Firefox - Taking Back the Web

Firefox is a Web browser... Nothing more! Yet, straight-out-of-the-box, Fx, hands-down, surpasses Internet Explorer's abilities and functionality... It has many features in common with IE: the back button, the forward button, reload, stop, go... A simple and familiar design and user interface... For those of you migrating from Internet Explorer to Firefox, there is a brief HELP guide within Fx regarding similarities/differences between the two2 browsers... Simply click Help in the Fx menubar and then select For Internet Explorer Users from the drop-down menu.

As an example; the textarea in Internet Explorer where you enter a URL or Internet address is called the "Address Bar"... In Firefox, the virtually identical element is called the "Location Bar". In IE, if in default configuration, you can send queries to the msn.com search engine from the "Address Bar", whereas searching from the "Location Bar" in Fx returns a Google "I'm Feeling Lucky" result. Go ahead, Copy&Paste this query: amazon shatner has been into the "Location Bar" and tap your enter key to get a feel.

Differing Terminolgy Internet Explorer Firefox Internet Options Options Temporary Internet Files Cache Favorites Bookmarks Address Bar Location Bar Refresh Reload Links Bar Bookmarks Toolbar Explorer Bar Sidebar Copy Shortcut Copy Link Location Save Target As Save Link As

As illustrated in the above, typing OR Copy&Pasting a search query into the Fx "Location Bar" will automatically take you to the top site found in the Google results. If you want to see all the Google results for amazon shatner has been simply highlight then RIGHTCLICK the text and select Search Web for "amazon shatner..." from the expanded menu... The results page will open in a "new" tab. Search alternatives don't end there; for next to the Fx's "Location Bar" you will notice a "Search Bar" with a few search engines already integrated within... You can click on the Search Engine icon to choose another from a drop-down list as well as install additional engines by clicking the link Add Engines... "Add Engines" defaults to http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/add-engines.html You can find additional search engines here: http://mycroft.mozdev.org/index.html If you cannot find a desired search engine, you can build your own.

For those of you already familiar with Firefox, the content found on this page concerns the most recent version of Fx 1.5.x... If you have any previous versions of Firefox, FireBird or Phoenix prior to version 1.0 you will need to UNinstall them before you install Firefox ver. 1.5.x... In an effort avoid problems it may be a good idea to backup your old profile(s) then consider deleting the profile folder before updating from versions older than 1.0.x.

If you are currently using Firefox version 1.0.x, you should take a moment and remove a couple extensions if you have them installed:
miniT(drag+indicator) - no longer necessary since Fx 1.5 has incorporated the feature into the browser.
Adblock (not compatible with ver. 1.5+) - use the UNinstall button from within the "Extension" manager, NOT the uninstall function within Adblock itself.

Though the information within the sections below may appear involved and a lot to absorb, if you are patient and take each section one-at-a-time you will soon realize how uncomplicated this really is... You will find that reading a section takes considerably longer than performing the task suggested... It is not requisite to customize your Firefox browser exactly to this page... Pick and choose according to your preferences, it's your browser.

Please notice that when performing some tasks that you are instructed to eXit your Fx browser, start a "new" session and return back to where you left off... When you see a BOLD link that says Return to this page, this section., RIGHTCLICK the link and select Copy Link Location from the expanded menu... Once the "new" session opens, simply RIGHTCLICK the URL (likely your HomePage) in the "Location Bar"... The URL will highlight and a menu will appear... Select Paste from the menu and tap your enter key... You will return to your point of departure.

Good Luck!

The Profile Manager

The Profile Manager will allow you to create dissimilar profiles, each with their own bookmarks, cookies, settings, extensions, and themes for each browser user or for varying activities. Firefox assigns these differing configurations and settings to a profile folder... The default location of the folder varies with the Operating System used, typically:

Windows 2000/XP:

C:\Documents and Settings\Username\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\profilename\

Windows 95/98/Me:

C:\Windows\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\profilename\

Firefox comes with one1 user default profile... Using the Profile Manager you can manage multiple profiles... This can be useful for a variety of reasons; customizing browser performance for various Web activities and different user preferences, OR troubleshooting should browser modification cause a problem.

So this is a good place to start enhancing Fx:
Copy&Paste the following instructions into NotePad for reference:

Close (eXit) all Firefox windows... Click your Windows' Start button... Click Run... In the textarea, type: firefox -ProfileManager Click OK.

In the dialog box that opens, you will see three3 buttons to the left: The Create Profile button launches the Create Profile Wizard which will guide you through the creation of a new profile using Firefox default installation settings... Avoid using spaces in the profile name, use the underscore (_) instead. Once you have created a new profile, the Wizard will return you to the dialog box with the "new" profile name highlighted. The Rename Profile button allows you to rename a selected profile. The Delete Profile button will remove the folder of a highlighted profile... Avoid this button unless you are absolutely sure you have retrieved any needed data from the profile folder.

Tick "Work offline" if desired (though unnecessary). UNcheck "Don't ask at startup" if you would like the Profile Manager to appear each time you initially open a Firefox session... If you want the profile you just created to always open when Fx is accessed, leave this ticked... Click the Start Firefox button.

If you don't set the Profile Manager to appear when you start Firefox, you can always change profiles by: eXiting all Firefox windows... Click your Windows' Start button... Click Run... In the textarea, type: firefox -ProfileManager Click OK.

Using Firefox (Safe Mode)

An alternative to creating a "new" profile when troubleshooting a Fx problem is to open the browser in "Safe Mode"... Poorly designed or incompatible Extensions and Themes can cause problems with Firefox, including make it crash, slow down page display, etc. If you encounter strange problems relating to parts of the browser no longer working, the browser not opening, windows with strange or distorted appearance, degraded performance, etc., Fx may be suffering from Extension or Theme trouble.

To restart the browser in "Safe Mode", make sure all other instances of Firefox are closed... This may necessitate opening the Windows' Task Manager and making sure that no ghost process of firefox.exe is running in the background. Once convinced all Firefox sessions are closed:
Click the Windows' Start button...
Point to or click All Programs...
Point to or click Mozilla Firefox...
Click the Mozilla Firefox (Safe Mode) icon...
A dialog box confirming the Fx is running in "Safe Mode" will appear, leave the checkboxes UNchecked and click the Continue in Safe Mode button.

When started in "Safe Mode" all Extensions are disabled and the default Theme is used. If you suspect a certain Extension or Theme that is the cause of your problem, disable it/them, eXit the browser session and then start the browser again normally.

The difference between running Fx in "Safe Mode" or running a new "Profile" is that "Safe Mode" only disables Extensions/Themes and the problem may lie elsewhere (theoretically a JavaScript command accidentally dropped into the userChrome or userContent files could cause trouble).

Don't let the mention of troubleshooting deter you from experimenting with Firefox... I've enjoyed and used the browser since Phoenix 0.3 and have never experienced any frustration other than trying to gracefully eXit 150+ page PDF files using the Adobe Reader plugin on a slow dialup connection... That remedy will be found further down this page.

You are in Control

You don't live in the Outer Limits, you do have the ability to control the horizontal and the vertical... After all, it is your browser!

The information found in this section can be found in greater detail in Firefox's Help file, so the following is just a casual glance at some of its features... Like Internet Explorer, Firefox has a Options tool:

Firefox Menubar > Tools > Options
Page	Tab or Option	Instruction
General	Home Page	You can have multiple "Home" pages set up in Firefox. Simply open up one instance of the Fx browser, then open your desired "Home" pages in tabs, then click the Use Current Pages button found here. If you set "Home" pages that use a meta-refresh (like Google News Beta) and you use a dial-up connection, you will want to eXit that particular "Home" page tab after reviewing the contents because the automatic refresh will periodically download in the background and may slow your surfing.
	Default Browser	If you would like Firefox to be your default browser, place a CHECKMARK next to "Firefox should check to see if it is the default browser when starting." and then click the Check Now button.
Privacy	History	The default is nine9 and specifies the amount of days that links for pages viewed are stored. This is useful if you want to check a recently viewed site whose URL you have forgotten.
	Saved Forms	Text entered into forms (search textareas, Internet forms, etc.) is archived to prefill or create drop-down histories when those forms are encountered again... Your preference.
	Passwords	If you leave the default setting at "Remember Passwords", it is prudent to always answer "No" later when you are asked about saving any sensitive passwords. If saving passwords, for improved security, clicking the "Set Master Password" button allows you to create a password that will be required for your saved passwords to be loaded into the browser... You will need to enter the master password for each browser session you open.
	Download History	The default in the drop-down window is "Manually"... If you remember to occasionally clear the download history before eXiting the Download Manager, this setting is fine... If the Download Manager history file becomes bloated, it can affect the performance of Firefox... My preferred setting is "When Firefox exits".
	Cookies	My settings: Both "Allow sites to set cookies" and "for originating web site only" are CHECKED... Under the Exceptions button, place only non-sensitive sites that you frequent to "Allow" (if you have ever been instructed to delete your eBay cookies because of performance issues, you will understand why eBay.com in not in my "exceptions" list)... "Keep Cookies:" until I close Firefox is selected from the drop-down menu... This effectively flushes all non-excepted cookies from Fx's memory when you eXit the browser.
	Cache	The default of 50 MB is acceptable for most usage.
Content	Block Popup Windows	CHECKED. Popups are a primary attack vector. You can always allow a popup if it's a desired one... When a popup is blocked an information bar will appear at the top of the window, from which you can select what action to take. ebay.com is under my Allowed Sites button... If they are trying to communicate with me via a popup outside of the "ebay.com" named-domain, well, that's just poor design on their part.
	Warn me when web sites try to install extensions or themes	CHECKED (at first). Note that this will only allow sites to install extensions and themes into Firefox and nothing more... If you aren’t installing Firefox file from a trusted source, ie: update.mozilla.org, you’ll be prompted whether you want to add the site to the "Allowed Sites" list. This does not affect stand-alone software programs where you initiate the download to your Desktop or a folder. After you install the extensions you want, UNCHECK this box until needed again.
	Load Images	CHECKED, but, DO NOT place a checkmark next to "for the originating web site only." You must keep in mind that most item images on eBay pages do not originate from the eBay server you are visiting.
	Enable Java	If your Websurfing takes you to risky sites, or you have a tendancy to click on links within unsolicited email, UNCHECK this option. You may have to temporarily enable it at times for some sites to work.
	Enable Javascript	There is some risk from JavaScript, but leave this option CHECKED unless you are visiting a site that you do not trust or are unsure of. However, do not relinquish all browser control to JS... Click the Advanced button and UNCHECK "Disable or replace context menus", "Hide the status bar", and "Change status bar text."
Tabs	Open links from other applications in:	My setting: "a new window"... This allows links found within emails, downloaded PDF articles, etc. to open in a fresh window.
	Force links that open new windows to open in:	My setting: UNCHECKED... I prefer my own control that you will find a few sections down.
Downloads	Download folder	You can select the folder you wish all downloads to go to, your preference. The default settings on this page are quite adequate.
Advanced	General	Accessibility section - "Begin finding when you begin typing" brings up the Find bar at the bottom of the browser window... The bar will disappear after a few seconds of keyboard inactivity. Browsing section - "Resize large images to fit in the browser window" only affects images not located on a HTML page... Should a eBay seller include a link to a large image for closer inspection, Firefox will resize it so all the image fits in the browser view screen... Clicking that lone image with your cursor will allow the image to show full size.
	Update	"Automatically check for updates to:" If you have a slow dialup connection, UNCHECK these boxes, but remember to periodically click Firefox's Help button and select "Check for Updates" from the drop-down menu. To manually check for extension updates, use the "Extensions" manager found under the Tools button... Firefox does not check for extension updates that are hosted outside of the mozilla.org domain so you will have to individually check for those using the "Extensions" manager. If allowing Fx to automatically check for updates, "When updates to Firefox are found:" My setting: "Automatically download and install the update" is TICKED and "Warn me if this will disable extensions or themes" is CHECKED.
	Security	For the vast majority of users, the default settings should be left as-is.

There are other Firefox controls that are readily accessible... These will be discussed a few sections down the page.

Get Out the Shoehorn

This will be your first extension install... Intentionally disregard what you read a couple sections above about incompatible extensions... For not all incompatible extensions are incompatible!

Go here: http://users.blueprintit.co.uk/~dave/web/firefox/buildid/nightly.html
Nightly Tester Tools version 1.0 will among other things allow you to install incompatible extensions. About a third of the way down the N.T.T. page you will see a simple Install link...
Click it...
Firefox will then pop up a yellow bar across the top of the browser window that states "To protect your computer, Firefox prevented this site (users.blueprintit.co.uk) from installing software on your computer."...
Click the Edit Options button on the yellow warning bar to open the "Allow Sites" install dialog box...
Click the Allow button...
Click "OK"...
Now you must click the Install link on the Nightly Tester Tools page again...
A new dialog box will open, after a five5 second countdown click the Install Now button...
The "Extensions" manager will open to show the install progress...
When finished, eXit the "Extensions" manager, and eXit Firefox...
Start a "new" Fx session to set the extension.

Return to this page, this section.

You likely noticed that, while performing the above, that it is darn near impossible to experience a drive-by-download into the Firefox browser because your interaction is required. And some of you may have noticed that, if you clicked the Install Now button too quickly, nothing happened... That is because of the timer involved with the install dialog box, forcing you to take a moment to think before performing an action. While it is possible to whitelist a malicious site, the site still cannot install extensions in the background since a install requires confirmation from the keyboard side of the screen.

The installation of the Nightly Tester Tools extension added a "Make all compatible" button to the Extensions manager... When a new Firefox version is installed, extensions that are not compatible are disabled but not removed from your browser... If you are updating from Fx ver. 1.0.x, and did not delete your profile folder, some of those disabled extensions may still work, some may be truely incompatible... You can use the Nightly Tester Tools feature in the Extension manager to enable extensions one-by-one to test them out OR you can gamble and click the "Make all compatible" button.

Pimp Your Firefox

Now go to: http://cdn.mozdev.org/chromedit/
chromEdit version 0.1.1.1 is an extension that provides easy access to your userChrome.css, userContent.css and user.js files...
Follow the install procedure as outlined for "Nightly Tester Tools" except for when the Software Installation dialog box opens... There will be a new item in the dialog box: a checkbox next to text: "Install using Nightly Tester Tools to override compatibility."...
Place a CHECKMARK in the box...
Click the Install Now button after approximately five5 seconds.
Once installed, eXit Firefox...
Start a "new" Fx session to set the extension.

Return to this page, this section.

NOTICE: Many extensions have been updated for compatibility with Firefox 1.5.x... If you do encounter an extension that will not install, and it is one you have depended on in the past but you cannot find a replacement, once you get the error message from within Firefox about incompatibility, eXit the error dialog and simply click the install link/button again... Then place a CHECKMARK next to "Install using Nightly Tester Tools to override compatibility." in the "Software Installation" dialog box and click the "Install Now" button. Your favorite extension may indeed work... If not, UNinstall.

Now that "chromeEdit" is installed and set, clicking on Tools in the Fx menubar, you will see an additional menu item labeled Edit User Files next to the chromEdit Favicon...
Go ahead and CLICK it...
On the chromEdit interface that opens you will see five5 tabs:
userChrome.css | userContent.css | user.js | prefs.js | cdn
Now Copy&Paste the text found within the box below to the "userContent.css" tab... Place it two2 lines below any existing text already found in that tab... Once pasted, click the Save button at the bottom of the screen:

userContent.css tab only:

/* --- cursor and marquee controls ------------------------------------------- */

/* Stop those <marquee> tags! */ 
marquee { 
   -moz-binding                  : none !important; 
   display                       : block; 
   height                        : auto !important; 
}

/* Change cursor for links that open in new window */ 
:link[target="_blank"], :visited[target="_blank"],
:link[target="_new"],   :visited[target="_new"] { 
   cursor:  crosshair; 
} 

/* Change cursor for JavaScript links */ 
a[href^="javascript:"] { 
   cursor: move; 
} 

Now perform a similar task by Copy&Pasting the text found within the following box into the "user.js" tab, again clicking the Save button once pasted:

user.js tab only:

// Make sure all pop-up windows are resizable: 
user_pref("dom.disable_window_open_feature.resizable", true);  
// Make sure all pop-up windows are minimizable: 
user_pref("dom.disable_window_open_feature.minimizable", true);  
// Always display the menu in pop-up windows: 
user_pref("dom.disable_window_open_feature.menubar", true);  
// Always display the Navigation Toolbar in pop-up windows: 
user_pref("dom.disable_window_open_feature.location", true);
// Always display the scrollbar in pop-up windows:
user_pref("dom.disable_window_open_feature.scrollbars", true);
// No site access to the status bar:
user_pref("capability.policy.default.Window.status", "noAccess");
// Put an end to blinking text! 
user_pref("browser.blink_allowed", false);

Into the "userChrome.css" tab Copy&Paste the text found in the box below, again clicking the Save button:

userChrome.css tab only:

/* --- toolbar customization ------------------------------------------- */

/* Make the Search Box Flex Wider */
#search-container { width: 200px !important;
}
#searchbar { width: 200px !important;
} 

eXit chromEdit and Firefox to allow the above preferences to set...
Start a "new" session then return to this page, this section.

Okay, you are doing a brilliant job!

During the install of the two2 extensions you have experienced Firefox's safety feature when installing software within the browser itself.

Then you altered your userContent file instructing Fx to disable common scrolling marquees and set your cursor to alert you to links that open a "new" window or have JavaScript buried within the link... Links that spawn "new" windows using the two2 most common commands will cause your cursor to change to a crosshair... Knowing that a "new" window will open and wanting to defeat that function, you can simply middle-click the link forcing the page to open in a "new" tab. Course not every "open in new window" command uses the targeted code you entered into "userContent.css"... Pass your cursor over brilliant... No custom change to the cursor... Now LEFTCLICK the link... Hmmm??? To see how it's done, simply highlight the link, RIGHTCLICK the highlighted area and select "View Selection Source" from the expanded menu. You get the idea, plus avenues to investigate for further inclusion to your userContent file.

Your entry to the user.js file incorporated seven7 additional items into Firefox to maintain tighter control of your browser windows.

Your entry into the userChrome.css file made the Search Bar wider (depending on your screen resolution... If you use a resolution higher that 800 x 600, you may want to change the two2 instances of "200px" to a higher number, try 300).

ScrapBook ver. 1.0.1

If you do any amount of researching while on the Internet, you will find that ScrapBook will become the most indispensable extension you have installed into the Firefox browser. You can save whole Webpages or just a section of Webpage, save linked pages or any entire Website, delete sections or unnecessary content on saved pages, combine pages, attach floating or fixed sticky notes, add inline comments, perform full text search of your saved pages or filter the contents according to URL, title, comments, tags, etc... The list goes on! Go here: http://amb.vis.ne.jp/mozilla/scrapbook/
Scroll half-way down the page and click the (Install on Firefox) link. A great tutorial in PDF format can be downloaded by RIGHTCLICKing THIS LINK and selecting "Save Link As..." from the expanded menu... The tutorial was written for ScrapBook version 0.18.0 but 98 percent of it is still relevant and instructive with the exception of using the Multi-ScrapBook extension. Once you have started ScrapBooking Webpages it will be very easy to get carried away... Study the tutorial for information about saving your ScrapBook(s) to a different directory or even another hard-drive... It IS NOT imperative that the ScrapBook is saved to the default in your Firefox profile folder.

NOTICE: In version 0.18.4, the Multi-ScrapBook extension was merged into ScrapBook. If you have the Multi-ScrapBook extension installed, UNinstall it since it is no longer necessary.

Once the ScrapBook extension has downloaded into the "Extension" manager, eXit Firefox to finish the installation...
Start a "new" session then return to this page, this section.

You're back??? RIGHTCLICK within this page...
Click Capture Page As... in the expanded menu...
ScrapBook's "Capture Detail" dialog box will open...
Click the folder with the "plus" (+) sign...
Give the "New Folder" Title a name (suggestion: Firefox Tweaks)...
Click OK...
Click the Capture button.

ScrapBook has just saved this page to your browser... You have several methods available to access the saved page:

Click ScrapBook in the Firefox menubar > in the drop-down menu point to the folder you created > click Firefox - the eBay Browser and a Whole... in the submenu.

Click ScrapBook in the Firefox menubar > click "ScrapBook" in the drop-down menu > in ScrapBook's sidebar, expand the folder you created > click Firefox - the eBay Browser...

OR try the keyboard shortcut (Alt + K) to bring up the sidebar.

If desired, you now no longer need to return to this Internet address to continue - simply perform your tasks from ScrapBook... For those that do want to return, the Return to this page, this section. links will persist.

The Toolbars

At first-blush you may get the impression that the Firefox toolbars are somewhat static... With few exceptions, you can customize their appearance. RIGHTCLICKing on a blank area within the upper bars will bring up a menu... Clicking Customize... will open the "Customize Toolbar" interface... Within you can use a drop-down menu to display "Text" only buttons, "Icons" only (with the option to "Use Small Icons"), or the combination of "Icons and Text".

With the exception of the Menubar items, (File | Edit | View | Go | Bookmarks | Tools | Help) you can drag any button or icon from the toolbar into the "Customize Toolbar" widget to remove it... Additionally, any button or icon that you see inside the widget can be dragged to the toolbars. While the "Customize Toolbar" interface is open, you can drag the "Location Bar" and "Search Bar" to another toolbar location or rearrange component order.

Once finished, click the Done button to close the interface.

Within the toolbars, clicking Home will open your HomePage(s)... Clicking the Throbber will open Firefox's Home page.

In the "menubar", the Bookmarks button contains a drop-down menu of all your stored bookmarks... Near the top of the drop-down menu you will notice Bookmarks Toolbar Folder... This is actually a customizable toolbar that appears just below the "Navigation Bar" in a default install of Firefox... Version 1.5.x contains links to: "Getting Started" and "Latest Headlines". If your Bookmarks Toolbar is missing, click View in the menubar > point to Toolbars > put a CHECKMARK next to Bookmarks Toolbar in the submenu. It can contain buttons for your favorite or most often used bookmarks (or folders containing groups of bookmarks) that you can add or remove at will:

To add a folder to the "Bookmarks Toolbar", just RIGHTCLICK wherever you want the folder to be placed (between existing buttons or at the end)...
Select New Folder from the expanded menu...
Name the folder...
Click OK.
Now, for any Web addresses you wish to collect to that folder, grab the Favicon (to the left of the site address in the "Location Bar") and drag it to the folder.

To remove any item in the "Bookmarks Toolbar", simply RIGHTCLICK the item, the folder, or any individual item from within a opened folder and select Delete from the expanded menu.

BookMarklets

While the "Bookmarks Toolbar" is still fresh on the mind, let's add a few tools. Bookmarklets are simply bookmarks that contain JavaScript coding that is designed to perform a specific function when clicked. The following bookmarklets are compatible with the current versions of Firefox and Mozilla browsers as well as NetScape versions 7.1, 7.2, and 8.0.2... These are NOT compatible with Internet Explorer, NOR can they be used with NetScape 8.x.BETA.

If you performed the chromEdit tweak for the "userContent.css" file, passing your cursor over any of the bookmarklets should cause the cursor to change to a move symbol... This indicates that JavaScript is buried within the link. To review the JavaScript code within the bookmarklet simply RIGHTCLICK the link... Select "Copy" from the expanded menu... Paste to NotePad for inspection.

Using your cursor, drag and drop the following links to the Bookmarks Toolbar... If the "Bookmarks Toolbar" is not showing, click View > point to Toolbars > and put a CHECKMARK next to Bookmarks Toolbar.

You can use these "bookmarklets" in two2 different ways... Highlighting any text on most webpages and clicking the bookmarklet will open a new browser window (in the background) to a search results page... Opening in the background allows you to continue reading the present page OR for those with dialup connections it removes the frustration of watching a eBay results page paint. Simply clicking on the bookmarklet, without highlighting will open a dialog box enabling access to the interface.

eBay Title	Fairly self-explanatory... Sends a query to eBay via eBay's "title only" search engine... The results are opened in a new browser window in the background.
eBay Description	Again, self-explanatory... Sends a query to eBay via eBay's "title & description" search engine... Results are opened in a new browser window in the background.
Seller Comp	Performs a seller search and includes items offered within the last thirty30 days... Again, opens new window in the background.
Seller	Performs a seller search returning only items currently offered... Again, opens new window in the background.
Bidder Comp	Performs a bidder search and includes items bid on within the last thirty30 days... Again, opens new window in the background.
Bidder	Performs a bidder search returning only items currently bid on... Again, opens new window in the background.
GoogleMaps	Finally a one1 line map interface for lazy power users (see note below)... Opens a new window in the background.
Wikipedia	Very useful information can be obtained here... Opens a new window in the background.
Snopes	Verify... Rumor or Fact??? Opens a new window in the background.
PressPass	Annoyed by those News providers that want you to register? Maybe someone using "BugMeNot" is sharing their user name/password... When you land on a News organization's registration page after following a link to an article, click "PressPass" to retrieve credentials... Opens a pop-under window.
Expose	Your Internet Security software or HOSTS file stopping you from clicking on certain redirect URLs??? Click to remove redirects on a Webpage making the base URLs clickable... Does not open a window, simply reveals to the browser the destination URLs.
Count	This BookMarklet, when clicked will automatically add a counter(s) to form fields and textareas found the Webpage... Continued reading may hint at why you may need this bookmarklet.
SelectView	Highlight a section of a Webpage you wish to save or print separate of other content on the page and click this bookmarklet... Window opens in the background. For a more robust method of saving Webpages or partial Webpages see the "ScrapBook" extension above.

NOTE: Power users are just frugal; a click saved often is the shortest path between point "A" and point "B"... For example, compare the ease of using the GoogleMaps bookmarklet to the normal interaction you experience when accessing a MapQuest result:
Since you are visiting this page, you believe there is a potential difference between Firefox and Internet Explorer... That accepted, you do not have access to the MapQuest Toolbar available for IE (not that the toolbar is worth the real estate on IE)... So, unless you have built your own Desktop interface to MapQuest's database, you must first navigate to MQ...
Then you must enter at least two2 fields with data (three3 if you don't know the zip-code)...
Now GoogleMaps, being Google, has got its act together... Utilizing the same alogrithyms used in the core Google searchs, GoogleMaps performs admirably...
Highlight this one1 line query 701 pike seattle and click your GoogleMaps bookmarklet... Since there are two2 nearly identical addresses, GoogleMaps will offer links to both.
OR, if you had entered this address, 701 pike st seattle, containing the street designation, you would have been taken directly to the correct map.
However, GoogleMaps is MORE!!!
Don't know the address but know the place name? Select the closest match from the list: mcenery convention center san jose.
Going to be in the Los Angeles area to do some shopping??? Enter gucci 90210 to plan your junket...
Been browsing through the antique shops in Forney, Texas and a bowl of Vietnamese noodle soup sounds good? Enter pho forney texas for the nearest noodle houses.

Sorry, I digress.

Any item you wish to remove from the "Bookmarks Toolbar", simply RIGHTCLICK and select "Delete" from the expanded menu... Want to rename a bookmark or bookmarklet? Simply RIGHTCLICK and select "Properties from the expanded menu, then change the "Name"... Etc., etc.

Bookmarks

Everyone knows what "Bookmarks" are ("Favorites" in Internet Explorer)... They are quite static; whereas the Webpage may change, the saved address (Bookmark) remains the same. These addresses can be sorted, deleted, moved via the "Bookmarks" manager in Fx, just like any other browser.

However, Firefox supports RSS (Real Simple Syndication) in the form of Live Bookmarks which by their very nature are dynamic. A very useful Firefox feature. In your "Bookmarks Toolbar" you can see an example unless you have removed the item: Clicking Latest Headlines in the toolbar will drop-down a menu displaying current news headlines that are linked to the corresponding articles... These headlines are constantly updated, i.e. when you select "Latest headlines" at a later time, you should see new headlines.

Many sites, including eBay, support "Live Bookmarks" by offering RSS or Atom feeds... You may notice that while visiting a Webpage, another icon appears on the right side within the "Location Bar" (the same icon you see representing "Latest Headlines")

Clicking the "Live Bookmark" icon in the "Location Bar" will do one of two things:
If the page offers multiple feeds, a drop-down list will appear for you to inspect and make a selection of the feed that interests you...
If the page offers only one feed, the Add Bookmark dialog box will automatically appear...
Within that dialog box you can select the folder you wish the "Live Bookmark" to reside via the drop-down menu (the default is the "Bookmarks Toolbar Folder"), then click OK...
OR if you would like to create a new destination folder, click the small down-arrow button next to the drop-down menu...
Scroll up the list to Bookmarks and click to highlight if you want to place the folder as a "child" of "Bookmarks" OR highlight an existing folder if you would like the folder to be a sibling...
Click the New Folder... button...
Name your folder...
Click OK, and click OK again.

You can find more information about "Live Bookmarks" at http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/livebookmarks

NOTICE: Since Live Bookmarks do load in the background and you may not be aware of the activity, those using dialup connections should consider being selective when using the feature... I've had no problem on a slow 26.4Kbps narrow-band connection and just over a dozen "Live Bookmarks", though a hundred RSS feeds would surely start to affect performance.

Now, if you desire, you can enhance your regular and "Live" bookmarks with BookmarksHome... "BookmarksHome" promises a pretty startup page, though it does not need to be used as a start or HomePage. Go here: http://bookmarkshome.mozdev.org/
Click the link Install BookmarksHome 1.5.2 to start the process...
Once the extension is downloaded, eXit Firefox...
Start a "new" browser session.

Return to this page, this section.

Please remember, many of the add-ons suggested on this page have options within to set personal preferences... What I prefer may not appeal to you... Again, it is your browser. In any event, let's look at the options found in BookmarksHome... Open the "Extensions" manager: "Tools" > "Extensions" > find "BookmarksHome" and click to highlight > click the Options button.

Immediately under the General tab, you will see a drop-down box named "Page"... Within the drop-down you will find five5 entries:
about:bookmarkshome | about:bmh1 | about:bmh2 | about:bmh3 | about:bmh4
Thus, it is possible to create five5 unique startup pages. Further down the tab you will see checkboxes next to "Hide icons" and "Hide Search engines" (the search engine choices are linked to the search engines you have installed in Firefox's "Search Bar" so it seems superfluous to leave them in view in a "BookmarksHome" page). Further down the tab you will see two2 drop-down menus; "Open links in" and "Display tooltips"... If you are going to use "Live Bookmarks" on your "BookmarksHome" page(s), you will want to leave the default setting of "Display tooltips" for Livemarks as is. The remaining content for the tab is fairly self-explanatory. When finished with adjustments, click the Apply button.

Under the Style tab you will encounter a bunch of CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) code... The stylesheets accessed via the drop-down menu are what control the design and display of the startup page... It may not make much sense and in all probability is something you will end up playing around with until you find a style you like (the drop-down contains a link to go online and find more stylesheets)... You can find those additional styles with working examples at http://bookmarkshome.mozdev.org/styles.html Click the Apply button when finished.

Under the Folders tab you will find your "Bookmarks"... Select the radio button that directs whether the checkboxes you CHECK are to be "Included" into or "Excluded" from your startup page. click the Apply button.

SUGGESTION: As a proactive measure, even if you do not have the intention to use all "BookmarksHome" startup pages, it may be prudent to take a moment now to set all five pages to the Include option... To do so, go back to the General tab > select the first Page name from the drop-down menu "about:bookmarkshome" > click the Folders tab > tick the Include radio button > click the Apply button... Now go back to the General tab again > select the next Page name from the list "about:bmh1" > click the Folders tab > tick Include > click Apply... Repeat for each remaining Page name; "about:bmh2", "about:bmh3", "about:bmh4".

Items found under the File tab gives you the option to save a copy of your startup page to your DeskTop by clicking the Save As... button - as well as the option to use the "FTP Settings" section to send your "BookmarksHome" startup page to your online storage space, though simply sending your the page you saved to the DeskTop via your regular FTP client would make better sense... If you entered your FTP account information, click the Apply button.

When finished, eXit the "BookmarksHome" Options box... eXit "Extensions" manager.

If you want "BookmarksHome" to be your HomePage or one of your HomePages, type about:bookmarkshome into the Fx "Location Bar" and tap your enter key... There it is. To set as your HomePage(s) > "Tools" > "Options" > "General" tab > "Use Current Page(s)" button.

You need not use these startup page(s) as HomePage(s)... You may have created only one or possibly all five, each with a different function OR purpose. Place a folder on your easily accessible "Bookmarks Toolbar" to hold them until they are needed (even the ones you did not complete but you did set the Includes as suggested above):
RIGHTCLICK an area on the toolbar where you would like the folder to reside...
Select New Folder... from the expanded menu...
Name the folder and click OK...
Now, RIGHTCLICK the folder you just created...
Select New Bookmark... from the expanded menu...
In the "Properties" dialog box that opens, give your bookmark a "Name", then in the Location: textarea type in the address of your "BookmarksHome" page and click OK...
Repeat for each "BookmarksHome" page available, giving each a name, and assigning a shortcut address ("Location") - reminder: addresses are "about:bookmarkshome", "about:bmh1", "about:bmh2", "about:bmh3", "about:bmh4".
Now you can easily access the Options for each individual "BookmarksHome" page via the "Option" link near the bottom of each bookmarked page.

The MiddleClick

For those of you that have a scroll-wheel in your mouse, the MiddleClick function may be the most useful while the most overlooked feature you have at your control... Depending on the manufacture, the default for most mouse software is either Middle-click OR Next Window for the "Wheel" button... If yours is "Next Window" (which most never use), you will need to visit "Mouse Properties" via Windows' "Control Panel" and alter the setting... Click Apply when finished.

MiddleClick a tab in Firefox to close the tab...
MiddleClick a link to open a page in a "background" tab...
Shift + MiddleClick a link to open a page in a "foreground" tab...

From your Bookmarks MiddleClick a favorite to open a page in a "foreground" tab...
Shift + MiddleClick a favorite to open a page in a "background" tab (notice that these two are the reverse of the first two - the assumption that you may want to continue reading the Webpage where you are clicking links while the linked pages are loading in the background, whereas if you MiddleClicked a bookmarked page, you likely want to visit the page immediately)...

MiddleClicking a saved page from within ScrapBook will open a tab in the "foreground".

You can control text size via the "Scroll" wheel:
crtl + scrolling the wheel up will decrease text size...
crtl + scrolling the wheel down will increase text size...
crtl + 0 (zero) will return text to default size.

More Extensions

First, a warning word or two... There are over 1,000 Firefox extensions available at various Websites... Some simply duplicate functions already available in the browser, some are not compatible with other extensions, some are poorly written, some are just down-right silly. If you click Tools then Extensions from the expanded menu, the "Extensions" manager will open... Near the bottom right you will see a link "Get More Extensions"... Clicking it will take you to Mozilla's main extension addon page... You may end up like a kid in a candy store and install too many incompatible extensions so keep track of what you install... If you have a problem, visit the Mozilla Forums to investigate whether others have experienced similar problems or to request advice.

Should an extension problem occur that affects the ability of Firefox to navigate the Net or remain open, start Firefox in "Safe Mode" OR create a new profile as outlined in the sections near the top of this page... Both of these methods effectively opens Fx sans any extensions or addons.

When you have the "Extensions" manager open, single-clicking any extension will highlight it and activate the "Uninstall" and "Update" buttons. If the extension offers custom "Options", that button too will become active. RIGHTCLICKING the highlighted extension will open a context menu that will allow you to move the extension up or down the list, click a link to visit the extension's "Home" page, and a Disable line item permitting you to turn off the extension until you turn it back on.

Review the process you used to install the chromEdit extension above... In the early Firefox/FireBird days, to guarantee that your extensions would have a trouble-free installation, a good practice was to install each extension one-at-a-time, eXiting the browser after action to allow the process to set, then starting a "new" browser session... That method is no longer critical, however, it likely is not prudent to install/set twenty20 at a time... Break it up into chunks of 4, 5, or 6 at a time... If that's the course you decide to follow, well, you know the drill - RIGHTCLICK, select Copy Link Location from the expanded menu:
Return to this page, this section. Your system's clipboard will remember until you copy something else.

Plain Text Links	Treats selected plain text as a link... Highlight text or non-clickable link, RIGHTCLICK and select from the expanded menu either "Open selected url in new tab" OR "Open selected url".
Nuke image	Very useful when going to print a image laden page and you only wish to print the text and a few images... RIGHTCLICK the image(s) and select "Remove this image" from the expanded menu. Refreshing the page returns the images.
ieview	Opens pages in Internet Explorer via Firefox's context menu... More information can be found on the ieview HOME page.
FirefoxView	Turnabout is fair play... Adds the ability to open a page in Firefox from Internet Explorer's context menu... Scroll down the page and click Install FirefoxView 0.31.1.
Show Image	Firefox's "default" "View Image" displays the image in a forward page, you must then back-click to the original page... "Show Image" mimics Internet Explorer's feature in that it will reload the missing image by refreshing the HTML request instead of leaving the page. More information can be found on the showimage HOME page.
Define Word	Adds a dozen online dictionaries to a sub-menu of Fx's context menu... Highlight a word, RIGHTCLICK, point to "Look up definition" and select your source. To download, scroll page to the 5th of December, 2005 "Define Word Firefox Extension vo.6.o" and click the Define Word vo.6.0 link within. Define Word's "Options" interface allows you to remove/add existing or alternative reference sources.
ViewSourceWith	Version 0.0.7.91 adds a "View Source With" line item to Firefox's RIGHTCLICK context menu... You will need to configure it to find any preferred HTML or image viewers you may desire to use otherwise "view source" will default to Firefox's native viewer. Once installed and set, RIGHTCLICK within the Fx viewscreen > point to View Source With in the context menu > click Settings > then in the "settings" dialog box that opens, under the Main tab in the "Editor List" area, click the +New button > a "Choose editor" box will open, browse the path to the viewer(s) of your choice > when finished click OK - OK to eXit "settings". ViewSourceWith has the ability to remotely view source from links anchored on a Webpage instead of actually visiting the page with your browser.
LinkChecker	Click the link on the page that says Download LinkChecker 0.4.5 (29.7K). A easy way to find broken links on Webpages... Can even use it to validate Firefox's "Bookmarks" folder since Fx keeps your favorites on a HTML page within your Fx profile. If using WinXP, typical navigation to your "Bookmark" folder is: Documents and Settings > Owner > Application Data > Mozilla > Firefox > Profiles > default.ptf > bookmarks.html
Mouse Gestures	Execute commands and perform browser navigation using the mouse... Very similar to that found within the Opera browser. The extension gives you the ability to edit existing gestures and to add your own. MG will place a "Mouse Gestures Guide" button within the "Customize Toolbar" interface... Access the interface and drag the MG button to the toolbar of your choice... Clicking this button will open the Mouse Gestures Guide in a sidebar. Activating the "mouse trails" is useful, especially for those new to gesturing... To do so, open the "Extensions" manager > highlight Mouse Gestures > click the Options button > under the Visual settings tab place a CHECKMARK next to "Activate mouse trails" > click OK. Once installed, to practice a few mouse gestures visit THIS PRIMER.
Web Developer	If you build sites, Webpages, or just troubleshoot problem sites/pages, this is a must. Click the link on the page that says Firefox/Flock Download. The default installation installs a Web Developer Toolbar in the Fx browser... The same tools found in the toolbar are available via the RIGHTCLICK menu... To hide the WD Toolbar, simply click "Tools" in the browser's menubar > point to "Toolbars" > UNcheck "Web Developer Toolbar".
Dictionary Tooltip	Similar to "Define Word" above except that - rather than opening in a "new" tab or window, the definition is displayed in a tooltip box anchored just under the word you doubleclicked. Scroll the page and click the link Install Now for Windows.
Hyperwords	Click the INSTALL HYPERWORDS button. Makes any word on a Webpage interactive... Via a context menu you can access different search engines and reference sites, send content via your email client or GMail, print all or just a section of the page, send tags to your favorite online bookmark site, translate words, access IP address locators, track USPS confirmation numbers... The list goes on. The install procedure is slightly different than other extensions... If using WindowsXP, first drag the extension onto the DeskTop, then drag the extension into any open Firefox window... If using any previous version of Windows, drag the extension into any open Fx window. The default setting is to highlight a word(s) and Alt + LEFTCLICK... This setting may interfer with other applications on your machine... Once the extension is fully installed by eXiting Fx and starting a "new" session, go to the "Extensions" manager > Click the "Hyperwords" extension > Click the "Options" button > Under the "Invocation" tab, the "Show the Hyperwords(tm) menu:" section, select another option by ticking the radio button. The setting "upon content selection only" can be annoying because you may not desire the "Hyperwords" context menu to appear everytime you highlight page content... My preference is the F2-key, yours may be different.
Pearl Crescent Page Saver	This will allow you to save just the browser view screen or an entire Webpage in image format (PNG) via the RIGHTCLICK context menu... Very useful if you often stitch together screenshots of Webpages. If you updated from earlier versions of Firefox and had a similar extension installed (ScreenGrab!), you will want to UNinstall it as it is no longer being developed and required cumbersome JAVA support. To install, click within the box that says Install Pearl Cresent Page Saver.
Xinha Here!	FIRST, you will want to go here: http://xinha.python-hosting.com/ and download the Xinha HTML editor... It is a zipped folder and you don't need to do anything with it other than dropping the "unzipped" folder somewhere where "Xinha Here!" can find it. The "Xinha Here!" extension, once fully installed and called for via the RIGHTCLICK context menu, will access the folder, unpack it, wrap it and display a extremely functional WYSIWYG editor. Example: eBay does not support WYSIWYG editing for Firefox on the SYI pages... Simply RIGHTCLICK within the SYI form "Description" textarea, point to "Xinha Here!" in the context menu, select your open preference from the expanded menu, then click within the "Xinha Here!" textarea and you are set to go. To acquire the extension, scroll the page to Install Xinha Here! version 0.9 and click.

Occasionally an extension update is not compatible with a previous version... If you updated over an old extension and encounter problems, the best method for a clean removal and reinstall is to:
1) Just uninstall the new one and restart Firefox...
2) Re-download the older version and install it...
3) eXit and start a new Fx session...
4) Now uninstall the old one and restart Firefox again...
5) Install the new version and eXit/restart Fx...
That should do the trick.

This is What You are Looking For

Dessert... The frosting on the cake... You can have your cake and eat it too. ACK, did I go too far? Apologies. Adblock Plus is a content filtering extension... It is what you will control eBay bloat with... The slower your connection, the more essential this tool, AND ocassionaly, regardless your Web speed, the use of Adblock Plus while visiting eBay can be an outright requirement. Unlike the "IE_eBay" tweak, where you can only enable/disable eBay features (BLOAT) en masse and then only on limited pages due to cookie requirements, with Fx's Adblock Plus, you can select/disable from a menu of useless annoyances. Experimentation will definitely be useful.
Go to the installation page: http://adblockplus.mozdev.org/installation.html
Click the link that says: Install Adblock Plus 0.7...
Once downloaded into the "Extensions" manager, eXit Firefox and start a "new" session to finish the install.

Return to this page, this section.

If you previously were a Fx 1.0.x user and had the regular "Adblock" extension installed then UNinstalled it and did not delete your 1.0.x profile folder just prior to the installation of Fx 1.5.x, your earlier "Adblock" preferences should have automatically imported into Adblock Plus.

One of the key differences between Adblock and Adblock Plus is the ability to "Whitelist" sites using @@ in your filter rules... The default exceptions filter @@https:// whitelists all secure servers... This may or may not be appropriate for your Internet activities and only you would know. If you have a FAST connection this wholesale exceptions filter is satisfactory... If you have a slow dialup connection and/OR your security software is extremely aggressive (script-blocking, ad-blocking, etc.) you may want to consider removing the filter... To do so:
Click "Tools" in the Firefox menubar...
Click "Adblock Plus..." in the expanded menu...
The "Adblock Plus Preferences" tool will open...
In the "Filter rule" window you will see "Exception rules"...
Directly below find @@https://, click it once to highlight...
Tap your delete key...
Click the OK button to eXit the preferences dialog box.

Question - Have you installed everything on this page right down to this point??? If so, you have just discovered your first extension conflict! It is so minor that it is almost not worth mentioning, however, to save frustration, lets examine it:
If you accessed "Adblock Plus Preferences" via "Tools" in the menubar, you may have noticed a "keyboard shortcut" in the menu (Crtl+Shift+A)... This happens to be the same "keyboard shortcut" for the Web Developer extension to validate HTML... If you use "keyboard shortcuts" often, the easiest/quickest fix would be to RIGHTCLICK anywhere within this page > point to "Web Developer" in the expanded menu > point to "Options" > then click Options in the last submenu > click Keys in the left menu column > upon screen change, find "Validate Local HTML" and change the "keyboard shortcut" to some other combination that you are fairly sure is not in use > click OK and eXit all Firefox windows. OR you can visit this page for information about changing the Adblock Plus shortcuts: http://adblockplus.mozdev.org/faq_customization.html#shortcuts

The full Adblock Plus FAQs can be found HERE

Okay, back to the removal of the exceptions filter @@https://... Once the global exception "whitelisting" ALL secure servers was deleted, you can now "whitelist" secure sites that you use, OR conversely block certain content on those sites... You may have noticed that signing in to eBay can sometimes, depending on your security applications and Internet connection, be a study in patience... This is because the login pages are encrypted... Your browser and eBay's server must first agree to the encryption "secret handshake", meaning there are a few HTTP requests and responses before anything begins to happen at all... Then the entire content of the login page is sent encrypted, the images, the JavaScript downloads, the HTML, etc... In addition to most eBay JS being bloated, if your security application intercepts the page download for inspection, it must decrypt/encrypt the contents before your browser gets it. So, if this is something you experience intermitently or on a regular basis, simply, before your next visit to the signin page, follow the instructions above to open the "Adblock Plus Preferences" dialog box...
Then Copy&Paste one1-line-at-a-time found in the box below to the "New filter:" textarea found at the top...
Click the Add filter: button after each entry:

https://scgi.ebay.com/saw/pics/js/*
https://secureinclude.ebaystatic.com/*
https://securepics.ebaystatic.com/*
https://srv.main.ebayrtm.com/rtm?RtmGetCapJs&p=*
https://seal.verisign.com/splash?form_file=fdf/splash.fdf&dn=SCGI.EBAY.COM&lang=*

When finished, click the OK button. Signin to eBay and see how quick the login process can be... You have done nothing to lessen the security of the page, you have just instructed Firefox to not request the unnecessary bloat.

Should you suspect that when using Adblock Plus that you may be missing some important content on a page, simply move your cursor down to the bottom right corner of the browser window... There, within the "Status Bar" you should see the Adblock Plus icon (cockroach w/NO sign)...
RIGHTCLICK the icon...
Uncheck Enable Adblock Plus...
Reload the Webpage to return the missing content.

Now, the following is important for eBay sellers to understand... If you use eBay's gallery images on the search results page and/or incorporate "Cross-Promotions" into your item pages, depending on your Adblock Plus filters, those elements may be missing from view. This is common among ALL ad-blocking software, NOT just Adblock Plus. For example, say you are selling a vintage magazine ad of a Willys station wagon... Your item title is Vintage 1950 Willys Wagon Ad - colorful... A filter expression like: |ad|affiliate|central|click|connect|count|exchange|file|/_?promo| would block the gallery image from loading on the search results page. This is because the clickable gallery image is encoded with the URL to your item page and contains the item title "Vintage 1950 Willys Wagon Ad - colorful" within. The item title link to the right of the missing image will remain and still be clickable. Your "Cross-Promotion" IFRAME may also go missing because it comes from a server named promo. To repeat, ALL ad-blocking software works in a similar fashion, though some will go to the extent of also removing your item title and the nested table it exists in on the search results page.

eBay presents a challenge when trying to determine which content to block... For example, a JavaScript file download may change frequently (thus eBay's advice to always clear your "cache" and "delete" your cookies when experiencing problems):
http://include.ebaystatic.com/js/e381/us/ebayfooter.js brought forth
http://include.ebaystatic.com/js/e385/us/ebayfooter.js fathered:
http://include.ebaystatic.com/js/e387/us/ebayfooter.js generated:
http://include.ebaystatic.com/js/e391/us/ebayfooter.js sired:
http://include.ebaystatic.com/js/e393/us/ebayfooter.js begat:
http://include.ebaystatic.com/js/e395/us/ebayfooter.js begot:
http://include.ebaystatic.com/js/e397/us/ebayfooter.js rendered:
http://include.ebaystatic.com/js/e399/us/ebayfooter.js mothered:
http://include.ebaystatic.com/js/e401/us/ebayfooter.js returned:
http://include.ebaystatic.com/js/e403/us/ebayfooter.js, etc., etc., etc.
Currently the file is named:
http://include.ebaystatic.com/js/e457/us/ebayfooter_e4573us.js, though, during your eBay browsing you will occasionally encounter the file just previous:
http://include.ebaystatic.com/js/e455/us/ebayfooter_e4553us.js
As you can tell, it's an ever moving target, but it keeps those script-kiddies employed.

eBay content is still easy to monitor via Adblock Plus... If there is unexpected sluggishness or browser stalls, simply open Adblock Plus's "Blockable items" interface (RIGHTCLICK the NO cockroach icon and select "Open blockable items" OR customize the Firefox Toolbar by dragging the Adblock Plus button to it and selecting from the drop-down arrow next to the button). Items already blocked will be red, items still blockable are green... The names found within the blockable files will hint to the contents.

Should you suspect that you may have blocked content you wish to see, just open the "Ablock Plus Preferences" tool... At the top of the filter list is a Filter rule bar... Clicking the bar will reorder the filters... A-Z, Z-A, and order of filter additions (those will appear at the bottom of the scrolling list)... If the filter is something you have recently entered, you will find it easily that way... Once you do, simply click the filter to highlight and tap your delete key... click OK to eXit.

Similarly you can click the Hits bar and order the filters according to engagements encountered on Webpages. You can reset the "Hits" counter one filter at a time by highlighting the filter > RIGHTCLICK > select Reset hit statistics for filter... from the context menu... You can also reset the "Hits" counter for all filters at once by clicking Filters in the menubar and selecting Reset hit statistics...

In the box further down this section you will find a shortened list of URL filters that I use that are associated with eBay pages... First thing you may notice is that often the full URL is used rather than wildcarding it down to base directories... Occasionally there are some downloads from a server/directory that are of value and you do not want to unintentionally block all content when some may be useful.

Those using dialup access to the Internet will likely find that blocking the "Cross Promotions" IFRAME will speed up item page downloads... Those that wish to see "Cross Promotions" OR have broadband connections will/may not want to enter the filter:
http://promo.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?GetCrossPromos&strsellerid=*

Those who find the PayPal and PayPal Protection logos necessary will not want to block:
http://pics.ebaystatic.com/aw/pics/paypal/icon*
http://pics.ebaystatic.com/aw/pics/paypal/logo_paypalPPBuyerProtection_28x16.gif
http://pics.ebaystatic.com/aw/pics/paypal/logo_paypalPP_16x16.gif
Course, IMHO, there is a eBay search filter that only returns PayPal items.

Filter URLs such as these simply remove unnecessary clutter from the search results pages:
http://pics.ebaystatic.com/aw/pics/icon/iconPic_16x16.gif
http://pics.ebaystatic.com/aw/pics/icon/iconPic_20x20.gif
These two2 remove the camera icon from the listing pages... Most items have an image and a few sellers who self-host images forget to trigger the pic icon from the SYI pages.

Oh! Forgot to mention above... The BookMarklets that perform eBay searchs actually send you to result pages where eBay has toggled off the annoying banner advertising... Thus those pages welcome you as a "New User"... Same results, just NO flashing/dancing banner... This filter removes the ""Welcome New User" image:
http://pics.ebaystatic.com/aw/pics/list_welcom_305x90.gif

Anyway, you get the idea... Most URLs somewhat describe the content of the download... That said, this is my shortened list:

banners.ebay.com
http://include.ebaystatic.com/aw/pics/js/cobrand/cobrand_determine.js
http://include.ebaystatic.com/aw/pics/js/cobrand/cobrand_load.js
http://include.ebaystatic.com/aw/pics/js/cookies.js
http://include.ebaystatic.com/aw/pics/js/help/openHelpWindow.js
http://include.ebaystatic.com/aw/pics/js/lib/_toolbox/_base/ebayAds.js
http://include.ebaystatic.com/aw/pics/js/lib/features/ads/Ads.js
http://include.ebaystatic.com/aw/pics/js/lib/features/ads/adlocals.js
http://include.ebaystatic.com/aw/pics/js/poweredby/poweredby.js
http://include.ebaystatic.com/aw/pics/js/stats/_base/ssLoad.js
http://include.ebaystatic.com/aw/pics/js/stats/_base/ssObjs.js
http://include.ebaystatic.com/aw/pics/lib/us/features/cobrand/ui/go.js
http://include.ebaystatic.com/aw/pics/lib/us/features/cobrand/ui/msn.js
http://include.ebaystatic.com/aw/pics/us/js/cobrand/headers/brow.js
http://include.ebaystatic.com/js/e455/us/ebayfooter_e4553us.js
http://include.ebaystatic.com/js/e457/us/ebayfooter_e4573us.js
http://include.ebaystatic.com/js/e457/us/iframefooter_e4573us.js
http://include.ebaystatic.com/js/e457/us/iframefooter_tracking_e4573us.js
http://include.ebaystatic.com/js/e457/us/ui/charcounter_e4573us.js
http://include.ebaystatic.com/js/v/us/ebaybase.js
http://include.ebaystatic.com/js/v/us/ebayfooter.js
http://include.ebaystatic.com/js/v/us/ebaysup.js
http://m.2mdn.net/879366/dartRichMedia_1_03.js
http://pics.ebaystatic.com/aw/pics/icon/iconGiftBlu_20x20.gif
http://pics.ebaystatic.com/aw/pics/icon/iconPic_20x20.gif
http://pics.ebaystatic.com/aw/pics/list_welcom_305x90.gif
http://pics.ebaystatic.com/aw/pics/navbar/poweredByLogo_112x22.gif
http://pics.ebaystatic.com/aw/pics/paypal/logo_paypalPP_16x16.gif
http://pics.ebaystatic.com/aw/pics/truste_button.gif
http://promo.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?GetCrossPromos&strsellerid=*
http://us.ebayobjects.com/1ai/ebay.us.search/
https://scgi.ebay.com/saw/pics/js/*
https://seal.verisign.com/splash?form_file=fdf/splash.fdf&dn=SCGI.EBAY.COM&lang=*
https://secureinclude.ebaystatic.com/*
https://securepics.ebaystatic.com/*
https://srv.main.ebayrtm.com/rtm?RtmGetCapJs&p=*

You are getting an idea of how the Adblock Plus extension works... You can subscribe to regularly updated filters and/OR import/merge filtersets within Adblock Plus... If you would like to try the filterset I am currently using, RIGHTCLICK: eBay heavy filterset...
Select Save Link As... from the expanded menu...
Save to your DeskTop so you can easily locate it...
Click Tools in Firefox's menubar...
Click Adblock Plus in the drop-down menu...
Click Filters in the Adblock Plus "Preferences" menu...
Click Import filters from the drop-down menu...
Locate and click the file you just saved...
Click the Open button...
Upon screen change, click the Append button (this performs a merge and will remove duplicates)...
Click OK in the Adblock Plus "Preferences" box when finished.

If you think you may experiment heavily with Adblock Plus, it likely will prove beneficial to occasionally export your filterset to the DeskTop as a safety measure... Should you subscribe to available filters or import other filters found on the Net and find performance unsatifactory, you always have a backup of previous filters that you can use to overwrite Adblock Plus's preferences.

Team Flashblock w/Adblock Plus

 
Though currently an ad-serving annoyance, Flash could become an attack vector as JavaScript is and pose a serious threat. By default, Flashblock blocks all embedded Flash elements, allowing you to click to activate a particular one if you like. It's not as flexible as Adblock Plus but it still is a useful tool. Go here: https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/433/ To install, click the Install Now for Windows link. It is highly recommended that you read Flashblock's FAQs if you consider using the extension. I usually have Flashblock disabled unless I know that I will be surfing numerous "unknown" or Flash ad-heavy sites.

Heighten Security with NoScript

 
The most secure browser operates with both JAVA and JavaScript disabled... Unfortunately turning off JavaScript at the browser level breaks lots and lots of things, including my "BookMarklets" which are in perpetual use on my browsers. JavaScript is not something occasionally incorporated into some sites, it's used quite often, all over the Web. NoScript allows you to specify which sites get to use JavaScript and which don't... NoScript can make browsing simpler (and faster) but for a while when you first run it you're going to have to be constantly examining and setting JavaScript permissions in order to get sites to work at all. You can let scripts run temporarily while you're trying to figure out which are required for the functionality you desire but it will take some patience and extra work at the beginning. As with Flashblock above, NoScript is disabled unless I know that I will be surfing numerous "unknown" or untrustworty sites even though JavaScript is only disabled at the site/server level rather than in the browser (therefore my "BookMarklets" and other browser add-ons still work with the extension enabled). Go here: https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/722/ About a quarter of the way down the page click the Install Now for Windows link. You can find NoScript's FAQs at: http://noscript.net

Firefox's Brain

Firefox is highly configurable... The browser's brain can be found in the about:config file accessed via the "Location Bar". "about:config" contains a large list of Fx's internal configuration options, nearly all of which may make little sense to the average user. If you care to embark into "about:config", there are numerous online help, tutorials, and forums. Start here: http://kb.mozillazine.org/About:config... Particularly helpful are the "References" links. Additional/similar information can be found at http://kb.mozillazine.org/Firefox_:_FAQs_:_About:config_Entries AND http://preferential.mozdev.org/preferences.html

That addressed, we will still venture into about:config and perform a couple quick operations:

Type about:config into Fx's "Location Bar"...
Tap your enter key...
You will notice that there are quite a few items in the very long list of configurable items that are bolded. These are items that you have already altered from Firefox's default configuration if you changed any settings when in Options, added extensions and adjusted those extension "options" to your preferences, and when you used chromEdit to alter the "user.js" file.

At the top of Fx's viewscreen you will see a textarea next to Filter:...
Start typing browser.chrome in the textarea (about:config will automatically start filtering the list down)...
You will now see browser.chrome.toolbar_tips in the shortened list...
Click it once to highlight...
Now RIGHTCLICK it and select Toggle from the expanded menu...
You have just changed the value to false thus turning off the tooltip feature encountered as you pass your cursor over Firefox's toolbars (if you installed the BookMarklets a few sections up, you likely noticed the tooltip would flash as you crossed your cursor over the "Bookmarks Toolbar" while accessing the menubar or other buttons)... Surely you know what all those browser buttons do without needing a reminder.

Now that you have changed the above, you will see a lot of blank-white space below the last "Preference Name" in the short list... RIGHTCLICK within that blank-white space...
On the menu that opens, point to New...
Select Boolean from the expanded menu...
A New boolean value box will open, type or Copy&Paste config.trim_on_minimize in the textarea...
Click OK...
A Enter boolean value dialog box will open, select true within the box...
Click OK...
There are some Firefox users that claim Fx has a memory leak and consumes a large chunk of memory when compared to Internet Explorer... I cannot confirm this and believe it may be one of two things; because of "Tabbed" browsing, they may have more Webpages open than they would normally using IE and Firefox keeps as much as possible in RAM so you can quickly go from tab to tab, OR, there is a combination of third-party software on their machines that may be causing the memory drain when Fx is open. What this config option that you just created does is when you minimize your Firefox windows to your Windows' TaskBar, Fx will free up RAM it was using (that's via the minimize button in the upper right corner of the browser, NOT the "Show DeskTop" icon in the "Quick Launch" bar).

Plugins

A plugin is essentially a computer program that interacts with another program to provide a certain, often very specific, function. Typical examples are plugins to play multimedia files, to display and print PDF documents, or to filter images in graphic programs. The main program (a web browser, a image editor, etc.) provides a means for the plugins to register themselves with the program, and a protocol by which data is exchanged with the plugins. It is characteristic for most plugins to run within a sandboxed environment... On occasion some plugins run outside of the sandbox especially if the core dynamic library is not included within the plugin itself.

Your operating system may already have some of these programs loaded... You can either download the missing programs now OR simply wait until you encounter a Webpage that requires a specific plugin to display some content... When this occurs, Firefox will alert you to the fact.

You can view the installed plugins in Fx by typing about:plugins into Fx's "Location Bar" and tapping your "enter" key.

JAVA
By Sun Microsystems
Visit the Mozilla JAVA FAQs for instructions Windows users find the link for XPInstall technology. Linux and Mac users will find other useful information.	The Java Runtime Enviroment enables your computer to run applications and applets that use Java technology. If you can not use the XPInstall technology link, you can visit Sun's J2SE(TM) Runtime Environment 5.0 Update 3 webpage and download the JRE 5.0 Update 3 full installer instead. To speed the Java plugin up in Windows, use the Java Control Panel to disable the Java icon appearing in the system tray, and disable the Java console. Once installed, you can verify by visiting http://java.sun.com/products/javawebstart/demos.html and playing a demo like the "Military Game".
A recent version of Sun's Java is necessary for many gaming applications to function.

Acrobat Reader
By Adobe Systems
Windows users find the appropriate link for your operating system in the information found to your right.	For Windows 2K, XP, and Server 2003: Adobe Reader 7.0. (If you are upgrading from Adobe Reader 6.0.x to Adobe Reader 7.0, uninstall any updates first, in the order of installation, then uninstall Adobe Reader. This will ensure a clean upgrade to 7.0.) For Windows 98SE, ME, and NT 4.0 w/IE 5.01 or later: Adobe Reader 6.0.2 +once installed, download the+ 6.0.3 Update For Windows 98 and NT 4.0 without IE 5.01 or later: Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.1 Linux and Mac users should be able to find compatible versions of Adobe Reader HERE.
Adobe Reader is the only plugin I've encountered that causes problems with Firefox... Mainly because there is no way to gracefully eXit the plugin when you encounter an enormous PDF download (150 plus+ pages with images)... This problem can also occur in Internet Explorer when using a slow dialup connection... The remedy is to disallow the display of downloaded PDFs inside the browser... Open Adobe Reader > click Edit > Preferences > Internet (in the Categories column)... Then UNCHECK Display PDF in browser... Click OK when finished. This will force all PDFs to download to your DeskTop or folder for later viewing. An alternative method to perform the same can be found within Fx 1.5.x: Click Tools in the Fx toolbar > click Options > click the Downloads tab > in the "Download Actions" section, click the View & Edit Actions button > type pdf in the search bar of the "Download Actions" dialog box that opens > click Adobe Acrobat Document in the larger window to highlight > click the Change Action... button > tick the radio button next to Save them on my computer > click OK > click Close > click OK.

Flash Player
By Macromedia
Find the appropriate link for your operating system in the information to your right.	For Microsoft Windows, download the Macromedia Flash Player Installer and follow the installation instructions. For Linux, download Macromedia Flash Player 7 and follow the installation instructions. For Macs, select your OS: Mac-OS 9.x OR Mac-OS X.

Shockwave
By Macromedia
Select the appropriate link for your OS from the information to your right.	Shockwave Player 10 requires Windows 98, 2K, or XP. If you are using a different version of Windows, you will need to use Shockwave Player 8.5.1. Mac users may want to review Shockwave's system requirements for additional information.
Macromedia's Flash and Shockwave Players are both free but the similarities end there as each has a distinct purpose. Flash Player delivers front-end web applications, Web site user interaction, interactive online advertising, and short to medium form animation whereas Shockwave Player displays Web content such as interactive multimedia product demos, e-merchandising applications, and multi-user games. Test your Shockwave player at GUESS-THE-GOOGLE.

Quicktime
By Apple Computer
Review the link to your right.	jrzycrim has written a good Quicktime Guide For Windows that you should review. Mac users will likely find no difficulty updating Quicktime for the Firefox browser.
Test your Quicktime install HERE. Hint: If you have a slow dialup connection, the embedded file on that page is 1.5MBs... Rather than watch paint dry while the movie file loads, simply middle-click the link to open the page in a background tab, then continue reading from this page... You will know when the file is loaded.

The Parting Word

Firefox is a small, simple, Web browser which accommodates both beginner and advanced users. It is not my intention for the content of this page to sell you a widget you didn't know you needed. It is meant to expose you to the eternal customization of the Fx and to point you in the direction to begin the process to acquire and to learn. It is not complicated though many of you have been led to believe as much. It is not necessary that you understand each and every aspect of the Firefox browser... Just that you extend it safely to reflect your needs and actitivies. Make it your own!

Firefox is an example of new Internet applications that empower the enduser to experience the Web according to his/her preferences... And without the requirement that s/he be a GEEK. With nearly unlimited extendable combinations of browser functions Fx can deliver what a user wants. The more you experiment, the more you will like. As you wander further from the beaten path, you will discover that you are not as inept as some have inferred, that there are alternatives. So now that you've got a handle on what Firefox is and can be, it's time to jump in!

Get Firefox!

Those Internet Explorer users that have ventured this far into the page, you are to be commended. Many of you will voice "But I don't want to change browsers!". Though that is not really a choice, rather an acceptance of the only browser that came installed on your system. What I can tell you, is that I was once a big fan of Internet Explorer... Especially starting with IE5.x... IE6.x, the best!!! However, it must be stated, that I also understand Internet Explorer security extremely well and have never hesitated to alter/adjust the browser's settings to control Web content... My "IE_eBaY" tweak is five5 years old, which, incidentally, is the same age as the IE6.x browser. And that's the issue - Internet Explorer 6.x is five5 years old, stagnant... There have been adjustments enhancing IE6.x's security recently, however to have the most recent "secure" version of IE6.x, you must have WindowsXP with Service Pack 2 installed... Any Windows operating system less than XP-SP2 cannot run MicroSoft's most advanced browser. Similarly, to run the BETA versions of Internet Explorer 7, the minimum requirement is XP-SP2... When IE7 goes final release, the version that runs in XP-SP2 will be a slightly stripped down version of the browser that will come packaged with Windows Vista... Thus, unless Vista is installed as your OS, you will never be able to run the most advanced version of IE.

I was introduced to Firefox (then Phoenix 0.3) in October of 2002, upgrading to Phoenix 0.4 about a month later... Then FireBird 0.6 in May 2003, and FireBird 0.7 in November of the same year... Finally installing nearly every release since Firefox 0.9.1. In all, I've always been able to import or maintain my preferred "Profile". I am abusive to my own computers, often leaving the desktop PCs and any open applications (including 14 Firefox windows containing 320 open tabs) running for weeks on end (though, if not in front of the machine, the Internet connection is always broken). I've successfully installed Firefox on hundreds of Windows systems including a Win95 system (with 32MB of RAM) which had NEVER in its ten10 year existence recieved any MicroSoft or anti-virus update!

Currently, the laptop from which I am building this page has had Internet Explorer 7.0.x BETA 2 installed for the past week... It is a great disappointment though it must be admitted that it is still BETA (not ready for prime-time)... It has got security enhancements that may frustrate users migrating from IE6.x or older versions... It has features that those familiar with alternative browsers will immediately recognize. For the most part, IMO, it is a let-down. The "User Interface" is gawd-awful and lacks refinement and/or the ability to customize it... It appears almost as though MS took all the features users of alternative browsers rave about, then to make them look like they were their innovations, jumbled the UI to distract you. Course, the final release may be entirely different.This page may change, additional pages concerning Internet Security may be added. If you would like to be notified of any changes or additions, send an email to Please Notify of Changes.. Will try my best to keep you up-to-date.

Good Luck again!