Monday Quickie - Extensions Extended

   Welcome to a new series I'm trying, Monday Quickies.  The idea is that it's Monday.  Like in Office Space, Monday has just become that day of the week no one wants to exist, but we have to deal with it.  In IT, it generally means something is not working and hasn't been since Friday afternoon.  I'll provide some quick info to get you on your way!

   Today's quickie is all about extensions!  First, Mozilla is planning on switching to the WebExtensions API.  This is the same API that Chrome and Opera use.  You can see how this is going to help out Firefox.  Kev Needham says this about the idea behind the switch, "we’ve noticed that many Firefox add-on developers also maintain a Chrome, Safari, or Opera extension with similar functionality."  It'll create some extra work for plugin developers, but this could re-kindle interest in the web browser.  I for one will be willing to give Firefox a try again knowing the extensions I use in Chrome can be used.

   Speaking of, I wanted to share the extensions I use and why I use them.  

• AdBlock: I've preferred this over AB+ because I'm able to adjust the settings and block ads from the right-click context menu.  The interface is simple and has everything I need to manage it.  

• Always Clear Downloads: I go so damn annoyed when downloading files and the download bar would stay up on the screen.  I don't care about my download history, I just want to download and move on.  This extension automatically clears the bar once everything is done downloading and nothing else.  It was even featured on Lifehacker.
• New metroTab: I use this on my work computer as a new tab page because it allows me to have all my important bookmarks right there without having to go through folders or search for it in the omnibar.  It allows for a lot of customization with the tiles, and offers RSS tiles for news.

• Privacy Badger: Provided by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, it blocks tracking.  I'm not a fan of being tracked by things that I don't know about.  Privacy Badger allows me to only allow what I approve so I have better control over my browsing experience.
• Save As Shortcut: Another tool featured on Lifehacker, with one-click, I can save a link to a website I want to review later.  Usually for when I'm reading something interesting at home and I want to reference it later for work.
• Weather: Another simple extension that offers a quick glance at the current weather.  Click on the button and you'll see the extended forecast.  Hopefully the developer will add a radar, that would be quite helpful.

   I hope you enjoyed the Monday Quickie to get you focused for the day ahead!  And as always, stay safe goblins.

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About Jimmy R. Tassin

Jimmy Tassin is the IT Manager of Midwest Regional Bank and has been involved with the Technology field for over thirteen years. His two hobbies are overseeing the daily operations of OmniKraft, a Minecraft server community, and writing at Goblinbyte.com.