I am a longtime Internet Explorer user. I have tried using Mozilla Firefox in the past, but have always stuck with IE due to the large number of websites that just didn't work with Mozilla. With the release of Firefox 3, they have provided a number of compelling reasons to make the switch. Mozilla has released a great browser and with the addition of some key Add-ons (also called plug-ins) that have made it my web browser of choice.
Firefox has done a great job of improving its feature set while reducing the number of websites with which it isn't compatible. The improvements include better security, better tab management, improved zoom, and an address bar that does a great job of figuring out the website you are typing. However, what makes Firefox my web browser of choice are the add-ons. Below are a list of key add-ons followed by easy instructions for their installation.
Adblock Plus - Adblock Plus does a remarkable job of eliminating the annoying ads that cover the vast majority of websites we visit. This does a great job of making it easier to focus on the content of a website. It also helps silently blocking pop-ups without interrupting your work.
IE Tab - IE Tab allows you to open a tab in Firefox using the IE engine. For the occasion where a website does not perform its best in Firefox, you can open the page in IE without ever leaving Firefox. Just right click the link and select "Open in IE tab". This tab is essential to me as we rely heavily on SharePoint at Viant which performs best in Internet Explorer.
PDF Download - When you click on a .pdf you are presented with 5 options including "View as HTML" which opens the document in a Firefox tab rather than having to view the .pdf in your external pdf viewer. Not very flashy, but very helpful.
GooglePreview - On the Google results page, this add-on provides a small image to the left of each add-on displaying the destination page. This is a great help with searching and helps improve the efficiency of my searches.
FoxyTunes - If you use a media player on your computer, this add-on is a great plus. It provides controls to your media player on the status bar making it very easy to pause, skip tracks, etc.
How to install the Add-ons:
- Download and install the latest version of Firefox from http://mozilla.com
- Open Firefox and use Google to search for "add-on". Click the first result which is a link to the Firefox add-on page.
- From here all you need to do is type the name of the add-on you would like to install and then click "Add to Firefox" to install the add-on.
Details on a few great features in Firefox
- Zoom - Simply hold the Ctrl key while using the scroll wheel on your mouse and the entire page will zoom or shrink (not just the words, but the words and the image will shrink or zoom as a single unit).
- Search - Ctrl+F brings up the find bar at the bottom. You can use the "Highlight all" option to quickly see all instances of your search.
- Bookmarks - Click the Star in the address bar to add a page to bookmark a page with a single click.
- Arrange tabs - You can click drag a tab to rearrange your list of tabs.
- Bookmark a tab - Click and drag a tab to your bookmarks bar or to the bookmarks option in the menu bar to quickly bookmark a tab.
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