Firefox is the second most popular web browser in the world, second only to Internet Explorer. About 22% of people who use the internet use Firefox. Firefox was created and developed by the same folks who brought us the Netscape browser back in the 1990s, and it was the first browser to offer "tabbed" browsing. Firefox is free to download, available for PCs and Macs, and has gained in popularity largely because of how customizable it is.
The customization comes in the form of "add-ons," which are mini-programs that, once downloaded, work right in the Firefox browser. There are over 5,000 of these add-ons, from different themes or skins that merely change the appearance of your browser window to highly useful can't-live-without-it tools for many kinds of tasks.
Here are some examples of add-ons that might be useful for an academic environment and/or with some of the other "Things" we've already learned about. Click on the name of each add-onto learn more about it.
Zotero: A bibliographic tool that helps collect, manage and cite research sources. Think of it as EndNote built into your browser.
Delicious Bookmarks: If you are a Delicious user, you'll find this one indispensible! It puts three buttons in your Firefox browser bar that allow you to tag things on the web into your Delicious account in one click.
Facebook Toolbar: "Integrate your Facebook life into your browser!"
Twitterfox: Displays recent posts from your "Tweeps" (Twitter friends) in the lower right hand corner of your browser.
Activity:
For Auraria Library staff, if you do not have Firefox installed currently on your computer, create a Bugzilla ticket to request installation of Firefox. Once you have Firefox installed, try using it for all of your normal web activities for a day instead of Internet Explorer. What's different between the two?
Already using Firefox? Proceed to the Challenge...
Challenge:
Choose an add-on from the short list above, OR, browse the Firefox add-on site to find one that appeals to you. Tip: browse the "Categories" listed on the left hand side of the Add-ons page. Use Bugzilla to request download and installation of your add-on. Try out the add-on; is it useful, fun, obnoxious, pointless? You may find yourself addicted to an add-on!
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