More Firefox Add-Ons + an XP Theme

Last week I told you about Fast Dial, a add-on for Firefox. I'm still using it and am glad I found it. This time around I want to bring to your attention a couple more add-ons that I have found useful and maybe you will too.

Convenience

Adblock Plus

Ever been annoyed by all those ads and banners on the internet that often take longer to download than everything else on the page? Install Adblock Plus now and get rid of them.

The authors description says it all. The add-on also has the ability to add subscription filters making the task of blocking adds automatic. The add-on is listed in the category of Privacy and Security, I have it listed here as a convenience add-on but it does stop allot of tracking cookies that can be installed when visiting a webpage with an advertisement located on it. As far as security goes, well, imagine an advertisement that can lead you to a malicious website if clicked on, you can't click on that ad if it isn't there.

[Update: 11-27-08] After reading a few different articles this morning relating to Maladvertisements, advertisements that redirect to malware sites, I feel this add-on should really be listed under the Security heading of this page rather than the Convenience heading. Note also that not all advertisements need to be clicked on, some may incorporate the use of an auto-redirect capability of Flash. See this article, Malicious Banner Ads—Truth in Advertising Sinks to a New Level .

[Another update: 11-27-08] I wrote more about the issue of malicious web ads over at my other blog, Protection against malicious web ads.

Get this add-on at the Firefox Add-ons website.


Tab Mix Plus

Tab Mix Plus (TMP) is a very popular extension for the Mozilla Firefox browser that enhances Firefox's tab browsing capabilities. It includes such features as duplicating tabs, controlling tab focus, tab clicking options, undo closed tabs and windows, plus much more. It also includes a full-featured Session Manager with crash recovery that can save and restore combinations of opened tabs and windows.

I have used this add-on for a very long time and couldn't imagine tabbed browsing without it.

Get this add-on at the Firefox Add-ons website.


Read It Later

Read It Later allows you to save pages of interest to read later. It eliminates cluttering of bookmarks with sites that are merely of a one-time interest.

I just started using this add-on and it seems that it will become a favorite of mine. I really hate cluttered bookmarks and find myself needing to make special folders for bookmarks that I want to read but not right now. This add-on solves the problem, just right-click on a page or link and select read it later and it will be saved to your Reading List. Pretty handy.

Get this add-on at the Firefox Add-ons website.


CoolPreviews

CoolPreviews (formerly known as Cooliris Previews) gives you the power to browse and share Web links and rich media faster. Just mouse over any link, and the preview window immediately appears to show you the content. To email it, just click.

This is another add-on that I am new to but it does do what it says it will do. It is definitely handy to quickly view a page without actually clicking on it.

Get this add-on at the Firefox Add-ons website.


Security

No Script

The best security you can get in a web browser!
Allow active content to run only from sites you trust, and protect yourself against XSS and Clickjacking attacks.

IMHO, no web browsing should be done without this add-on, it seems that the technology should be incorporated into the standard release of Firefox. I will say however that the add-on can seem a bit confusing to people at first. It was to me, although after a couple weeks of using it I found it to be a great add-on.

Get this must have add-on at the Firefox Add-ons website.


Down Right Out Cool

Cooliris

Full-Screen, 3D -- Cooliris transforms your browser into a visually stunning experience for searching, viewing, and sharing online photos and videos. Our "3D Wall" lets you effortlessly search and zoom your way around thousands of images, videos, movies, news feeds, and even online retailers. To share stuff with friends, just drag and drop.

This is one of those things you have to experience to really appreciate. If you have ever browsed at Google Images or Deviant Art this add-on will totally transform that experience for you. The add-on actually supports many websites. One huge deal-breaker for myself though is that the add-on requires Administrative privileges to function, so I need to start my browser as an Administrator to use it. This does not effect users already signed on as an Administrator.


Vista style theme for Windows XP

Lately I have been on a dark theme mode or more precisely "black" mode, so when I changed my desktop background to a black background I didn't like how it blended with the task bar color ( Royale Noir Theme Black ). So I did a Google search for "Black theme windows xp," and come up with this one.

VistaVG Black Theme for Windows XP

So if your into black you're a friend of mine, wait, that is in a song and completely off topic. I meant to say that if your into black themes, have a looksie at that Vista style theme, its very sharp and very well done. The instructions for installing the theme are listed on the website and are easy to follow.


A side note

If your already using Firefox, one of the reasons, besides all the nifty add-ons that you can use to customize your web experience is that of your concern for security. Firefox by design is a very secure browser but it's not the save all that many would like you to believe.

I mentioned above about not being able to use a certain add-on because it required "Administrative Privileges." I am currently logged on to Window's right now as a "Limited User," I do this for security reasons.

If your concerned about the security of your computer I would encourage you to read over at my PC Security blog, Threat Level: Orange, Security in Layers and also Security in Layers - Step 1.