Ask HN: What Firefox/Chrome extensions do you use?

49 pointssteiger15y ago89 comments

A lot of people seem to boost the web navigation experience through browser extensions/plugins. So, what do you use, and why do you use it?

89 comments

87 comments · 57 top-level

jessor15y ago· 5 in thread

Just the important ones:

BetterPrivacy (LSO Cookie Remover)

Firebug (+ Firecookie)

Hackbar

NoScript

Tree Style Tab

Web Developer Toolbar

All of which have no (satisfactory) Chrome equivalent and thus prevent me from switching ;)

sry_not4sale15y ago

I couldn't live without Tree Style Tabs, which is one of the main reasons I haven't switched to Chrome either.

I considered switching to Lunascape, which is a browser that will let you use webkit rendering and firefox plugins, but it's Windows only :(

ewjordan15y ago

I couldn't live without Tree Style Tabs, which is one of the main reasons I haven't switched to Chrome either.

I'm in exactly the same situation - I literally cannot stand to use a browser without that extension anymore, especially on a widescreen computer. I've tried to move over to Chrome, but the lack of that extension is the single blocking issue for me.

Step one when I get a new computer is to install Firefox; step two is Tree Style Tabs. Anyone that hasn't tried it is really missing out...

steigerOP15y ago

I have just installed Tree Style Tabs. My impressions so far is that it's way cleaner and more organized than the traditional tab style.

dugmartin15y ago

I'm experimenting with a 100% switch to Chrome this week but I'm having Tree Style Tab withdrawls too.

pedrokost15y ago

Just for your information, I noticed a few weeks ago that there is a beta version of Firebug for Chrome. Instead of Web Developer I use "Web Developer" in Chrome, which is quite similar by features, but is not shown as a toolbar as in Firefox.

1337p33715y ago· 3 in thread

I don't use Chrome (privacy issues), but for Firefox,

* Flashblock

* Greasemonkey

* Firebug

* It'sAllText (which allows the use of an external editor)

* A few mostly inconsequential ones, like IdentFavicon, etc.

I find that flashblock takes care of most of my ad-blocking needs, and the rest I can do with a local DNS server. The re-emergence of badly behaved Javascript (Remember when all we had to worry about was scrolling/blinking text and alert() boxes? Those were the days.) is what prompted me to install Greasemonkey; I've got a little script that wipes iframes and kills window.XMLHttpRequest, for example

patrickaljord15y ago

> I don't use Chrome (privacy issues)

Which one? You do realize it's open source so if you found anything we're not aware of by looking at the code please do tell. Also do you own a mobile phone? Because if you care about privacy, a mobile phone is much worse than chrome.

colonelxc15y ago

Chromium is open source, Chrome includes Google's special sauce. Now, I don't think Google is abusing this privilege, but I just wanted to point out the difference.

Google is a company that makes money by knowing everything about people, and then presenting ads to them. A browser is a great way to be able to follow a user wherever they go, even after they leave Google's sites. I'm not the op, but I block google analytics for the same reason.

1337p33715y ago

I'm not as worried about sneaky things on the client side as I am about what they're up-front about. The URL bar sending everything I type upstream, for example. And I can turn my phone off any time I might be worried, in much the same way I can avoid using Chrome when I might not want to give Google data, which happens to be always.

To sort of explain, the whole concept of "privacy" as Google sees it is a little creepy to me. I realize that I may be overly cautious or paranoid, but I don't see any comforting counter-examples. I got rid of my Android phone on discovering that I couldn't have contacts or calendar entries that didn't get sent to Google in one form or another, and the Google Maps application wanted me to agree to allow location data* to be sent upstream even when I wasn't using it. Eric thinks we should just change our names. None of this sits well with me at all.

Even if they have no intentions of misusing data (which is stretching it), what they retain is still subject to subpoenas, leaks, hacks, or willful violations like Google Buzz (arguably unintentional) or the case of their SRE David Barksdale. Three people can keep a secret if two of them are dead, etc., and machines and the people who operate them have not had a good track record on safeguarding other people's data.

* The application did specify that the data collected would be "anonymous", but didn't say how that was ensured. Between Google's skirmishes with the EU over how they "anonymize" their search logs (spoiler: they don't, last I checked; they keep the cookie-tracking data and scrub the last octet of the IP) and their recent privacy issues with two different SREs don't inspire any confidence.

akkartik15y ago· 3 in thread

I use lasttab in Firefox to get LRU tab switching. Until chrome gets it (and don't make me change my ctrl-tab muscle memory) I'm not switching.

pasbesoin15y ago

It irritates me no end that the Chrome developers refuse to implement this. (And yes, in googling around on the topic, I did come across a blog post by someone involved explaining that this is a design decision on their part and not an oversight.)

As a workaround, I'll open a subset of most active tabs in a second window. Tabs I am actively switching between as I'm doing my work.

Then, I'll end up closing the Windows in the wrong order and have the subset saved for restoration rather than the full set.

Please, Chrome devs, just make MRU tab switching an option, regardless of what you personally think about it. It is a common work occurrence to need to frequently switch between different pairs or small sets of tabs within a larger context of numerous references/tabs.

P.S. Extensions can't substitute the behavior, because a security measure -- so stated -- Chrome no longer allows browser default shortcut keys, e.g. Ctrl Tab, to be hooked and overridden.

P.P.S. I'd welcome suggestions for good substitutes that use a different key combination or another paradigm that's easy to tolerate.

mhansen15y ago

Drag the different pairs of tabs together and use Ctrl-Tab + Shift-Ctrl-Tab to switch between them?

1 more reply

msg15y ago

There's also one called Ctrl-Tab that does the same, and also allows you to alt-Q (or is it Ctrl-Q) to give you thumbnails of all open tabs, then switch to tab by name (Emacs iswitchb style).

epi0Bauqu15y ago· 2 in thread

Chrome: JSONView & XML Tree are awesome. I also use Rapportive w/ Gmail.

Firefox: Firebug, YSlow & Web Developer toolbar for development. I also use ForecastFox for weather and occasionally S3Fox to check something on S3.

quinndupont15y ago

I tried Rapportive with Gmail... I wanted to love it, but I couldn't.

thisisananth15y ago

Thanks for suggesting the JSONView and XML Tree. The fact that chrome was not dislaying xml was bugging me.

marcocampos15y ago· 2 in thread

Chromium:

Adblock + Browser Button for Adblock (obvious...)

Chromium Wheel Smooth Scroller (similar to iPhone kinetic scrolling)

Google Mail Checker Plus (obvious)

Instachrome (integration with Instapaper)

iReader (similar to Safari Reader)

Pinboard Tools (integration with Pinboard bookmarks service)

Reader Plus (changes the default theme of Google Reader among other customizations)

Redgur (shows all imgur stored images present on a page)

RSS Subscription Extension (obvious)

Search Preview for Google (website previews on search results)

Send using Gmail (mail_to integration with Gmail)

Stylish (similar to Greasemonkey but for CSS styling)

dchest15y ago

FYI, Google Mail Checker Plus already includes mailto integration with Gmail.

marcocampos15y ago

Thanks for the info. Never even realized. :)

ljf15y ago· 2 in thread

I forget what it is called, and am on my mobile now, but I use one which loads the next paginated page below the one you are viewing, so hacker news becomes one long page for me. only loads the next age when you get down the page. love it.

also one to tweet the page I am viewing. I use twitter as more of an annotated favorites/bookmark list than anything else: twitter.com/liamjford

njckname215y ago

I think you're talking about AutoPager, useful addon indeed.

pedrokost15y ago

Indeed, it's great. It just works on all sites with next/previous buttons.

JangoSteve15y ago· 2 in thread

I have a lot, but Ultimate Chrome Flag is my favorite.

The reason it's my favorite is because it displays in the URL bar the pagerank of the site I'm on. It's like an instant credibility check whenever I'm browsing or reading an article. In fact, browsing without it (say on my phone or in my newsreader) now feels like an incomplete experience.

My favorite extensions in Firefox are tied, Firebug and the Web Developer Toolbar. I'm sure if either got a full-fledged extension in Chrome, it'd probably be my new favorite extension.

adrianwaj15y ago

Nice but where does it get the information? Is it anonymized?

There is no official PageRank lookup.

JangoSteve15y ago

I wasn't sure where it got the PR (though I assume it's from one of the many 3rd-party services, since the PR is fairly well known). So I went digging. I found this in the extension source code:

  this.getQueryUrl=function(){
    var b = "http://toolbarqueries.google.com/search?client=navclient-auto&hl=en&ch="+getGoogleChecksum(this.domain)+"&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&features=Rank&q=info:http://"+this.domain;
  }

Also, this is what the extension says about privacy [1]:

This extensions's privacy policy is no different than WOT or any other service or extension that is designed to bring you information on the sites you are visiting. Example, when you search on Google, it will always track your IP. It doesn't access your private data. Chrome shows a warning for all extensions that access browser tabs.

[1] https://chrome.google.com/extensions/detail/dbpojpfdiliekbbi...

msg15y ago· 2 in thread

Firefox.

It turned out I couldn't live without Ubiquity. Still under development, although officially it's on hiatus.

The Add-On Compatibility Reporter, so I can run edge versions of extensions.

Firemacs (for sensible Emacs bindings)

TabKit (tabs on left side and tree style, with grouping and so on) and Ctrl-Tab (LRU tab switching, plus thumbnailed tab display and switch to tab by name-typing). All other tab organization systems pale in comparison.

And the rest: NoScript * Firebug * Web Developer Toolbar * Greasemonkey * IETab * Vacuum Places DB

photon_off15y ago

What features of Ubiquity do you use the most?

msg15y ago

I'm usually making my own commands. I'm often making extra search commands. I use some of the clever integrations with maps and mail as-is.

For me it's the right interface for all kinds of pages that I would have to surf to, find the box, then enter some input. Instead, I just highlight text, ctrl space, type a word, and hit enter.

1 more reply

naner15y ago· 2 in thread

AdBlock, FlashBlock, Readability and Instapaper. The web is an obnoxious assault on the senses. There is some useful stuff in between all those flashing billboards and neon lights so I block all of the distractions that I can. I wish there was a SocialNewsBlock plugin to get rid of all of those damn buttons everyone puts on their sites, too.

fictorial15y ago

I know Readability is a bookmarklet but your comment made me search the FF add-ons for a Readability add-on that was applied to every page I visit automatically.

That might be a nice hack.

naner15y ago

There is a readability extensions[1], but I don't think it is any more useful than the bookmarklet.

1: https://chrome.google.com/extensions/detail/jggheggpdocamnea...

mrud15y ago· 2 in thread

On chrome i use:

* Notscript (blocks javascript, not as good as noscript for firefox but imho still good)

* Adblock

* Navigate on paste (load webpage with middle click on linux)

* Type ahead find (just start typing to search)

* android2cloud (send urls from your mobile phone to your browser)

For Firefox:

* TabMixPlus (Multiple rows for tabs)

* NoScript (JavaScript blocker)

* AdBlock Plus

* FoxyProxy (easy managable proxys)

* AutoAuth (automatically submits saved http basic authentication dialogs)

* Locationbar² (easy access to url segments)

* Firebug

cfinke15y ago

> AutoAuth

Just wanted to say thanks; this is the first time I've ever seen one of my extensions listed in a "What extensions do you use?" discussion.

paddyforan15y ago

It's such a heady experience, isn't it?

pedrokost15y ago· 1 in thread

No one mentioned Xmarks (almost all browsers) to sync bookmarks and tabs between browsers

OneNumber (chrome) which checks for Gmail, GReader, GVoice and wave for updates.

Then I would recommend Boomerang for Gmail (both FF and Chrome) that allows you to postpone an email to send to whenever you want.

Google Dictionary (chrome): double click a word and it shows you the definition - really unobtrusive

Lazarus:Form recovery (chrome) - if you were typing some text in a textArea/field and the browser crashes it can easily put the text back in when you open the page again.

Rapportive for Gmail (chrome, but i thinks it also works in FF) - shows you details about senders, social networking accounts, etc

Stop Autoplay for Youtube (chrome) - great if you like to open many videos in tabs and dont want to hear them play all at the same time

Groxx15y ago

Xmarks has been essential for me when fiddling between multiple devices and OSes. Quite handy.

rodh25715y ago· 1 in thread

Adblock

builtwith - tries to tell you what tech sites use under the hood

delicious bookmarkts - official

docs PDF/powerpoint viewer - opens PDF links with google docs viewer instead of adobe

eye dropper

goo.gl url shortener

gmail checker plus

ireader - reading format

lastpass

linkpush - saves link for opening on android (has an app on anroid you open to get that link)

measureit! - measure pixels between stuff

rss subscription extension - adds fireefox like detection for RSS feeeds

stayfocusd - 30 mins of HN/facebook etc a day

shaddi15y ago

That last one is awesome -- thanks for pointing that out to me.

To add one I haven't seen on here yet, Switchy!, which lets you quickly switch proxy settings under Chrome. It supports SOCKSv5, which last I had checked before I started using it there was no easy way to do with Chrome.

njckname215y ago· 1 in thread

I use several Firefox addons, most of them have been already mentioned. However, one of my favourite addons has not been mentioned:

Quieturl

This addon transforms urls that are plain text into clickable anchors. Very very handy, I couldn't browse without it now.

apu15y ago

I use QuickDrag to do this and more:

  * Drag images to download them
  * Drag text urls to open in new tab
  * Drag text to search on google

Highly recommended.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/6912/

adrianwaj15y ago· 1 in thread

AdThwart (never fails) : https://chrome.google.com/extensions/detail/cfhdojbkjhnklbpk...

AutoPagerize (awesome) : https://chrome.google.com/extensions/detail/igiofjhpmpihnifd...

Google Translate (v handy) : https://chrome.google.com/extensions/detail/aapbdbdomjkkjkao...

Shareaholic (mainly for the instant short goo.gl urls) : https://chrome.google.com/extensions/detail/aapbdbdomjkkjkao...

Smooth Gestures (speeds things up) : https://chrome.google.com/extensions/detail/lfkgmnnajiljnolc...

Smooth Scroll (easier on the eyes) : https://chrome.google.com/extensions/detail/cccpiddacjljmfbb...

These could all come standard in my view and most people would appreciate it.

gmurphy15y ago

FWIW, smooth scrolling is implemented (by default) in the lastest Windows dev channel build.

_cbsz15y ago· 1 in thread

https://chrome.google.com/extensions/list/popular

Next question.

steigerOP15y ago

I don't understand. You use all popular Chrome extension?

My intention is to find out the extensions that hackernewsers use, not the popular extensions. Of course there will always be some intersections, but I doubt everyone here uses all popular extensions, and I doubt no-one here uses some good but unknown, unpopular extensions.

haasted15y ago

Adblock - After using it for a while, it becomes impossible to NOT use it, and still retain focus. Every page contains something that is fighting for your attention when it's not in use.

Firebug - Incredible client-side development tool.

Show anchors - Reveals anchors (<a> tag) in the page, making it easy to make more precise links into pages.

Tamper data - Makes it possible to modify browser requests before submitting them to the server. Great addition to Firebug as a development tool.

Qz15y ago

I used to have a lot more extensions installed on Firefox, but right now all I actually use is:

AdBlock Plus, Download Statusbar, and Tab Scope.

Although one personal 'hack' almost counts: I moved the bookmark toolbar up next to the system menu, to use up all that space and give me quick access to all the sites I read. I have about 14 folders up there, and the Readability bookmarklet. I'm nervous about FF4 because I don't know where I'll be able to put my bookmarks...

jwpage15y ago

Chrome (main browser) Extensions:

* AdBlock

* Firebug Lite for Google Chrome

* Minimalistic Google Reader

* RSS Subscription Extension (by Google)

Firefox (for development, where some extensions in Chrome aren't available) Add-Ons:

* Firebug

* JSONView

* Live HTTP Headers

* Modify Headers

* Page Speed

* User Agent Switcher

* Web Developer Toolbar

* YSlow

I also have a folder of bookmarklets on my toolbar in Chrome:

* Google Analytics: Last Week

* Huffduffer: Add

* Instapaper: Add

* Pinboard: Add

* Twitter: Remove @mentions

* Readability

* Inject jQuery

seltzered15y ago

I think I'm the only person that doesn't use adblock.

Anyways on chrome: ireader, google reader "note in reader", hckr news (never noticed what it does though), and delicious. Using the dev channel build of chrome.

On FF: Treeview, someone on hn suggested it to me and I'm really hoping something similar comes to chrome. I'd use firefox more but still experience it memory leaking/crashing too much.

ElbertF15y ago

Firefox:

Wappalyzer http://wappalyzer.com

Adlock Plus http://adblockplus.org/en/

Flashblock http://flashblock.mozdev.org/

NoScript http://noscript.net/

Firebug http://getfirebug.com/

gardarh15y ago

Firefox: - Firebug (my life wouldn't be same (or sane) without it) - Remove cookies for site (one click to remove all cookies for current domain, essential when developing cookie based sites) - FireGestures (lets you go back, reload, close tabs, etc. by preconfigured right click gestures - a feature invented by Opera I believe, I can't browse without it) - AdBlockPlus (I hate to admit this but a news site I visit frequently is so loaded with flash ads that my machine almost becomes unresponsive upon visiting)

Chrome: I try to find the same extensions as for Firefox but: - Firebug lite was missing the "Net" panel last time I checked - I haven't found a gestures addon that doesn't suck - I haven't found a remove cookies for site add-on

So migrating to Chrome has been quite hard for me.

PS. Yes, I'm a web developer

GeneralMaximus15y ago

Firefox: Adblock, Flashblock, Leechblock, Firefox Sync, Tab Kit, Copy Plain Text.

Edit: oh, also Readability.

bobds15y ago

NoScript, possibly the best thing about FF.

Firebug, pretty handy.

Tamper Data, for viewing HTTP headers and tampering with them.

ShowIP, shows the current website's IP.

leetkey, great for text transformations, various encoders/decoders.

Screengrab, for taking screenshots.

Scrapbook Plus, for archiving pages (can also do some light crawling with it)

Mozilla Archive Format, also for archiving pages.

Delicious Bookmarks, for bookmarks.

AppTab, to make tabs sticky.

OptimizeGoogle, to make Google searching better.

UnPlug, for downloading embedded content.

DownThemAll, for downloading things.

HTTPS-Everywhere, redirects to HTTPS versions of certain websites.

ErrorZilla Plus, makes error pages more useful.

Those are the best ones, I use various other extensions depending on what I'm doing. I have a few addons deactivated at any given time.

stan_rogers15y ago

Firefox:

Web Developer Toolbar, Firebug, DownThemAll!, ColorZilla

Frankly, all I ever use Firefox for anymore is testing/development and big or multifile downloads (DownThemAll! is kind enough to autosuspend and resume with the often wonky wifi I'm usually connected to).

Chrome:

Web Developer Toolbar, Readability, Flash Blocker

The version of the Web Developer Toolbar for Chrome is extremely limited, but it fills a few holes in the built-in developer tools. I'd love to have a download manager comparable to DownThemAll! for Firefox, but the Chrome API prevents most of the features I like from being implemented. Oh, well.

WesleyJohnson15y ago

Gmail Checker (Official one by Google)

Rapportive

Chrome 2 Phone

Google Voice

Lastpass

Google Reader

Craigslist Comprehensive Cleanup

Craigslist Preview

Facebook Photo Zoom

Extension Gallery Inspector (Invaluable if you want to know what an extension is going to do BEFORE you install)

TackyNotes (I should note that I don't really use this, I just have it installed because I wrote it. I suppose the fact that I don't use it is a good indicator of why I've lost interest in developing it. They say it's best to write software to fix a problem you have or someone else has and I think that kind of missed the mark.)

eitally15y ago

Chrome dev channel:

AdBlock

Aviary Screen Capture

Awesome Screenshot - (to capture the whole page)

Better Facebook Fixer

Chromey Calculator

DayHiker - For Google calendar. Check schedule and tasks from toolbar.

Docs PDF/PowerPoint Viewer (by Google)

Forecastfox Weather

Gmail Notes (Beta) - Add notes to conversations in Gmail and save these notes to Google Docs.

Gmail StrikeThrough - Enable StrikeThrough in Gmail or Google Apps Mail.

Gmail Unread Message Count in Favicon

Google Calendar Dynamic Icon - Changes the number on the Google Calendar favicon to reflect the current date

Google Chrome to Phone Extension

Google Mail Checker Plus

Google Voice (by Google

Graph Your Inbox - Visualize your Gmail data.

Novell Moonlight

Rapportive - (Disabled)

Speed Dial

Tab Sugar

ambiate15y ago

Firefox: Firebug, Pagespeed for finding slowdowns in my pages. WebRank toolbar for when I'm too lazy to open Market Samurai.

Chrome: Eyedropper for stealing a color. Nofollow eyes to make sure my pages aren't wasting pagerank. SEOQuake for when I'm too lazy to open firefox/MS. Ultimate Chrome Flag. I like seeing ips/locations/etc. Chromed Bird for my twitter accounts that are for business.

rradu15y ago

I use many of the ones people have mentioned here, but in Firefox. Can't switch to Chrome because it doesn't have a good implementation of two of my favorite add-ons:

Stumbleupon - for whenever I need a distraction that even HN can't fullfil

Colorzilla - For getting colors of web pages; use this about a dozen times a day

planckscnst15y ago

Vimperator - make Firefox more like Vim

araneae15y ago

The only one I use that hasn't been mentioned here yet is Venkman (JavaScript Debugger) for FireFox.

cmelbye15y ago

For Safari:

Gmail Checker - Adds an icon to the toolbar with a badge of how many new emails I have.

Helvetify - Forces Helvetica Neue as the font for all websites.

Facebook Photo Zoom - Zooms photo thumbnails on Facebook so you don't have to reload the whole page when you want to see a photo.

statictype15y ago

On Chrome:

Adblock, RSS Subscriber (puts an RSS icon on the location bar where relevant and allows you to subscribe to the feed).

I also wrote my own delicious extension to easily add bookmarks into delicious.

On Firefox: Firebug, Adblock

I basically only use firefox these days for debugging web apps.

twodayslate15y ago

What is the FF extension called that lets you type to search the addons you have and also lets you see a text list of all the addons you have (enabled and disabled). I used to have it but I switched computers...

stravid15y ago

Since I like a fast, non-cluttered, browser I have only one addon installed in Chrome. "No More Tabs" protects me of opening 40+ tabs and telling myself all the time "Don't close it, you might need it again!"

cloudkj15y ago

Firebug

Greasemonkey

S3Fox

ColorZilla

DownloadHelper

Vacuum Places

... and a shameless plug for Compass, a Firefox/Chrome/Safari add-on I wrote that adds a "table of contents" to various e-commerce sites to help you find stuff faster. Search for "compass" on the various extension galleries if you're interested.

FrankBlack15y ago

AdBlock Plus, ColorfulTabs, Downthemall, FaviconizeTab, Favicon Picker 3, Greasemonkey, Greasefire, IdentFavicon (obviously, I am into icons), Quickpagezoom, TabRenamizer

mattmaroon15y ago

Different at work and at home. Of the ones not already mentioned here my favorite is Add Bookmark Here. Adds some very simple functionality that is sorely missing.

CrazedGeek15y ago

AdBlock Plus and FlashBlock. Mostly to avoid distractions.

I also occasionally use Helvetireader: http://helvetireader.com/

rakkhi15y ago

Chromium:

After the Deadline - Version: 1.2 Check spelling, style, and grammar in your browser

Boomerang for GMail - Version: 0.5.0 Allows you to schedule messages to be sent or returned at a later date.

Chromed Bird - Version: 1.8.5 Chromed Bird is a Twitter extension that allows you to follow your timelines and interact with your Twitter account.

ChromeMilk - Version: 0.9.6 Access your Remember the Milk tasks right from your Google Chrome toolbar

Docs PDF/PowerPoint Viewer (by Google) - Version: 2 Automatically previews PDFs, PowerPoint presentations and other documents in Google Docs Viewer.

FastestChrome - Browse Faster - Version: 3.1.2 Save time and enhance your productivity! Get quick definitions, auto-load next pages, search faster, and more.

Google Calendar Checker (by Google) - Version: 1.0.3 Quickly see the time until your next meeting. Click the button to open your calendar.

Google SSL Web Search beta (by Google) - Version: 1.3 Use Google Web Search and Suggest protected by SSL.

Google SSL Webcache - 谷歌加密快照 - Version: 1.21

IE Tab Classic - Version: 0.9.5 Internet Explorer inside Chrome

Mini Google Maps - Version: 1.0.2 Google maps in a click away.

OmniTweet - Version: 10 An experimental minimalist Twitter Client for Google Chrome.

PostRank Extension - Version: 0.1.4 Filter your Google Reader inbox with PostRank to find and read what matters. Or enhance Digg, Reddit, & search with PostRank.

Rapportive - Version: 1.1.1 Making email a better place

Secbrowsing - plugin version checker - Version: 1.7 Periodically checks that all your plugins are up-to-date.

Secure Login Helper - Version: 1.2 Attempts to help you login to sites using SSL if possible.

Send using Gmail (no button) - Version: 1.11.4 Makes the Gmail webmail your default email application (original Google extension repackaged without toolbar button, safer links)

Sexy Undo Close Tab - Version: 6.17 Undo your closed tabs (cleaner version) + new features

Stop Autoplay for YouTube. - Version: 0.10.7.30 Stops YouTube autoplay but allows pre-buffering.

Unsubscribe for Gmail - Version: 0.34 Rid your inbox of unwanted email subscriptions with the click of a button!

WiseStamp - Email Signatures for GMail, Google Apps and more - Version: 2.0.3.0 Empower GMail, Google Mail & Google Apps emails with dynamic email signatures. Add Twitter, Facebook, Digg and more. Multiple HTML signatures support.

thisisananth15y ago

Chrome: StayFocusd Awesome Screenshot Capture Rapportive

Firefox Firebug Tamper Data YSlow

Bookmarklets Delicious Zemanta Read Later (instapaper) bit.ly sidebar

cubtastic7115y ago

FireBug, Delicious, Tails Export and Operator mostly cause I make sites not so much as consume them...

caf15y ago

In alphabetical order:

BetterPrivacy, Certificate Patrol, Firebug, Flashblock, iMacros, Sage, Tamper Data

iMacros is particularly useful.

SkyMarshal15y ago

Firefox: Vimperator, Xmarks, Zotero, Firebug, Rainbow, Speed Dial, Moonlight.

Chrome: Vimium, Web Developer Tools

arpitnext15y ago

try https://chrome.google.com/extensions/detail/gkjgmeeoldebbdoe... TweetRight - a new chrome extension for twitter users.

eogas15y ago

I keep it simple. Xmarks, adblock (adthwart on chrome), and sometimes greasemonkey.

espadagroup15y ago

Chrome: Awesome Screenshot Google Voice Session Manager Stumbleupon Gmail Checker

arvinb15y ago

Firefox: Delicious Bookmarks, Autopager, Greasemonkey, FoxClocks

Chrome: Google Voice, Google Mail

peng15y ago

Chrome: Polyglot to help me learn hanzi, and ProxySwitchy to bypass the GFW

wvl15y ago

hckrnews for Hacker news:

    * Highlight new comments in a thread.
    * Collapsible comments

http://hckrnews.com/about.html

Magneus15y ago

Firefox (stuff I haven't seen on here yet): * Ubiquity * Fox to Phone

spyder15y ago

FireBug, AdBlock and sometimes NetVideoHunter to download videos.

dpcan15y ago

FireFTP for Firefox.

Chrome.... probably FireFTP if it ever exists for Chrome.

eduardo_f15y ago

Chrome: LastPass, Google Voice, Google send to phone.

dchest15y ago

Chrome:

AdBlock

FlashBlock

Google Analytics Opt-out (not sure why :)

Google Mail Checker Plus

iReader

Modified keyboard navigation for Chrome

Rapportive

Firefox: FireBug, YSlow, Page Speed.

w1ntermute15y ago

Chrome:

AdBlock

BugMeNot Lite

FlashBlock

KB SSL Enforcer

LastPass

QR-Code Tag Extension

Readability Redux

Smooth Gestures

SmoothScroll

Vimium

Webpage Screenshot

Xmarks

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Firefox:

Adblock Plus

Add to Search Bar

Combine Buttons

Firebug

FireGestures

Flashblock

FlashVideoReplacer

Greasemonkey

Hide Menubar

HTTPS-Everywhere (Development branch)

LastPass

Menu Editor

OptimizeGoogle

Organize Status Bar

QuickRestart

Screengrab

Stop-or-Reload Button

Stylish

Tab Mix Plus

Tabs on top

User Agent Switcher

Vimperator

eswat15y ago

Safari:

Shortly

ClickToFlash

eande15y ago

also use

ghostery

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

89 comments

87 comments · 57 top-level

jessor15y ago· 5 in thread

Just the important ones:

BetterPrivacy (LSO Cookie Remover)

Firebug (+ Firecookie)

Hackbar

NoScript

Tree Style Tab

Web Developer Toolbar

All of which have no (satisfactory) Chrome equivalent and thus prevent me from switching ;)

sry_not4sale15y ago

I couldn't live without Tree Style Tabs, which is one of the main reasons I haven't switched to Chrome either.

I considered switching to Lunascape, which is a browser that will let you use webkit rendering and firefox plugins, but it's Windows only :(

ewjordan15y ago

I couldn't live without Tree Style Tabs, which is one of the main reasons I haven't switched to Chrome either.

Step one when I get a new computer is to install Firefox; step two is Tree Style Tabs. Anyone that hasn't tried it is really missing out...

steigerOP15y ago

I have just installed Tree Style Tabs. My impressions so far is that it's way cleaner and more organized than the traditional tab style.

dugmartin15y ago

I'm experimenting with a 100% switch to Chrome this week but I'm having Tree Style Tab withdrawls too.

pedrokost15y ago

1337p33715y ago· 3 in thread

I don't use Chrome (privacy issues), but for Firefox,

* Flashblock

* Greasemonkey

* Firebug

* It'sAllText (which allows the use of an external editor)

* A few mostly inconsequential ones, like IdentFavicon, etc.

patrickaljord15y ago

> I don't use Chrome (privacy issues)

colonelxc15y ago

Chromium is open source, Chrome includes Google's special sauce. Now, I don't think Google is abusing this privilege, but I just wanted to point out the difference.

1337p33715y ago

akkartik15y ago· 3 in thread

I use lasttab in Firefox to get LRU tab switching. Until chrome gets it (and don't make me change my ctrl-tab muscle memory) I'm not switching.

pasbesoin15y ago

As a workaround, I'll open a subset of most active tabs in a second window. Tabs I am actively switching between as I'm doing my work.

Then, I'll end up closing the Windows in the wrong order and have the subset saved for restoration rather than the full set.

P.S. Extensions can't substitute the behavior, because a security measure -- so stated -- Chrome no longer allows browser default shortcut keys, e.g. Ctrl Tab, to be hooked and overridden.

P.P.S. I'd welcome suggestions for good substitutes that use a different key combination or another paradigm that's easy to tolerate.

mhansen15y ago

Drag the different pairs of tabs together and use Ctrl-Tab + Shift-Ctrl-Tab to switch between them?

1 more reply

msg15y ago

There's also one called Ctrl-Tab that does the same, and also allows you to alt-Q (or is it Ctrl-Q) to give you thumbnails of all open tabs, then switch to tab by name (Emacs iswitchb style).

epi0Bauqu15y ago· 2 in thread

Chrome: JSONView & XML Tree are awesome. I also use Rapportive w/ Gmail.

Firefox: Firebug, YSlow & Web Developer toolbar for development. I also use ForecastFox for weather and occasionally S3Fox to check something on S3.

quinndupont15y ago

I tried Rapportive with Gmail... I wanted to love it, but I couldn't.

thisisananth15y ago

Thanks for suggesting the JSONView and XML Tree. The fact that chrome was not dislaying xml was bugging me.

marcocampos15y ago· 2 in thread

Chromium:

Adblock + Browser Button for Adblock (obvious...)

Chromium Wheel Smooth Scroller (similar to iPhone kinetic scrolling)

Google Mail Checker Plus (obvious)

Instachrome (integration with Instapaper)

iReader (similar to Safari Reader)

Pinboard Tools (integration with Pinboard bookmarks service)

Reader Plus (changes the default theme of Google Reader among other customizations)

Redgur (shows all imgur stored images present on a page)

RSS Subscription Extension (obvious)

Search Preview for Google (website previews on search results)

Send using Gmail (mail_to integration with Gmail)

Stylish (similar to Greasemonkey but for CSS styling)

dchest15y ago

FYI, Google Mail Checker Plus already includes mailto integration with Gmail.

marcocampos15y ago

Thanks for the info. Never even realized. :)

ljf15y ago· 2 in thread

also one to tweet the page I am viewing. I use twitter as more of an annotated favorites/bookmark list than anything else: twitter.com/liamjford

njckname215y ago

I think you're talking about AutoPager, useful addon indeed.

pedrokost15y ago

Indeed, it's great. It just works on all sites with next/previous buttons.

JangoSteve15y ago· 2 in thread

I have a lot, but Ultimate Chrome Flag is my favorite.

My favorite extensions in Firefox are tied, Firebug and the Web Developer Toolbar. I'm sure if either got a full-fledged extension in Chrome, it'd probably be my new favorite extension.

adrianwaj15y ago

Nice but where does it get the information? Is it anonymized?

There is no official PageRank lookup.

JangoSteve15y ago

I wasn't sure where it got the PR (though I assume it's from one of the many 3rd-party services, since the PR is fairly well known). So I went digging. I found this in the extension source code:

  this.getQueryUrl=function(){
    var b = "http://toolbarqueries.google.com/search?client=navclient-auto&hl=en&ch="+getGoogleChecksum(this.domain)+"&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&features=Rank&q=info:http://"+this.domain;
  }

Also, this is what the extension says about privacy [1]:

[1] https://chrome.google.com/extensions/detail/dbpojpfdiliekbbi...

msg15y ago· 2 in thread

Firefox.

It turned out I couldn't live without Ubiquity. Still under development, although officially it's on hiatus.

The Add-On Compatibility Reporter, so I can run edge versions of extensions.

Firemacs (for sensible Emacs bindings)

And the rest: NoScript * Firebug * Web Developer Toolbar * Greasemonkey * IETab * Vacuum Places DB

photon_off15y ago

What features of Ubiquity do you use the most?

msg15y ago

I'm usually making my own commands. I'm often making extra search commands. I use some of the clever integrations with maps and mail as-is.

For me it's the right interface for all kinds of pages that I would have to surf to, find the box, then enter some input. Instead, I just highlight text, ctrl space, type a word, and hit enter.

1 more reply

naner15y ago· 2 in thread

fictorial15y ago

I know Readability is a bookmarklet but your comment made me search the FF add-ons for a Readability add-on that was applied to every page I visit automatically.

That might be a nice hack.

naner15y ago

There is a readability extensions[1], but I don't think it is any more useful than the bookmarklet.

1: https://chrome.google.com/extensions/detail/jggheggpdocamnea...

mrud15y ago· 2 in thread

On chrome i use:

* Notscript (blocks javascript, not as good as noscript for firefox but imho still good)

* Adblock

* Navigate on paste (load webpage with middle click on linux)

* Type ahead find (just start typing to search)

* android2cloud (send urls from your mobile phone to your browser)

For Firefox:

* TabMixPlus (Multiple rows for tabs)

* NoScript (JavaScript blocker)

* AdBlock Plus

* FoxyProxy (easy managable proxys)

* AutoAuth (automatically submits saved http basic authentication dialogs)

* Locationbar² (easy access to url segments)

* Firebug

cfinke15y ago

> AutoAuth

Just wanted to say thanks; this is the first time I've ever seen one of my extensions listed in a "What extensions do you use?" discussion.

paddyforan15y ago

It's such a heady experience, isn't it?

pedrokost15y ago· 1 in thread

No one mentioned Xmarks (almost all browsers) to sync bookmarks and tabs between browsers

OneNumber (chrome) which checks for Gmail, GReader, GVoice and wave for updates.

Then I would recommend Boomerang for Gmail (both FF and Chrome) that allows you to postpone an email to send to whenever you want.

Google Dictionary (chrome): double click a word and it shows you the definition - really unobtrusive

Lazarus:Form recovery (chrome) - if you were typing some text in a textArea/field and the browser crashes it can easily put the text back in when you open the page again.

Rapportive for Gmail (chrome, but i thinks it also works in FF) - shows you details about senders, social networking accounts, etc

Stop Autoplay for Youtube (chrome) - great if you like to open many videos in tabs and dont want to hear them play all at the same time

Groxx15y ago

Xmarks has been essential for me when fiddling between multiple devices and OSes. Quite handy.

rodh25715y ago· 1 in thread

Adblock

builtwith - tries to tell you what tech sites use under the hood

delicious bookmarkts - official

docs PDF/powerpoint viewer - opens PDF links with google docs viewer instead of adobe

eye dropper

goo.gl url shortener

gmail checker plus

ireader - reading format

lastpass

linkpush - saves link for opening on android (has an app on anroid you open to get that link)

measureit! - measure pixels between stuff

rss subscription extension - adds fireefox like detection for RSS feeeds

stayfocusd - 30 mins of HN/facebook etc a day

shaddi15y ago

That last one is awesome -- thanks for pointing that out to me.

njckname215y ago· 1 in thread

I use several Firefox addons, most of them have been already mentioned. However, one of my favourite addons has not been mentioned:

Quieturl

This addon transforms urls that are plain text into clickable anchors. Very very handy, I couldn't browse without it now.

apu15y ago

I use QuickDrag to do this and more:

  * Drag images to download them
  * Drag text urls to open in new tab
  * Drag text to search on google