Talk Details

Add More to Firefox!

Name Nalini Vasudevan and Arjun Jain

Organisation Yahoo India and Pi Corp

Website http://arjun.notlong.com

Scope General

Topic FOSS Applications

Type talk

Abstract In this session we deal with the top Firefox extensions: small add-ons that add new functionality to Firefox. Extensions can do loads of tasks, from blocking pop-up ads to playing card games—and even viewing a Web page as if it were in IE—so they can make Firefox a versatile and customizable platform for your browsing activities. But where to start? Which extensions are worth downloading and installing?
The top ten(*-disclaimer) extensions:
1. FlashGot: Download one link, selected links or all the links of a page at the maximum speed with a single click.
2. CustomizeGoogle: CustomizeGoogle is a Firefox extension that enhance Google search results by adding extra information (like links to Yahoo, Ask Jeeves, MSN etc) and removing unwanted information (like ads and spam).
3. NoScript: Extra protection for your Firefox: NoScript allows JavaScript, Java (and other plugins) only for trusted domains of your choice (e.g. your home-banking web site).
4. Tabbrowser Preferences: Enables enhanced control for some aspects of tabbed browsing.
5. Adblock: Once installed, it's a snap to filter elements at their source-address. Just right-click: Adblock: done. Filters use either the wildcard character (*) or full Regular Expression syntax. Hit the status-element and see what has or hasn't been blocked.
6. Mouse gestures: Mouse Gestures are a fast way to execute commands without using the keyboard, menus or toolbars. Instead, the user holds down a mouse button (usually the right one), moves the mouse in a certain way to form a gesture, then releases the mouse button.
7. IE View: Adds "View page in Internet Explorer" links to the content and link context menu. Handy for previewing pages in IE, loading up IE-only pages when you run across them in Mozilla, etc.
8. PDF Download:Allows to choose whether you want to view a PDF file inside the browser (as PDF or HTML) or you want to download it!
9. StumbleUpon: StumbleUpon lets you "channelsurf" the best-reviewed sites on the web. It is a collaborative surfing tool for browsing, reviewing and sharing great sites with like-minded people. This helps you find interesting webpages you wouldn't think to search for.
10. Gmail Notifier: A notifier for Gmail accounts.
We intend to demo some of the extensions (and depending on the audience also probably show how to write one) and addict the audience to firefox.

* - top ten extenstions judged strictly according to our likings, need and taste..

Pre-requisites NONE

Profile Arjun has been using Linux for over four years now as a student and is now doing same as a software professional.

Arjun is currently working in Pi Corporation (http://picorp.com) where he is working on Web 2.0 technologies which include resource management, data replication and peer-to-peer networking.

Nalini has been using Linux for the past three years during which she has completed projects like text editors and speech recognition system using Qt libraries and GNU Tools. She is also a major Linux enthusiast and an active member of RVLug - The Linux users group of RVCE.

Nalini is working for Yahoo India. She is playing with php and mysql and is now a full time user of free source software.