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<info>
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
<title>Firefox 2.0</title><biblioid class="uri">http://norman.walsh.name/2006/11/08/firefox20</biblioid>
<volumenum>9</volumenum>
<issuenum>112</issuenum>
<pubdate>2006-11-08T08:22:02-05:00</pubdate>
<date>$Date: 2006-11-08 10:08:47 -0500 (Wed, 08 Nov 2006) $</date>
<author>
      <personname>
<firstname>Norman</firstname>
	<surname>Walsh</surname>
</personname>
    </author>
<copyright>
      <year>2006</year>
      <holder>Norman Walsh</holder>
    </copyright>
<abstract>
<para>A little late to the party, I know, but all my “must have” extensions
are finally available for Firefox 2.0.</para>
</abstract>
<dc:subject rdf:resource="http://norman.walsh.name/knows/taxonomy#Firefox"/>
<dc:subject rdf:resource="http://norman.walsh.name/knows/taxonomy#TheWeb"/>
</info>

<para xml:id="p1">When <wikipedia>Firefox</wikipedia> 2.0 was first
announced, several of my “must have” extensions weren't available for
it, so I didn't bother to upgrade. Actually,
<wikipedia>Ubuntu</wikipedia> upgraded for me, but I grabbed an old 1.5.x
installer and started using that.</para>

<para xml:id="p2">I decided to check again this morning. Happily, it seems that all
but two of the extensions I use routinely are now “2.0 ready” so I've
made the switch.</para>

<para xml:id="p3">For what it's worth, I consider the following extensions
mandatory:</para>

<variablelist>
<varlistentry xml:id="adblock-plus">
<term xlink:href="https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/1865/">Adblock Plus</term>
<listitem>
<para xml:id="p4">Get your advertising out of my face.</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry xml:id="cmSiteNavigation">
<term xlink:href="http://www.christophm.de/software/firefox/cmSiteNavigation/">cmSiteNavigation Toolbar</term>
<listitem>
<para xml:id="p5">Make <tag class="element">link</tag> elements useful.</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry xml:id="del.icio.us">
<term xlink:href="http://del.icio.us/help/firefox/extension">del.icio.us</term>
<listitem>
<para xml:id="p6">Quicker bookmarking.</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry xml:id="firebug">
<term xlink:href="https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/1843/">FireBug</term>
<listitem>
<para xml:id="p7">I forget, how did we used to debug client-side scripts before FireBug?</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry xml:id="flashblock">
<term xlink:href="https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/433/">Flashblock</term>
<listitem>
<para xml:id="p8">Get your animated advertising out of my face.</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry xml:id="greasemonkey">
<term xlink:href="http://greasemonkey.mozdev.org/">Greasemonkey</term>
<listitem>
<para xml:id="p9">User scripts, baby. Your page my way.</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry xml:id="mozex">
<term xlink:href="http://mozex.mozdev.org/development.html">Mozex</term>
<listitem>
<para xml:id="p10">Edit <tag>textarea</tag>s with Emacs like god intended. More generally,
extend the tools that Firefox uses for a bunch of things.</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry xml:id="scrapbook">
<term xlink:href="http://amb.vis.ne.jp/mozilla/scrapbook/">ScrapBook</term>
<listitem>
<para xml:id="p11">Squirrel away those pages you want to keep.</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry xml:id="switchproxy-tool">
<term xlink:href="https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/125/">SwitchProxy Tool</term>
<listitem>
<para xml:id="p12">This proxy, that proxy, which proxy do I need today? Sometimes I use this to
switch between my local proxy and the corporate proxy I have to use when
<wikipedia page="Virtual_private_network">VPN</wikipedia> is up. But mostly, I just
have my vpn script reconfigure
<link xlink:href="http://www.gedanken.demon.co.uk/wwwoffle/">wwwoffle</link> for
me automatically.</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry xml:id="tab-mix-plus">
<term xlink:href="https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/1122/">Tab Mix Plus</term>
<listitem>
<para xml:id="p13">Configure the behavior of one of Firefox's indispensable features: tabs.</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry xml:id="view-source-chart">
<term xlink:href="http://jennifermadden.com/scripts/ViewRenderedSource.html">View Source Chart</term>
<listitem>
<para xml:id="p14">Pretty print your view source. I sent Jennifer $3, have you?</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry xml:id="web-developer">
<term xlink:href="https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/60/">Web Developer</term>
<listitem>
<para xml:id="p15">Web developer tools.</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
</variablelist>

<para xml:id="p16">The <citetitle>SwitchProxy Tool</citetitle> and
<citetitle>Mozex</citetitle> extensions are the two that don't yet claim to
support Firefox 2.0. But I hacked the <filename>install.rdf</filename> file in each
and they both seem to work just fine.</para>

<para xml:id="p17">In the course of finding the latest versions of these extensions, I found
a few more that I'm taking for a test drive. These seem like they might make the
cut:</para>

<variablelist>
<varlistentry xml:id="download-statusbar">
<term xlink:href="https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/26/">Download Statusbar</term>
<listitem>
<para xml:id="p18">Inobtrusive download progress.</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry xml:id="forecastfox">
<term xlink:href="https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/398/">Forecastfox</term>
<listitem>
<para xml:id="p19">Local weather.</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry xml:id="getvideo">
<term xlink:href="https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/3516/">GetVideo</term>
<listitem>
<para xml:id="p20">Yes, sometimes YouTube gets my attention, but that doesn't mean
I want to watch it in my browser.</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry xml:id="mapplus">
<term xlink:href="https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/2394/">Map+</term>
<listitem>
<para xml:id="p21">Shortcuts to street maps.</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
</variablelist>

<para xml:id="p22">What extensions are on your “must have” list?</para>

</essay>

