Beyond Preferences: Customizing Firefox

Firefox is the great uniter of web browsers. You can be a die hard Apple fan, a Windows user, or a Linux geek (or all three) and use Firefox. Using Firefox works pretty much the same way no matter what kind of workstation you're using. If you're a Windows user, choosing Firefox opens up a whole new world of possibility in your web experience because there are so many additional types of functionality that can be added according to preference. There are several different types of enhancements for Firefox, called addons.

Extensions

Firefox extensions exist for almost every conceivable purpose. I have several personal favorites that have become part of Firefox's standard configuration on any machine that I use regularly that runs Firefox. These are my top choices, all worth checking out if you're looking for new ways to enhance your browser:

Topping my list is AdBlock Plus (http://adblockplus.org). I don't go anywhere online with Firefox without AdBlock Plus installed and its subscriptions up to date. What are subscriptions for AdBlock Plus? Subscriptions are precompiled lists of sites that are responsible for those annoying banner ads and other such nonsense that slow down the loading time for web pages. When you install AdBlock Plus for the first time, you will be prompted to select sites which host these lists to which you want to subscribe. You will not need to subscribe to every list available. When you have AdBlock Plus installed (including your subscriptions), you can go to Tools -> AdBlock Plus to view and further tweak your AdBlock Plus preferences. While you're surfing, if you come across a banner or other image based advertisement that isn't filtered out by AdBlock Plus, you can right click on the on the image and select AdBlock Image.