Favorite Firefox Add-ons

Posted by Tony Johnson   |   Aug 27th, 2009 10:35am

So, if only 8% of people know what a browser is, how many know about Firefox Add-ons?  It can’t be many, but that’s a shame.

Add-ons are easy to install, generally free to use, and can literally change the way you work.  Only one problem — there are too many from which to choose (5,000+).   Here are some of my current favorites… what are yours?

• Firebug: Allows you to highlight areas in the browser and view markup, CSS, DOM, script, etc.  Also lets you change the code and see a realtime preview on screen.  For me, it has become as essential as Dreamweaver.
• Basecode: Here at EatonGolden, we use and love Basecamp for project management.  Sadly, it comes with no formatting options built in.  Instead, you have to try to remember textile codes, like putting asterisks around items to make them bold.  No thanks.  Basecode inserts a nice little formatting toolbar… much better!
• Abduction!: Attention, SnagIt lovers.  Abduction! does the same thing — one-click screen captures within the browser window.
• YSlow: Yahoo!s website performance tool generates a report on speed of pages and provides some indicators for improvement.
• Web Developer: Like Firebug, this is a must-have for any front-end coder.  It adds a toolbar with so many features, I can’t even begin to list them.
• KidZui: My preschooler loves Starfall.com.  If Starfall is a hammer, KidZui is a jack hammer.  It turns the entire screen into a kid-friendly browser.   The extension is certainly impressive, but be aware of the promotional motivation behind it.

Entry Filed under: Tools + Tips