Firefox users:

[TonyM]

I thought I'd relay a neat extension I found for the Firefox browser, it's called Cooliris and allows you to quickly see the content of a link on a page my simply mousing over it, it even works on forums. Very small and unobtrusive application:

Cooliris Previews

by The Cooliris Team (https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/9873/author/)

https://addons.mozilla.org/images/previews/cooliris_previews-4.jpg
More previews… (https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/2207/previews/)
***** UPDATED DECEMBER 8, 2006 *****

Cooliris Previews 2.1 for Firefox gives you the power to browse faster and send links instantly.

• Simply mouse over the Cooliris link icon, and a preview window will instantly appear to show you the underlying content. No more clicking back and both, or leaving your current page.

• To email a link instantly, just right-click on any web page.

• Right-click on any phrase to have Cooliris automatically do a subsearch in Google, Wikipedia, or a dictionary.

• Customize how and when you want the preview window to appear. (See our developer notes below)

Cooliris Previews 2.1 does not contain any adware or spyware whatsoever.


--------------------------------
FIND A BUG OR NEED HELP? Please email us at bugs@cooliris.com so we can help you, rather than reporting it here.
--------------------------------
Works with:
https://addons.mozilla.org/images/firefox_icon.png Firefox 1.0 - 3.0a1 ALL https://addons.mozilla.org/images/mozilla_icon.png Mozilla 1.7 - 1.8 ALL

https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/2207/

[zyzzyva57]

I use it, but often I turn it off, because it can be annoying

When I am doing homework, the add-on is a jewel when I want to check out a site fast

Here is a must add-on, because it fools web sites like M$ into thinking you are using IE
https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/1419/
Be sure to go to its options and tune it up to be automatic on sites that require IE

Don't forget this FireFox goodie:
http://www.softpedia.com/get/Tweak/Browser-Tweak/FireTune.shtml

And this Google goodie:
http://webaccelerator.google.com/

Maybe some others would like to share their FREE goodies they use daily

[computeraces]

Here's one I like...

https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/1865/

It gets ride of other advertisings on webpages that are not taken care of with the popup blocker because they aren't popups.

[zyzzyva57]

I use Adblock: A+

I tell you between Google's freebies and FireFox's, you just cannot go wrong!

To Yahoo: WAKE-UP!! How about some fight?! Your email is sluggish, your calendar sux--oh, heck, why go on! Other than its excellent financial pages, Yahoo--just skip it...

[TonyM]

The single best one I like is the session manager, on those occasions when you experience a browser crash, this makes picking up where you left off an absolute breeze:

Session Manager saves and restores the state of all windows - either when you want it or automatically at startup and after crashes. Additionally it offers you to reopen (accidentally) closed windows and tabs. If you're afraid of losing data while browsing - this extension allows you to relax...

This extension replaces SessionSaver and Tab Mix Plus' session manager. It stores more data than both of them and should be more reliable in saving and restoring. Although it is not recommended to have more than one session related extension installed, Session Manager is compatible at least with Tab Mix Plus.

https://addons.mozilla.org/search.php?q=session+manager&type=A&app=firefox

[zyzzyva57]

So far, you and I have the same add-ons

A+ on this one, too

Oh, have you tried the Google Bookmark sync--another A+
Alas, it beats Yahoo's for editing Bookmarks

"Pronto" is nice if you do any web shopping, say, for example, you go to Amazon for a book--Pronto pops up with other sites

"Copy in Plain Text" is nice if you copy and paste a lot, say into Excel, because you do not copy the clutter (HTML, etc) that messes up Excel

[TonyM]

I think you probably have me beat in the add-ons dept, I do thank you for the IE tab, that is a well needed utility, at least until the pc world realizes that IE is way behind the curve. I also tried the adblock, it works nicely on cnn's site.

I wonder if Thiery might want to sticky this thread as a resource?

[zyzzyva57]

Part of my weekend homework, I check out Google Labs and what is shaking with FireFox Add-ons

Read my post on Search Engine "test labs" to see what Google, Yahoo, and so on are testing ("Cutting Edge on Search Engines")

Here is the catch with "Open in IE Tabs": you may not realize you need it, because, for example, with M$, it does not give you any error messages, you just do not see something as presented, such as its Stock Scouter or Stock Screener

Other sites simply won't open in FireFox, but no message or clues the site will work only with IE--This one took me a while to figure out why these sites worked fine and then did not

Here is yet a farther annoyance about this: companies that offer something to fight viruses or spam, open downloads and "Help" in, get this, automatically in IE!

Since I love tech stuff as much as our Master (Cramer), here is a site I scan on the weekend:
http://news.yahoo.com/i/2098

At least Yahoo still has the best over-all Financial stuff if you are willing to drill down, down, and more down for its "dirty oil" -- no "sweet crude" drilling as with Google :)