10 Best Firefox Extensions, 2009 Edition #1

It took me a while to make Firefox what I wanted it to be and get the most out of it, and now I want to share with you my current configuration.

This configuration consists of a mix of scripts, shortcuts and extensions to improve the navigation experience, the appearance of Firefox and the general usage; moreover, with this mix you can take a look at some features that will probably be built-in by default in Firefox.next.

SCRIPTS & STYLES

UserScripts

Greasemonkey

As the name suggests, I have enabled some scripts and styles to optimize Firefox and Google layout.
These scripts will only edit some aesthetic parameters of Firefox/ Google,  you don’t have to worry for your safety.
First of all you need to install Greasemonkey, the famous extension that allows you to install user made scripts. The are are thousands of scripts around , I have choosen only three of them to change some aspects of Google. For styles, the most famous addon is Stylish, available on Userstyles.org.

The first script, Google Fx,  it‘s absolutely amazing: Fx edits some aspects of Google.com improving the appearance of the page, but above all, changes the whole results layout. Results with small thumbnails are displayed  on the left, while on the right (actually unused space in a standard view) are listed Related Searches, Google News and Wikipedia.

Great.

Moreover, we can see how under the search bar there‘s the possibility of searching the same keywords on other engines: the page will open in a new tab, very useful tool for webmasters that want to test the positioning of their site on various engines. Finally, there are some direct links to search by period (24 hours, a week etc.. .. Etc.) and by type (text, title, links).

The second, Image Search Direct Link, simply places a direct link above Google Images preview to view the image we want without having to go to the original page. The real trick  lies in combining Fx and Direct Link: Fx, in fact, inserts links to other images search engines such as Flickr or DeviantArt  and has the option to filter by color, size and content as well.

Last script we talk about is Helvetireader ,which is a skin for Google Reader. It’s pretty cool,see official site for more info.

Google-Fx

Google Image Search Direct Link

Helvetireader

UserStyles

Stylish

As for styles, I have focused on Firefox chrome aesthetic changes.

Add to Bookmark Plus Improves the bookmarks menu, very useful to have a better description of your bookmarks.

Awesome Bar Hud Applies a nice, Mac style HUD theme to Awesome Bar‘s results.

Mac Bookmarks Toolbar Favicons Adds Favicons next to the names of sites in the bookmarks toolbar, absent by default.

SHORTCUTS

Mozilla Ubiquity

Site Launcher

Quickfire

Then,I focused on making  Firefox a modern browser. Or, at least, I tried to apply features that Firefox.next will probably have enabled by default.
What better than Ubiquity and Site Launcher ?

I‘ve already talked about Ubiquity (see my previuos article) so I think you should have by now a fairly clear view of its potential.

Let‘s focus on Site Launcher: this extension allows you to open any site in two clicks.

I repeat, two clicks.
With Site Launcher you can launch via keyboard shortcut a small HUD window containing some of your bookmarked sites (such as twitter, facebook, myspace).

Once you’ve played around with Site Launcher preferences,you can simply press ALT + CMD to launch it, type “you” and youtube will open in a new tab, “t” will open twitter, and so on. The same method applies to all the keyboard shortcuts you assigned to Site Launcher.
This means no more bookmarks toolbar, no more open tabs, no more URL bar.
A terrific time saver.

For those wishing to launch Mac apps directly from Firefox there‘s Quickfire.

Quicksilver is Firefox version of Quicksilver: you can simply type the first letter of an app stored in /Applications folder and Quickfire will display it in awesome bar results. Just like a website.

Useful, let’s see how it evolves over time. (And remember, just type CMD + L to move the address bar!)

BOOKMARKS & SUGGESTIONS

Xmarks (aka FoxMarks)

Now, we need a good bookmarks backup and “similar sites suggestions” addon.

Formerly known as Foxmarks, Xmarks performs the dual function of online bookmarks backup/password manager and suggestion tool . You can  decide to let Xmarks backup you bookmarks, your passwords or both. Then, anytime you use a different computer that has Xmarks installed you can access your data.  There’s more: this software installs a small button in the Awesome Bar that  gives us a list of sites similar to the one we’re in.

Very useful, considering that I found tons of new stuff I didn’t even know it existed before.

FEEDS

Feedly

I’ve always had a strange relationship with feeds.
I mean, I think desktop aggregators are all the same stuff. Launch it—> refresh it—-> wait for refresh—> updates available—> decide—-> read. No, I don’t like it.
Then I discovered Feedly. This extensions automatically imports bookmarks from Firefox and feeds from your Google Reader (authentication program is managed through Google Accounts) and displays them through a beautiful magazine-style interface which can customized in settings page.. This addon also installs a button next to the Awesome Bar, which when pressed opens a new tab with newest feeds.  Moreover, you can find many options into Feedly‘s dashboard to turn this addon into a Social Bookmarking tool: you can  set “cover view”  or your twitter updates as feedly homepage .

You can even share ANY page you browse on twitter/email or save it to google reader.
Recommended.

PASSWORD MANAGER

1Password

1Password is not exactly a FF extension, it‘s a Mac app that install its own browser plugin.

1Password is, in my opinion, the best software for private data management, thanks to its clean and minimal graphics and its many functions. You can read my review of 1Password 3 here.
FF plugin does nothing more than  installing a button in the toolbar that acts as a tool to login to the sites we have chosen. Every time we create a new account, the app asks us if we wish to save the session for future logins.
That’s it.

1Password comes in handy when you have dozens of logins to remember and you don‘t want to write them down on paper.

VERTICAL TABS

Tree Style Tabs

FoxTab

I have already posted many of my thoughts on tabs future in my previous article here.

I am a fan of vertical tabs:  they‘re easier to understand and manage and since I tried them a month ago I just can‘t live without them. Among all the addons that can enable this feature,give a try to Tree Style Tabs: first because it has a very cool Mac style layout, then because it is simple, stable and functional. It allows you to enlarge / restrict your sidebar and to manage groups of tabs.
Nothing more, nothing less.
The best of its kind, no doubt.

Then I suggest you to take a look at FoxTab. FoxTab does nothing but install a small button next to the awesome bar that when pressed, shows a great graphic with currently open tabs. The style that the developer has chosen remembers the one that Apple has adopted for Safari 4 Beta Top Sites , but you can change visualization from “wall of tabs” to a Vista-style “3d tabs“.
Strangely feels good on Mac.

The convenience of this extension is fully revealed when you have dozens of tabs  and you need a quick glance to understand them.

I repeat, this is  my current configuration of Firefox (I’m using both Minefield and 3.5 beta 4) and  it‘s fast just as usual. Besides, I think many of these addons will become built-in features in Firefox future versions (Tree Style, Feedly, Weave/1Password ? ) so why don‘t you try them right now?

Which are are your favorite addons?