Firefox 2.0: A Blogger’s Useful Firefox Plugins

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Firefox really is a much better browser than IE. I guess that’s been said before, but many reviews claimed IE7 finally was now a worthy competitor for Firefox and that it had introduced many of the similar features that made Firefox standout.

But IE7 has a number of challenges that still persist: including the use of add-ons. Yes, Firefox can add extensions that will enhance, modify or even extend the features set beyond what was originally programmed. And the selection is huge, currently over 2,300 add-ons, though some are not being actively developed.

My selection is below with some comments:

  • Fasterfox – I use this to speed up Firefox Browsing. It can tweak a number of settings easily and you’ll notice a difference.
  • fireftp – Yes, FTP from your browser. Stable and reliable, but doesn’t show hidden files reliably.
  • foxmarks – application that allows your bookmarks to be stored centrally and shared between your pcs wherever you are
  • foxy tunes – supports all media players that I know of and shows up a control set in your status bar.
  • gmail space – allows you to use Gmail as a webstore for files, not just email. Finally, you can put your 2GB allowance to good use.
  • ie tab – allows you to open IE windows in Firefox for those stubborn or shortsighted web pages that require IE usage. Dumb policy, but VERY useful extension.
  • payperpostopps – see here.
  • reload every – an extension that allows you to refresh your page every x seconds/minutes, useful if you are waiting for something to show up on a particular page, like a score, a stock price, etc..
  • scribefire – allows you to write posts to your blog from your browser.
  • search status – displays the Page Rank and Alexa ranking for any website you visit.

So those are my top ten at the moment, and I chose most of those for helping with my blogging. Firefox is highly extensible in other ways, too: Themes, Plugins, Add-ons, Dictionaries, and Search engines. And it’s available on MANY platforms (though some add-ons only work on Windows!). So why are you NOT using Firefox? Comments, please and tell me what you think about IE6/7 vs. FF 2.0/3.0.