Choose the right Firefox add-ons

One of the main attractions of Mozilla Firefox ­ – over and above its improved security and stability –­ is its seemingly endless scope for expansion. Its open-source roots mean a wide range of developers have created add-ons and extensions for the world’s number two browser. Of course Internet Explorer has its own set of augmentations, but Firefox wins in the sheer range and variety of add-ons available.

Quantity and quality are two very different things, as anyone with multi-channel digital TV will tell you. Some Firefox extensions are little more than eye candy, others actually hinder the browsing experience. Yet there are gems among the frivolous and unnecessary add-ons, some of which could really improve your quality of life.

A good extension does a job that will save you time and effort or it provides information quickly in a convenient form. We have selected the best ones to save you time and those that have genuinely useful applications.

Adding an extension to Firefox 3 is easy. Just choose Tools, Add-ons, Get Add-ons and enter some keywords to narrow the search. The closest matches are displayed within the Add-ons dialogue. Click Browse all Add-ons to go to the main Firefox Add-ons site.

Select the one you want to install and click Add to Firefox. Confirm this in the software installation dialogue that pops up and restart Firefox. You can then start using the add-on.

To modify options for a particular add-on or to disable or uninstall it, choose Tools, Add-ons, Extensions. Select the one you want to change and click Options, Disable or Uninstall.