detailed information including which pages you've visited on a domain, or what web sites you visit most frequently at a certain time of day.

[Mozilla Links]

Tags: about:me, add-ons, firefox

Filed under: Social Software

Twitter: Our business model will be add-ons, not ads

by Brad Linder May 19th 2009

Twitter is probably the hottest startup around without a business plan. Over the past few years, Twitter has gained millions of users, become a media darling, and started attracting celebrity tweeters like nobody's business. But the company isn't really set up to make money... yet. But Twitter co-founder Biz Stone says that's all coming soon.

What's interesting is that Stone says Twitter will buck the trend set by other web services by staying ad-free. Instead, the plan is to make money from "various add-on-tools and services" for business and professional users. For example, analytics tools, or a directory of commercial Twitter accounts. Some of those tools could be available by the end of 2009.

Stone says the company doesn't plan to show ads next to messages because a) it's not "interesting," and b) because it could tick off users. The first point sounds a bit odd, but the second one makes sense. While Gmail users have long been used to seeing ads near their email messages, imagine if every fifth message you received on an instant messaging client was an ad.

[via The Inquistr]

Tags: add-ons, advertising, twitter

Graveyard Shift - zombie-busting Time Waster

With Halloween fast approaching, it's a great time to get in some practice defending your territory against zombies. In Graveyard Shift, you take aim at zombies and other creepy-crawlies, blasting them into splatters of cartoony green guts. It's a casual first-person shooter, and it's very easy to get the hang of - use the mouse to aim, click to fire. Graveyard Shift has at least 15 levels, and it might even have some secret stages I haven't unlocked yet. They key to getting good at Graveyard Shift is learning to use ...

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