How To's

I started using Firefox when it was first released and have not looked back at Internet Explorer (IE) since. Firefox is faster, better, customizable, and more secure.

I used to help one of my friends with his computer problem every few months. It used to get all sorts for viruses and what not. So I'd backup the data and re-install Windows every few months... that is until I finally installed Firefox on the computer after rebuilding it for the last time. I made it the default browser and have not been called back to *fix* the computer after that :)

To Each His Own. I'd recommend giving it a try; you might like it.

I still use IE when I'm at my bank's website and other sites that seem to work only on IE; Firefox has a extension for that too!

Installation: You can get Firefox from http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/

Getting Started: Nice tips http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/tips/

Extensions/Add-ons: There are LOT's of add-ons available for Firefox that let you customize the browser to your liking.

You can search from the browser itself by going to: Tools > Add-ons > And click on the "Get Add-ons" tab or going to https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox

Here is a list of all the extensions that I have installed on my Firefox:

1. Adblock - Block ads on web pages. You can add exception rules. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/10
2. Adblock Plus - Block ads on web pages. You can add exception rules. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1865
3. Adblock Filterset.G Updater - Updates your ad block filters every week. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1136
4. ColorfulTabs - Will make each tab a different color. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1368
5. ColorZilla - Color picker for web pages. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/271
6. Console2 - Javascript debugger. I have this disabled though. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1815
7. FEBE - This one will backup your Firefox profile including your add-ons. I use this a lot to backup my browser setup. If I need to setup Firefox on a computer I just use this rather than install all my add-ons individually. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/2109
8. Firebug - You have to have this if you are a web developer. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1843
9. Fireshot - Takes screen shots of the web page. Available for IE too! https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/5648
10. Forecastfox - Weather forecast. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/398
11. Foxmarks Bookmarks Synchronizer - Synchronizes your bookmarks between computers. You can access your bookmarks from anywhere by logging in to their web site too. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/2410
12. FoxyTunes - Control your music player from the browser. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/219
13. Greasemonkey - You can use this to run scripts on specific web sites and modify them to your needs. I have a couple of script that I use listed below. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/748
    • Disable Text Ads - Disables inline text ads. http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/3637
    • Linkify ting - Turns plain text links into clickable links. http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/2254
    • LookItUp - You can lookup any text you select on a web page on a dictionary, google, wikipedia or any site you want. http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/7715
    • Google Image Relinker - Rewrites the links on google image search so that when you click on the image it takes you to the image instead of the page that has the image. http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/5059
    • Download Video - Save video clips from YouTube, Google Video, etc. http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/4037
14. Html Validator - https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/249
15. IE View Lite - You can have some sites automatically open in IE. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1429
16. IE Tab - Opens internet explorer inside Firefox as a new tab so that you can view a site on IE without having to have another window open. I used to use this but now I've switched to using IE View Lite. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1419
17. InspectThis - DOM inspector. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1913
18. Javascript Debugger - https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/216
19. JSView - Lets you view javascript and CSS files on a site easily. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/2076
20. MeasureIt - A ruler that can be drawn on web pages to measure elements. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/539
21. NikkelWHOIS - WHOIS lookup. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/2646
22. NoScript - Allow script to run only on sites you trust and disable on all other sites. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/722
23. Nuke Anything Enhanced - Find something annoying on a site? Just right click on it and select 'Remove' to hide it. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/951
24. Page Validator - https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/2250
25. Password Exporter - Export & Import your saved passwords. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/2848
26. Session Manager - Close a window accidentally? Browser crashed? This will let you recover the windows. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/2324
27. Tab Mix Plus - Customize the tab behavior. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1122
28. tlbox - Much much better than del.icio.us for managing your bookmarks. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/4940
29. Web Developer - Web developer tools. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/60
30. YSlow - Analyzes a page and tell you if/why it is slow. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/5369
31. DownThemAll - Built-in download manager & acclerator. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/201
32. Download Statusbar - Puts the download window in the status bar instead of opening it in a new window. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/26

And that not the complete list. I probably have all these and a couple more installed on my personal machine at home. If you want a feature then it's very likely that someone has already created an add-on for it. If you are interested it is easy to create your own add-ons and write Greasemonkey scripts.

Have fun browsing on Firefox :)