extension

Fix slow start-ups in OS X

Sometimes after adding new system components or otherwise changing the hardware configuration of your system you may find that the OS will load rather slowly. Usually this will only happen after the first restart as the system configures the kernel extensions needed for the new hardware; however, there are times when it can persist. If the system always runs slowly then there may be problems with the hard drive, or the configured filesystems on it, and you should run diagnostics utilities to tackle the issue. If on the other hand the system runs fine except for slugishness or pauses during … Read more

LiveJournal in Firefox

LiveJournal users will want to take a look at LiveJournal AddOns, a free extension that provides access to LiveJournal services from the Firefox interface. It notifies you when you've got a new message or comment, when friends update their pages, or even when friends' birthdays approach. It also adds extras like built-in forms, style management, quick access to last entries, and quick text inserts. You need a LiveJournal account to use it, but they're free, though premium services are available, too.

We installed LiveJournal AddOns and restarted Firefox. LiveJournal AddOns placed a series of icons in the add-ons … Read more

Foxy IP lookups

Network information tools like SmartWhois search for and display all available information about a Web site, including who owns it, where it's hosted, and relevant addresses, names, dates, and technical support contacts. SmartWhois Launcher from TamoSoft is a free Firefox add-on that can query SmartWhois from the browser interface. It only works with the shareware version of SmartWhois, not the Web-based search tool.

We installed SmartWhois Launcher and restarted Firefox. The add-on has no options to configure, but it really doesn't need any since it's a very simple app that does one thing: lets you initiate SmartWhois … Read more

Web watcher

HTTPWatch Basic Edition is a free browser plug-in that collects and displays information about Web sites. It's a trial edition of HTTPWatch Professional, with which it shares many features, albeit with limitations, mostly for Web sites with nonproprietary log files. The Basic version also displays a logo banner on printouts. Both work with Microsoft Internet Explorer as well as Mozilla Firefox. You can save the information HTTPWatch Basic Edition collects as a log file and view it with an included utility, HTTP Studio.

We downloaded and installed HTTPWatch Basic for Internet Explorer. During the process, we allowed the plug-in'… Read more

Foxy backup

FEBE stands for Firefox Environment Backup Extension. It's a free add-on that can back up, save, and restore everything from add-ons and themes to, well, everything in Firefox: bookmarks, passwords, preferences, saved forms, and more--even your entire profile. You can schedule automatic backups or start them any time, and even upload saved results. It's got some extras, too.

FEBE installs like any Firefox add-in but also adds its own entry on the Tools menu, with choices to make backups, restore items or profiles, and access FEBE's options; we also accessed the options from the Firefox add-ons manager. … Read more

Web page snap shots

Web Snapper is an app and Safari plug-in that provides a fast and flexible way to capture screenshots of web pages. The Mac OS provides some very limited screen-capture capabilities with Grab, but Web Snapper provides many more options (especially in terms of format, and in its easy-to-use integration with Safari), and it can capture multi-page vector PDFs with actual text, links, and styling intact.

Web Snapper gives you a few different options for your interface, which will likely vary based on your workflow and browser preference. Using any browser, you can drag and drop URLs onto Web Snapper's … Read more

Web page snap shots

Web Snapper is an app and Safari plug-in that provides a fast and flexible way to capture screenshots of Web pages. The Mac OS provides some very limited screen-capture capabilities with Grab, but Web Snapper provides many more options (especially in terms of format, and in its easy-to-use integration with Safari), and it can capture multipage vector PDFs with actual text, links, and styling intact.

Opera goes to 11 with an extensions API

Editors' note: This post originally stated that the Opera 11 beta was not yet available for Linux. In fact, Opera 11 beta 1 for Linux is available for download here.

Opera may be getting most of its attention these days from its mobile browsers, but that doesn't mean that the company is ignoring its desktop browser. The first beta for Opera 11 introduces a long-missing extensions API in a lightweight profile similar to those that run on WebKit-powered browsers like Chrome and Safari.

Available for Windows, Mac, and Linux, Opera 11 beta 1 debuts other minor but useful changes. … Read more

Bargain-hunt with Window Shopper browser add-on

Like it or not, the holiday shopping season is upon us. Luckily for those of us who dread the thought of wandering through crowded malls and department stores with Christmas music assaulting our ears at every turn, this nifty little tool called the Internet is here to help save our sanity. Still, scouring dozens of Web sites for the very best deal on that perfect gift is exhausting on a whole 'nother level. To that end, Superfish--a visual search engine developer that just raised $4 million in funding--has created a nifty app called Window Shopper.

Window Shopper is a … Read more

Quit smoking With Quitomzilla

Everybody knows how hard it is to quit smoking cigarettes, and how important it can be to succeed. Now there's an app for that, or an add-on, to be specific. Quitomzilla from Quitometro is a free Firefox add-on that can help smokers kick the habit by counting down the time until or since Q-Day; by telling them how much money they're saving or could be saving by not buying cigarettes; and by nagging or bragging on themselves with paste-in messages.

Quitomzilla installs and configures like any Firefox add-on. We installed it, restarted Firefox, and clicked Add-ons on the … Read more