Top 10 Firefox extensions to avoid

Just because an extension is popular doesn't mean it belongs in your Web browser.

Popularity shouldn't be the acid test to determine if you should install an extension. The important question is whether it enhances your browsing experience without any nasty side effects. The good news is that the extension community is actually pretty adept at self-policing. Most extensions that are truly "broken" (for instance, they crash your browser or suck up all your CPU power) either get fixed quickly or simply vanish.

But some extensions are "bad" in unapparent ways, or just don't provide enough benefits to be worth running. So, in no particular order, let's look at 10 to avoid.

Fasterfox

This Web accelerator has a "pre-fetching" mechanism that makes you a very bad Web citizen. Here's how it works:

(really like ad block... note how article is biased in favor of web adds)

http://www.computerworld.com/action...ewArticleBasic&articleId=9015599&pageNumber=1

IMO, the author of that article sounded like a mouth piece for the advertising and marketing clients who pay for ad space and collect personal data.

He's dead wrong on No-Script!
The www might as well stand for wild wild west. Opening unknown webpages can be like treading on a minefield.
The power of this extension is likely the bane of many script creators.

Funny how he poo poo's it, then goes to claim how another extension is too dangerous in possibly running javascripts of unknown origin.

I don't have the others installed....but No-Script is part of each Firefox install I use.

I'm running faster firefox (no prefetch), no script and ad block....

No script is by far my most enjoyed FF extension. It saves me from loading up so much crud that's out there, and has (confirmed that I know of) saved my bacon 3 times loading into malicious sites over the past few months during some intense researching in google.

i hate IE Tab with a passion.

I run Forecastfox Enhanced 0.9.3.1 The recent latest update to 0.9.5.2 locks up FF for me. Anyone else?

Lite_me said:

I run Forecastfox Enhanced 0.9.3.1 The recent latest update to 0.9.5.2 locks up FF for me. Anyone else?

Click to expand...

I'm running 0.9.5.2 in Firefox 2.0.0.3 with no problems. I'm also running NoScript, Flashblock, Adblock Plus, and a few others. Not sure if Flashblock is really that effective now that I use NoScript, but it doesn't seem to be hurting anything either. I also make it prompt Accept/Deny on all cookies. So I feel pretty locked down and secure. Although other people that try to use my Firefox get annoyed really quickly because I have tightened security so much. I haven't had an infected machine in several years because of these practices though!

I just love noscript.

Not that it make me really that much more secure; I don't feel I'm not secure if I do not use it.

It's just that 3 of my daily pages I visit run much more smoothly without the stupid scripted ads! I can actually enjoy reading them, without getting frustrated with ads.

The article sounds VERY biased. No adblock??? No prefetch??? It sounds like they have too many advertisement links hosted on their server, where the advertisers punish them for prefetching.

Admittedly, on my new main laptop I reverted back to IE, due to some Firefox conflicts w/ either Vista Ultimate or Outlook 2007. When the products mature and behave properly, I'll go back to Firefox. However, Firefox is still the main browser on both of my XP machines.

cy said:

The good news is that the extension community is actually pretty adept at self-policing. Most extensions that are truly "broken" (for instance, they crash your browser or suck up all your CPU power) either get fixed quickly or simply vanish.

http://www.computerworld.com/action...ewArticleBasic&articleId=9015599&pageNumber=1

Click to expand...

That's one reason I quit making themes for Firefox. I began when Firefox was known as Phoenix. The Devs were breaking themes and extensions every month. I had 50 or so themes and just could not keep updating. It was rediculous, the amount of hours I would spend creating a theme, then I would have to revisit it again to fix it - several times X many = carpal tunnel

yep.. same here.. have not used any new themes, but are all time trying new extensions.

came to conclusion, if firefox becomes unstable and locks up. it's probably some extension(s) causing problems.

then I start un-installing until problems is fixed.

No-Script catches me off guard at times; I wonder why I can't see certain areas of a site and start to fuss and fume, when it dawns on me to 'temp allow' the site and presto, problem gone; GREAT extension.

I use no extension at all. Just came to FF after my beloved netscape crashed every few minutes ... and no new version is available

What is that NoScript thing? I like the name of that ...

bk

Kiessling,

It lets the sites you tell it to to run scripts on your computer. The rest it blocks.

NoScript

Cool!
Got it !!
:thumbsup:
bernie

THANK YOU to those who mentioned Noscript. I've downloaded and installed it, I've never had pages load so fast. I'm on a crummy dial-up connection. 26.4kbps is the fastest I've seen, and I get 22kbps often. High speed internet just flat is not available this far out of town. Obviously, every thing I can do to stop downloading unneeded garbage is a help.

Again, THANK YOU to all who mentioned Noscript. :buddies:

dieselb, you need to install flash block and ad block next.
that should reduce greatly amount of stuff you don't want.