Firefox y sus plug-in...
Pushing Firefox to the Limit

Sure, you can use the plain vanilla Firefox, but even though Firefox is already a gazillion times easier to use than IE, not to mention more reliable, adding selected extensions increases its power and adds functionality that you didn't even realize you wanted. In my opinion, Firefox extensions are awesome.

As I've mentioned countless times before, I am not a fan of Internet Explorer. Firefox is my browser of choice. Plain-vanilla Firefox is great, but there are many ways to add cherries, nuts and whipped cream to that vanilla. In the world of Firefox, these additional toppings are called "extensions."

The Firefox add-ons page explains extensions as follows:

Extensions are small add-ons that add new functionality to Mozilla applications. They can add anything from a toolbar button to a completely new feature. They allow the application to be customized to fit the personal needs of each user if they need additional features, while minimizing the size of the application itself.

Sure, you can use the plain vanilla Firefox. And, even though Firefox is already a gazillion times easier to use than IE -- not to mention more reliable -- adding selected extensions increases its power and adds functionality that you didn't even realize you wanted. Once you start adding extensions, you'll wonder how you ever browsed without them.

What, Where and How

When you download an extension, it shows up in Firefox under Tools - Extensions. Click on "Extensions" and you will see what extensions you already have, along with a one-line description and a notification if updates are available. The Extension box has options for uninstalling, finding updates and links to more extensions.

Once at the add-ons page, you can search or browse extensions by category:

Newest
Top Rated
Popular
All Categories
Blogging
Bookmarks
Contacts
Developer Tools
Download Tools
Editing and Forms
Entertainment
Humor
Image Browsing
Kiosk Browsing
Languages
Message Reading
Miscellaneous
Navigation
News Reading
Privacy and Security
Search Tools
Tabbed Browsing
Web Annoyances
Web Site Integration
XUL Applications

Some of the categories don't interest me (Blogging, Developer Tools); some I know I don't have time to use (Entertainment, Humor); and some I just plain don't understand (Kiosk Browsing, Web site Integration, XUL Applications). The page also carries sections for Recently Updated and Top Extensions. I generally learn about available and updated extensions via the RSS feeds from this page or from various other RSS feeds and e-newsletters to which I subscribe. If you don't already know what function you'd like an extension to manage, the choices can seem overwhelming.

I use several extensions and, now that I have them, find them indispensable. You'd be surprised at how much difference just a little tweaking can make. Let me introduce you to some of my favorites.

Must-Have Extensions

If memory serves me, the first extension I downloaded was Paste and Go. This extension adds an option to the context menu that appears when right-clicking the URL box. Using this, you can paste a URL from the clipboard and have it load immediately, instead of pasting a URL and then hitting the "Enter" key. I know it doesn't sound like much, but once you use it, you're hooked. On the few occasions I need to use IE, I become very frustrated when I paste the URL and the page doesn't automatically load.

Have you ever visited a Web page so covered with graphics that you had trouble finding and/or reading the text? Of course you have! Never fear, Nuke Everything! is here to help. Just a few right-clicks and look at the difference. Why, you can actually read the article without the usual distractions.

SessionSaver has saved my life many times. Have you ever used your browser only to have the browser crash, inexplicably stop responding, or have Windows misbehave? Probably more often than you'd like. Or, you power down your computer at night, boot up the next morning, open your browser, and there you are, at your preset home page. The pages you were using are long gone and often difficult to find again; they might have been pages found by following numerous links. How to get back to where you were? That is the question.

With SessionSaver, that problem is a thing of the past. Use the SessionSaver option "I'd like my browser restored every startup" and every window and tab from the previous session will reappear when you restart the browser, including the history for each tab and window. Now, if I have to close my browser quickly for any reason, I know that when I reopen it, I don't have to worry about finding my way back to where I was.

Browsing with tabs is one of Firefox's big selling points. The default tab options are alright, but the Tabbrowser Preferences extension allows you to have much more control over your tabs. It also adds a drag-and-drop feature to the tabs. If you want to reorder open tabs, just drag and drop into the desired order.

Some more options:
  Links: Choose where to open various types of links.
  User Interface: Choose when to open a new tab and whether to load the tab into the background or foreground.
  Display Options: Choose where to place the tab bar (top or bottom of the window), whether to show the New Tab button on the tab bar, and whether to show the Lock Tab menu item on the tab context menu.
  Features: Choose to have a warning when trying to close Firefox with multiple tabs open, whether or not to overwrite tabs.
  Tab Focus: Provides additional options for where to open new tabs.

Playing Favorites
 
My absolute favorite extension, however, is AI Roboform. I know this toolbar is also available for IE, but I've only used it in Firefox. This one little gem has saved more time for me than I ever thought possible. Its Web site describes it as follows:

RoboForm is the top-rated Password Manager and Web Form Filler that completely automates password entering and form filling.

Here are some of the features:
       
        .Memorizes your passwords and logs you in automatically.
      
       .Fills long registration and checkout forms with one click.
      
       .Encrypts your passwords to achieve complete security.
      
       .Generates random passwords that hackers cannot guess.
       
       .Backs up your passwords, copying them between computers.

Once installed, Roboform creates a new toolbar and a drop-down menu from which to personalize it. When I visit a site for which I have a passcard, an icon for the site name appears on the Roboform toolbar. By clicking on the icon, I automatically sign in via RoboForm.

Once you create an identity for yourself, when a form appears on a site, you can click on your name in the toolbar and all relevant fields automatically fill in. You can add as much or as little information as you'd like to your identity. Options include: name; title; phone numbers (office, home, cell, fax, etc.); email address; sex; birth date; birth place; Social Security number; driver's license number; home and business address; credit card numbers and more. You can even customize the options, as well as add others.

Since I'm the only person with access to my computer, I have added most of my data, including sensitive information. Not everyone will feel comfortable doing so; this is simply a matter of preference. But, when I visit a site that has a long form to fill in, it's sure nice to click on an icon and see the form fill up, as if by magic.

Even More

I use a few other Firefox extensions, but not as often as the ones mentioned above, including these:
  .Print/Print Preview: Replaces the default Print button with the Mozilla Suite-style Print/Print Preview toolbar button/menu.
  .Copy Plain Text: Provides an option to copy text from a Web page without the formatting.
  .Tab History: New tabs retain the session history of the originating tab; links opened in a new tab won't have a blank history, but one populated from the "parent" tab.
  .Menu Editor: Customize application menus, rearrange or remove menu items from the main context menu (right-click menu) and main menubar (File, Edit, View, etc.). I've used Menu Editor to remove items from the main menubar that I know I'll never use. It shortens the number of items in a menu, making it easier to quickly find the item you need.
  .URL Fixer: URL Fixer corrects typos in URLs entered in the address bar. For example, if you type google.con, it will correct it to google.com, asking first, if you enable confirmation.
  .Status Bar Calculator: This is a tiny calculator icon in the status bar. Click it to expand and use it. Click the calculator icon again to shrink it back to the icon when not in use.
  .Tab URL Copier: Copies the URLs of all open tabs; puts a Copy Tab URLs item in right-click menu of tabs and Edit main menu. Useful for bibliographies, quickly sending someone a list of pages to view, etc.
  .Surfbook: With Surfbook, you can return to the last URL typed by clicking on the icon Chapter Back in the toolbar. Opening the sidebar, you can navigate the complete session history.

To Extend or Not to Extend

Extensions are not created by the people at Mozilla; they are developed by other individuals -- programmers, people who want to add functionality to Firefox, those interested in finding work-arounds, etc. Each extension description contains the name of the creator (generally with a link to their Web site), date of release, and the versions of Firefox with which it is compatible. Often there are version and or release notes, as well as comments from users of the extension.

New extensions are submitted to Mozilla, but not posted to the site until reviewed. That doesn't necessarily guarantee a particular extension will work perfectly for you, but rather that someone at Mozilla has found the extension compatible with Firefox and free from spyware, adware, or other potential risks.

Occasionally, you might find that after adding an extension, one of your other extensions doesn't work correctly. Some extensions just don't play nice with one another. Sometimes a developer knows their extension won't work correctly with certain others. If that's the case, it is noted in the description of the extension. Other times a developer won't be aware of an incompatibility, as it's virtually impossible to test every combination of extensions. Once in a while, a user will submit a comment regarding a problem; often the developer replies as to whether or not this will be resolved in a future release.