The Best Firefox Add-ons of All Time

Add-ons that you need to install right now:

-Adblock Plus
I hate advertisements. You do too.

-Download Statusbar
The default "Downlods" pop-up window is annoying. This add-on a convenient solution.

-Fasterfox
Fasterfox lets you get the most out of a high-speed connection.

-Foxmarks Bookmark Synchronizer
This is an absolute MUST-HAVE for anyone who uses FF on multiple computers.

-Tab Mix Plus
I've been using this as long as I've been using FF. Customization at its best.

-Organize Status Bar
Tired of add-ons adding useless icons to your status bar? Not anymore.

-Menu Editor
Change your context (right-click) menu. Another example of true customization.


Add-ons that you should check out in the near future:

-Tiny Menu
Puts File, Edit, etc. under one menu.

-NoScript
If you use Windows, consider this one in the top group.

-FireFTP
Great, unless you prefer an external FTP client.

-Foxytunes
Allows you to control iTunes, Windows Media Player, etc. from inside FF.

-Mouse Gestures
Perform various tasks by drawing shapes with your mouse.

-Forecastfox
For when you're too lazy to type in "weather.com".

-Cooliris Previews
Mouse-over previews of search results on Google and so forth.

-Colorful Tabs
This add-on is surprising helpful.

-Chatzilla
An IRC client for FF. How nerdy can you get with one program?

-Flashblock
Turns flash animations into a "play" button, allowing you to choose whether to view them.

-Copy Link Name
More handy than one might think.

-Sage
The best RSS reader for FF.

-Unofficial Myspace Toolbar
Only helpful if you use Myspace.


Awesome Themes:

Blue Ice
Phoenity Firefox
Ubuntu Human Theme
Tango
RedShift V2 Beta
iFox Smooth

On Web Browsers

I've used quite a few web browsers in my day, including Internet Explorer (IE), Netscape, Safari, Firefox (FF), Swiftfox, Ephiphany, Galeon, Konqueror, Opera, Dillo, and Lynx.

To the average Desktop User, I recommend Firefox. Why? It's easy to use and highly customizable. If you don't like FF at first, I'm sure there's an add-on that will make you like it, or fall in love with it. Soon, I'm going to post a list of the Best Firefox Extensions of All Time.

Oh yeah, and who doesn't love tabs? Even Microsoft does. After all, they flat out copied the idea from Mozilla for the 7.0 release of IE.

Another attractive feature of Firefox is that it is compliant with W3C Standards. Basically, this means web pages will be displayed as they were meant to be displayed. Internet Explorer, for example, is mostly compliant with what Microsoft wants. On more that one occasion, Microsoft (and Netscape, too) invented various non-standard HTML tags for use with a specific browser. Bad idea. The whole concept of the internet is to share information with other computers, and thereby other people. Those people can't read your information if their web browser can't. Follow the rules. Listen to W3C. End of story.

Some people complain that FF is sluggish. Well, let me say this: Are there faster browsers? Yes. Is FF really that slow? No. Poorly-designed extensions can make FF slow, but I challenge anyone to show me lethargy in a default installation. Sure, it uses more RAM/CPU power than some other browsers, but not enough to put a dent in the resources of modern desktops. Of course, there is an optimized build of Firefox for specific processors: Swiftfox. For the low-down on browser speed, visit this site.

For people who care about efficiency more than anything, use Lynx. It's probably the fastest web browser that I've ever used. You must be wondering, "Why haven't I heard about it?" Probably because it's console-based. That means text only.

For people who love speed, but not enough to sacrifice a GUI, I suggest Dillo. It's not exactly easy on the eyes, but it is undeniably fast.

All the other aforementioned browsers didn't make a lasting impression on me.