I’ve had my share of issues with Firefox 3 and I’ve expressed those in the past. However, when push comes to shove, Firefox is the best browser on the market at this point in time. One thing that I absolutely love about Firefox is the ability to add plugins to customize your web-browsing experience. I’ve come to depend on several in particular, so I thought I’d share them with the web.

5. Delicious Bookmarks - This is a must-have tool for anyone who uses both Firefox and the Delicious bookmarking service. This add on integrates well with Firefox. You can choose to add two buttons next to your address bar, one for tagging and the other one as a shortcut to your bookmarks, a Delicious bookmark drop down menu, and context menu buttons. I personally use the tag button, the drop down menu, and the context menu buttons. I frequently bookmark pages on Delicious so I can access them from school, or share them with my friends. This used to mean that I would bookmark a site in Firefox on my desktop and then manually enter the info into Delicious, but I do that no longer. Now, whenever I add a bookmark from Firefox, I am asked if I’d like to add it to Delicious as well. If I say yes, a window appears asking me to change the title (if I want to) and add a description or tags. After submitting this information, the same information that I used for Delicious is used in Firefox. I’m now using Delicious on an increasing basis and I don’t know how I used it at all without this add on.Get it!

4. Evernote Web Clipper I take notes very frequently, especially during the school year. I have OneNote 2007 installed on my computer, but since I discovered Evernote, I haven’t been using it, favoring Evernote instead. Evernote is a great notetaking application that integrates seamlessly with a web interface, desktop client, and mobile application. When browsing in Firefox, I often come across a piece of information that I want to save. Instead of copying the text into the Evernote desktop application, I just click the Evernote logo next to my address bar. This brings up a small pop up confirming the clip name, description, notebook, and tags. The note is then sent directly to the Evernote servers where it can be synced to my desktop. I recommend this tool to students like myself and anyone else who needs an external brain.Get it!

3. Download Status Bar I am a relentless downloader; I try almost everything I see reviewed no matter what the purpose ( if any) the software has. However, every time I download something, I am bothered by that annoying Firefox download manager. Sure it’s sorta useful for searching through past downloads, but it can get on anyone’s nerves if they have to constantly minimize the window. Fortunately, there is a solution! It’s called Download Status Bar. DSB prevents the download manager from automatically popping up when a download is initiated and instead brings up a discreet bar at the bottom of the screen. A transparent box appears on the bar; this box is labeled with the name of the file being downloaded. On the right side of the box download stats such as time remaining and transfer speed are displayed. As the file downloads the box turns blue, representing the percentage complete of the download. Hovering over a download gives even more statistic, but in a different, easier to read layout. Get it!

2. Adblock Plus Do you hate those flashy ads that intrude on your browsing experience? If you answered yes, them this plug in is for you! Adblock Plus is a powerful ad blocking tool. It asks you to chose a database based on your county so it can identify advertisements. It then blocks them and you see nothing. If, by chance, an ad does squeak through, hovering over it will bring up a small button in the top right corner of the object simply labeled “Block”. You can easily turn off Adblock Plus using the stop sign menu to the the right of the search box. Other options include disabling on a certain page or domain. Adblock Plus is very powerful, so some sites, I have found, such as CNET TV, require you to disable any ad blocking software as the program needs to play an ad before your video content is displayed. Other than that minor issue, Adblock Plus is one of my favorite add ons. Get it!

1. Chatzilla Internet Relay Chat or IRC is a great way to communicate with groups of people. However, you need a special client to do this, because not every IM client supports IRC. Chatzilla is a Firefox plugin which allows you to access IRC chat rooms. You can even set it to automatically send a command such as IDENTIFY automatically so you never have to. Chatzilla is easy to use once setup, but can be a little tricky to configure. I like the fact that once you launch Chatzilla from the Tools menu, you can close all Firefox windows and still use the add on. This plugin gets my number one spot because it’s so useful that I keep it running all day long. Get it!

HIt me up with a comment below, email me,or IM me with the username bakere19 on either AIM or Skype. I’m working on a Contact Info page, so that should be up soon. Also, look for more frequent postings as I get back in the swing of things after vacation. School starts soon for me (starting 8th grade) so I might post some school related stuff which could unearth a new side of me.(the mathy science side)