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Posts Tagged ‘Firefox’

Tabberwocky improves Firefox tabs

January 28th, 2010 by Ken

Well, here I am with another Firefox extension.

Like the one I touched upon earlier today, this is an add-on that will greatly enhance how you use the internet with this popular browser. Looking for a simple means of customizing how your tabs appear and function in Firefox?

This is the extension you’ve been searching for.

Called Tabberwocky, this extension builds upon the functionality of your tabs to an impressive degree, altering everything from their appearance to how you navigate between each one.

Installation is just as easy as it’s been for every other extension you’ve put to use. Once that’s complete, your first order of business  is looking at the available options : Tabs – Menus – Advanced.

These options afford you an opportunity to tailor the extension to your liking. For example, looking at the Tabs option, you’re able to adjust how your tabs behave and how they respond when clicked upon or closed.

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With the Menus options, you can assign keyboard shortcuts, adjust your context menu, and determine where you want new links to open.

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Lastly, using Advanced options, you can configure it so that the “progress bar” appears  on your tabs instead of in the Status bar. Advanced options will also allow you have multiple rows in one tab.

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Not everyone will want to put this to use, finding that the default functionality of Firefox’ tabs suits them just fine, but this might pique the interest of you Firefox geeks that love to tweak this brilliantly customizable internet browser.

You can grab Tabberwocky here.

Give Firefox a little breathing room

January 28th, 2010 by Ken

When using an internet browser, be it Microsoft’s Internet Explorer or Mozilla’s Firefox, you’ve probably used the full screen option that’s available when pressing F11. This is great for those of you who want a bit more breathing room while viewing the content.

Yet, in spite of how liberating that option can be, there are those times when you’d like to have some your browsing features available – such as the status bar or the address field. As in the past, I’ve happened upon a neat Firefox extension that introduces a new way of browsing, just one of a myriad of add-ons that significantly augments your browsing experience.

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It’s called Hide GUI Bars, and it allows users to select which elements they’d like to remove from the browser, ultimately freeing up the viewing area on Firefox.  Those segments that you can specify the removal of include the navigation bar, the tab bar, the menu bar, the status bar, and the bookmark bar. Multiple combinations – if you, for instance, only want the bookmark bar visible — are available when using this extension.

There is a default hot key (CTRL-SHIFT-A), but it can be changed to suit your preference by using any other combination of keys.  Absolutely free, this is yet another example of the ingenuity that has propelled Firefox to the head of the browsing class.

You can grab Hide GUI Bars here.

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A sure sign as any that the official debut of the much anticipated, but heavily delayed, Firefox 3.6 approaches is the recent release of its first release candidate.

The term “release candidate” refers to that release which, having ironed out much of the quirks found during the beta stage, stands a good chance of being the official version.

This could very well be your chance to take the final release for an early test drive.

According to Mozilla, this release candidate comes with significantly improved performance and greater functionality, including tools that ensure those beloved Firefox extensions are kept current.

This is a free download available for Windows, Mac OSX, and Linux users.

You can get it here.

Firefox 3.5.7 update is now available

January 6th, 2010 by Ken

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If you haven’t made the leap to the beta for Firefox 3.6, you should know that Mozilla has released an update for Firefox 3.5.

According to its developers, Firefox 3.5.7 addresses stability concerns and how significant updates are introduced to users.

Though you should be prompted for this update shortly, you can download it now.

Grab the Firefox 3.5.7 update here.

Mozilla pushes Firefox 3.6 back.

December 28th, 2009 by Ken

Suffering a bit of a delay, Firefox 3.6 – currently in its 5th beta, which can be obtained here – has been pushed to the first quarter of 2010. Its successor, Firefox 4.0,  is scheduled to enter beta testing next summer, with its final form slated for release in the winter of 2010. Recently overtaking Microsoft’s Internet Explorer as the most popular web browser, Firefox has charged to the front of the pack, a result of its extensive flexibility and Mozilla’s vigilant attention to security.

As Mozilla continues to improve upon their award-winning browser, Geek Choice will update you on the changes they introduce.

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The latest iteration of Firefox 3.6 is now available, delivering over a hundred bug patches that address stability, security and performance. For further information, the details of its release can be read here. This is one step closer to the official release of the new version of Firefox, with Mozilla promising less crashes and faster performance.

You can download the fifth beta for Firefox 3.6 here.

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With the advent of url shorteners, many of the links we visit – especially if we’re constantly visiting sites linked from Twitter and similar services – are masked by shortened links that hide the actual URL. Normally, we’re visiting links posted by those we trust, which sees many of us casually click on the link without giving it much thought. But there’s always the off chance that a link we select redirects us to a site that we’d rather not visit.

With a new day comes a new Firefox extension introduced for the purpose of alleviating the headaches that often come with browsing the web. Called Verify Redirect, this Firefox extension runs in the background, highlighting the original URL whenever you click on a shortened link. While the page is in the process of loading, you’re shown the actual web address, with Verify Redirect prompting you to accept or deny the link. If it’s a link you visit continually, you’re given the option of instructing Verify Redirect not to alert you each time you visit the site.

This is particularly helpful for those of you who visit a lot of sites but remain mindful of just where you’re headed, keeping you on your toes as you walk about the precarious margins of the information superhighway.

You can download Verify Redirect here.

Tired of Firefox consuming all of that RAM?

December 15th, 2009 by Ken

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If you’re a frequent user of Firefox, you’ve probably become well aware of how much memory the program begins consuming after extended use, a problem that persists with even the latest version. While this browser is deservedly praised for it’s the functionality and customizability (made possible by the numerous extensions that improve the Firefox experience), its drain on memory – an issue is known to also occur on systems with plenty of memory – can become a nuisance that sees the performance of the browser begin to falter.

Called Memory Fox, this extension optimizes Firefox’ use of your memory, allocating your ram so as to ensure optimal performance when browsing the web. The extension adheres to preset limits set by the user, its functionality coming into focus once the browser’s expense of ram reaches the designated threshold. After the barrier’s been met, the memory is cleared, allowing the browser to function unimpeded.

Use of this extension requires both a Windows OS and Firefox 3. After you’ve downloaded the extension, restart Firefox and activate Memory Fox from the Tools button in the toolbar. Once installed, the setup is available for your optimization needs.

While this may make only a negligible difference for those computers with an insane amount of ram, it’s sure to impart a visible impact to systems that often find their use of Firefox burdensome where RAM’s concerned.

You can download Memory Fox here.

If you’re familiar with how the internet works, you know that each website you visit probably has a number of cookies downloaded to your browser. While usually harmless (they’re not spyware or viruses), they can be used for tracking your activity on any given website, becoming something of a nuisance for those of us who value our privacy when traversing the web.

Every internet browser, from Internet explorer to Firefox, offers users the ability to delete cookies that have been collected from the various sites they visit. But the process usually involves several steps, requiring you to select a number of menus before you’re able to even see the cookie you desire the deletion of.

If you use Firefox, there’s a simple way to remove cookies, rendering the process an effortless task that makes cookies accessible with just a dropdown. It’s called the CookieKiller extension, and it’s as easy to use as every other Firefox extension we’ve discussed on the Geek Choice blog. Upon installation, you’re given two means of using the extension.

The first option sees you using the Status bar. When accessing it via a right-click, you’re presented with a menu that lets you Enable Cookie Block, which will block cookies from being collected.

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But when you left-click on the icon, you’re given a menu that delineates the cookies associated with your browser. Selecting one of these cookies will see it removed.

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Another option of yours is the “context menu,” which can be accessed by right-clicking anywhere on the page.

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As seen, once you select the cookie you’d like to delete, it’s gone from the list of available cookies.

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However, once you revisit a site, there’s always the chance of the same cookie attaching itself to your browser. To prevent that, you can access the “Preferences” menu, where you’re able to permanently block deleted cookies.

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Cookies can be helpful, especially if you’re a frequent visitor of a website that’d like to remain logged in upon each visit. But they can also prove to be an annoyance for those of you who’d rather not have a website tracking your activity. If you’re looking for a way to quickly remove your cookies, the CookieKiller extension is a convenient means of doing so with Firefox.

You can download the CookieKiller extension here.

If you’ve ever wanted to capture a session of your web browsing, whether it’s for an instructional package you’re compiling or just something to toy around with in your spare time, there’s a neat Firefox extension that lets you do just that without having to install any additional capturing software.

As you might know, Firefox extensions add to your browsing experiencing, sprucing it up with greater functionality and convenience that has contributed to the growing popularity of Mozilla’s browser. This latest extension allows users to record their screen while they browse.

Called CaptureFox, this extension does just that, capturing everything you do while it’s in a state of recording.

After its installation, you’ll notice a new icon sitting on the right-hand side of your status bar (it can also be accessed by hitting CTRL-SHIFT-U or selecting it from the tools menu), the use of which will bring up this extension’s menu.

As you see, there are a fair number of options available, offering users a chance to determine just how high they’d like the quality of recording to be.

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You can decide if you’d like to restrict it to just what’s available in your Firefox window, or you can record your entire screen. Along with frame rate, video quality is also adjustable, both of which being options that may affect performance on older machines.

This is a very helpful tool for those who’re making instructional videos, but it’s also a reliable – and, for some, fun — means of keeping an actual history of the time spent on your computer.

Here’s a video that demonstrates just how CaptureFox  works:

If you’re interested in this extension, you can read about and download CaptureFox here.

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