Ten Excuses to Try Firefox
by Billy Mabray May 2005
Lately, it seems like every computer magazine I read and every technical Web site I visit has an article about Mozilla Firefox. Since releasing version 1.0, this free, open-source Web browser has been downloaded almost 50 million times. Users are attracted by the promise of better security, pop-up blocking, tabbed browsing, and many other innovative features.
One of Firefox's best features is its expandability. All Mozilla applications are built as platforms -- with a little programming knowledge, anyone can write an extension that adds new features to the software. Mozilla lists hundreds of these extensions on their Web site. Installing these extensions is easy -- find the one you want, click the install link, then restart your browser after the install is complete.
If you've heard about Firefox, but haven't been convinced to give it a try, or you've tried it but want to learn what else it can do, here are some of my favorite extensions:
1. SecurePasswordGenerator
SecurePasswordGenerator adds a toolbar button that lets you generate a random password for use on Web sites that require a login. It has several options, including length, special characters, and mixed case. When you generate a password you can copy it to the clipboard to paste into your Web form. Combined with Firefox's Password Manager, which can save your login information for most Web sites under a single password, you have an easy way to use a different random password on every site that requires registration.
2. BugMeNot
BugMeNot.com is something of a clearinghouse for free logins. If you are like me, you don't like giving out your personal information just to read the news. At BugMeNot, they collect logins from people who have created them for the express purpose of sharing them with the world. The BugMeNot extension makes it even easier to make use of this service. Just right-click on the login form and choose BugMeNot from the context menu. The form will be filled in using login information provided by BugMeNot, and you can read the article you wanted without giving up your privacy.
3. ViewInIE
Unfortunately, there will probably always be sites that only work in Internet Explorer. Since we can't abandon IE completely, this extension makes it easy to switch to that browser whenever you need to. Right-click on a Web page and choose "View in IE" to open the page in Explorer.
4. UndoCloseTab
I like tabbed browsing because it keeps my desktop from getting too cluttered. I tend to have several Web pages open at the same time, and it is more convenient to have them all in one window rather than multiple windows. One thing you have to be careful about, though, is how easy it is to accidentally close a tab when you didn't mean to. Luckily, this extension offers a bit of protection. It can reopen the last tab you closed right where you left off.
5. Tabbrowser Preferences
If you decide you like tabbed browsing, you will probably want to install the Tabbrowser Preferences extension. This gives you many options for controlling when links are opened in tabs.
6. Linky
Linky has some powerful features for dealing with links. You can select multiple links on a page and have Linky open them all in tabs. Or, you can download them all to your computer. Also, you can highlight a text URL that is not a link and Linky can open it as if it were.
7. Autofill
Autofill can save your personal information and use it to automatically fill out online forms. You can even create multiple profiles, in case you need to use a different address for business than for personal.
8. Flashblock
Flashblock replaces Macromedia Flash movies with a button, so you can decide when and if you want the movie to play.
9. Translate
Translate gives you easy access to language translation services. Just select the text you need translated, right-click on it, and choose the language you want it translated from.
10. Greasemonkey
Greasemonkey makes Firefox even more extensible by allowing you to install "user scripts" that enhance the features of various Web sites. For example, there is one that will keep any link from opening in a new window. There's also a script specifically for ESPN.com that rewrites story links to automatically display stories in the single page format. There are dozens of user scripts available -- most of them fix small usability problems on popular Web sites.
All these extensions are free, just like Firefox. Also, they are easy to install and, just as important, easy to uninstall if you decide you don't like them. If I've piqued your curiousity, you can visit mozilla.org to learn more about Firefox and all the available extensions.
Billy Mabray and his wife, Angela, own Smart Goat, a local software
development and Web design business. They are members of the CCOKC. Comments or questions on the article are welcome and can be addressed to: billy@smartgoat.com.
