Post by David Pierce. Find me on Twitter.
I wrote a post a week or so ago over on MakeUseOf about Google Chrome that stirred up some serious controversy. Some people like Chrome, others thought it was totally blasphemous and crazy that I would ever even consider leaving the wonder that is Firefox.
And you know what? You’re all right. I’m using Chrome more and more, but have definitively discovered that I’m not leaving Firefox any time soon. And, as many of the comments said, there’s one reason for that: the extensions.
I use Firefox add-ons for all manner of different things, from development and coding to just making Remember the Milk prettier. These are the eight I can’t bear to leave:
Firebug
Firebug is a Web developer’s dream. It gives you access to all the code on a given page, which you can see, edit, and play around with. I use it for testing changes to see how’d they’d look, before actually pushing anything live. Firebug lets you see a lot of different things, pinpoint a particular item to see how it works, and explore all the code in a site. It’s great for troubleshooting, too, and is the perfect companion to anyone who knows code, or is looking to learn how.
Read it Later
Read it Later is an application I’ve talked about before – it’s a way to save pages and articles to read later, when you have a chance. The Read it Later Firefox extension makes saving pages easy, makes opening and reading them easy, and even integrates with Google Reader. I can always, in one click, save a page to read later, no matter what it is. It stays in sync with the iPhone app, and is the perfect way to keep my reading list large.
SkipScreen
Another application I’ve mentioned here before, SkipScreen removes all the unnecessary ads and steps from the downloading process on sites like Rapidshare, MegaUpload and others. Instead of opening three windows, making you click six links and wait ninety seconds, SkipScreen just presents you with the download screen. I can’t figure out how it does it, but it does it. It’s amazing how much time this one actually saves me, as a fairly frequent downloader from those sites.
StumbleUpon
StumbleUpon comes with endless hours of surfing across random websites. ‘Nuff said.
Greasemonkey
Greasemonkey the extension isn’t what makes it great – all the scripts it supports make it great. With Greasemonkey, you can change the look and feel of almost any website, just by running a simple script. Almost any site can be Greased, and Gmail and Google Calendar in particular have tons of options for changing how they look. I use one called “A Bit Better RTM” that makes a lot of great changes to Remember the Milk’s interface, and that alone makes Greasemonkey worth it.
FireFTP
I use FTP sites all the time, for everything from blogging to backup. FTP, for anyone who doesn’t know, stands for File Transfer Protocol, and is basically just a simple way to transfer and manipulate files over servers. If you’re an FTP-er, there’s no simpler solution than FireFTP. It opens in a new tab in Firefox, and just works. There are no frills and no fuss – it just does what it’s supposed to do, and always works.
Better Google Extensions
The kind folks over at Lifehacker created a series of Firefox extensions to make various Google apps better – called, believe it or not, Better Gmail, Better GReader, and Better GCal (there are more, but those are the ones I use). They all add small usability and interface enhancements, making each application slightly easier and better to use. The keyboard shortcuts, the Reader skins, and more – they really do make Google Better.
Fast Dial
Fast Dial is like Opera’s Speed Dial (which, I know, is awesome) – it gives you a visual look at a number of websites you choose. You set a grid, of any size you choose, and every time a new tab or window opens, it displays the Fast Dial for you. One click, and you’re at the website of your choice. Fast Dial’s not especially feature-rich, but it saves tons of time that would be spent digging through bookmarks or typing in the address bar. If you’re like me, and spend the vast majority of your time on a fairly small number of websites, Fast Dial’s definitely for you.
These are really the eight biggest reasons I’m not leaving Firefox any time soon. In trying to use Chrome for all my browsing, I kept having to open Firefox to use one of these extensions. Some are simple, some are applications of themselves, but they’re all compelling reasons for me to stay with Firefox.
What MUST you have in your browser?
The extensions are definitely one amazing reason to use firefox! I use Read It Later all the time. It comes in so handy, though by now I really need to go through it and get rid of a lot of links…
I've used Firefox for many years as my default browser, but having entered the mystical world of the Mac a while ago I've switched to Safari. I've actually also more-or-less switched to Safari on my Windows PC at work after noticing that Firefox was taking and absolute AGE to open initially. Not sure why, and I can't seem to find anyone else who's had a problem with it. I do like Chrome a lot (especially the standalone web app function) and am looking forward to it appearing on the Mac soon. Most places (Delicious, Read It Later, Digg) have bookmarklets that replicate a bit of the respective Firefox extensions (although I do miss the Delicious sidebar…)
http://www.newtabking.com kicks ass and leaves Speed Dial way behind
Cool extensions! But you forgot 4 of the most coolest extensions ver for firefox:
1. Zotero – information manager! Must have!
2. Brief – RSS agregator. Cool interface and usability!
3. Secure Login – password manager.
4. Shareaholic . Post to any “social….” with just one extension! Big time saver!
Definitely true, and I've been using some bookmarklets in Chrome to replicate the features. There's just something satisfying, though, about extensions for me – they feel more stable, and application-like. Maybe that's just me. And I think now might be the time when I have to get Safari…
Okay, that is COOL. I like the shortcuts to desktop apps in particular, but I like being able to choose the sites I want on my new Tab page, rather than having an extension (or Chrome) index my most-visited sites. I might have to get this one, though, just for the time-sensitive lists. That's pretty awesome.
All good ones. Secure Login's a new one for me, I'll have to go check that out. Out of curiosity, how do you use Zotero? I've tried to get into it a couple times, and it just never did it for me.
Your list shows definetely some good picks for Firefox add-ons. I use Firebug a bit, but the Web Developer Toolbar somehow seems to suit my needs as a Web Editor better. FireFTP's a good, no fuzz ftp client. In addition to your list I'd recommend Pearl Crescent Page Saver Basic, which captures screenshots quickly and easily.
I actually tried to switch from Firefox to Opera a while ago as well, mainly due to a feeling that my Firefox browser is getting too slow compared to its competitors. The Opera browser is fast, looks good and has quite a few handy features built in. But just as you mention in your blog post, I soon missed my Firefox add-ons. Therefore, after a few weeks with Opera as my main browser, I'm now back with Firefox again. Back to stay, I guess:)
The Web Developer Toolbar is pretty awesome – definitely worth downloading, I don't know how I never heard about it before! The Page Saver is a good one too, but I'm pretty sold on Evernote as my screenshot tool.
What was it that initially sent you to Opera? Everyone who uses it seems to love it, but no one can tell me why…
Great list of add-ons. Firefox is by far the best browser. IE doesn't even come close. I'd like to add to your list of add-ons. Its called Billeo. Extremely handy if you pay your bills online. Acts as a password manager too.
@David: A few years back I actually used Opera as my main browser for a couple of years. The main reason back then was that it felt faster than its competitors, and it came with lots of nice features like eg. built-in RSS reader, e-mail client and tabbed browsing (I think Opera maybe had that feature first?). If I should have picked a browser today without thinking of the work related customizations I have in Firefox, I would definetely go back to Opera – which now's better than ever, in my opinion.
Speaking of screenshots, I've read your blog post on Jing now, think I'll test if it might work for my needs!
Interesting stuff – thanks for the heads up about Opera, it sounds like it might be worth a shot. Is it not faster anymore? I haven't seen comparisons recently, but I seem to remember Chrome and Opera being the two fastest…
Thanks a lot, enjoy Jing!
I like that [ peek ture] you have of the 4 surfboards. Did you photoshop that?