by Lauren Bernier

Maybe it’s not fair to extoll the virtues of Firefox over other programs...but I don’t care. Besides, nobody’s slipping me any twenties on the sly, so I’ll do what I want.

Boy is Firefox ever awesome. Holy crap awesome, in fact. Why? Extensions. I have never loved anything interbets so much as I love Firefox Extensions. Well, alright, there is LiveJournal, but we’ll save that for another time. The tabs, the weather readouts, the LJ extensions. It’s a geeky wet dream, honestly. I’m a student (pretty much professionally) and an entrepreneur (you know, for shits and giggles). I do a lot of reading and research on the good ol’ internet. I get tired of pop-ups, editing text, and trying to remember where that one bit about adjectives in Esperanto was. So this is what I might recommend to you if you’re a working stiff like me.

NoScript: Only allows Javascript and Java from trusted sites.
For the Interbet challenged: Stops javascript ads from popping up in your browser.

AdBlock: Rightclick and keep out pesky ads.
For the Interbet challenged: No more pop-ups!

LinkChecker: Checks the validity of links.
For the Interbet challenged: No more clicking on dead links.

FlickrFox: Allows you to view your Flickr photostreams in a sidebar.
For the Interbet challenged: Flickr is a photo hosting service and this allows you to see your photostreams without visiting the site.

AutoCopy: Highlight text and it’s automatically copied to your clipboard.
For the Interbet challenged: Whaddaya need, flashcards? Ok, it’s like highlighting text and hitting copy, except without actually doing ctrl+C or right click – copy. Nifty, huh?

BloggerBar for Firefox: Makes blogging just a little bit easier.
For the Interbet challenged: Puts all your blogging bits into a single toolbar (that nifty thing at the top of your browser window).

Textmarker: Allows you to highlight, select, and copy text.
For the Interbet challenged: Really good if you’re a student or a working stiff schlepping through a lot of text.

Copy Plain Text: Cuts out all the crap in copy/paste.
For the Interbet challenged: ...Cuts out all the crap in copy/paste. In other words, no bold, italisised, or funky text. Just...plain text. Feels kinda like cheating.

I’ll leave you to search out the rest on your own.

This is just a glimpse of about a bajillion extensions available at the site. If you go to either of the sites listed below and go to the toolbar in the top right corner, search under ‘Extensions’ for any of the above they should pop up immediately. You should also check that the extension is compatible with your version of the software and that there are no bugs in the version you download (check the feedback).
Firefox
Mozilla

XXX