Folks, don’t get us wrong: We’re not Internet Explorer haters. We just love Firefox’s tabbed interface and extensibility (a word that will not be used again in this article). Although the stock Firefox package installs a svelte, streamlined browser that’s quick on its feet, we can’t resist the temptation to gorge ourselves with the thousands of available extensions that customize our browser to do all the things we want it to do (without doing any of the things we don’t). From extensions that add armor-plated browser security, to tireless agents that constantly scour the Internet for sudden dips in air fares, the possibilities really are endless. The moral of the story: Master your extensions, and you’ll master your web experience.

Site Navigation
The miracles of miniaturization have had a profound impact on our lives, in computers, cellphones, and swimsuits, to name just a few examples. And now, even those annoyingly long URLs that crowd the web can be truncated to functional use. With the Tiny URL extension, a simple right-click allows you to transform the address of any page or link into a petite URL that you can save or share with others. And the best part is, these wee web addresses never expire, so you can send grandma a link to the super-cool gizmo you want from Amazon in a URL that won’t leave her grappling with a four-line cut-and-paste nightmare.

While you’re at it, save yourself some time by ditching the scroll wheel. As useful as it can be, the wheel is no match for Scrollbar Anywhere, which lets you scroll in any direction just by holding down the right mouse button. Your finger’s already lounging there—give it something to do. Need more excitement? Simple Rocker Navigation allows you to go backward and forward through web pages without the burden of lifting your lazy-ass hand off the mouse. Holding the left mouse button and clicking the right button goes forward in your page history, while doing the reverse will go backwards in the history. Simple and effective, just the way we like it.

More Fun with Site Navigation
The exceptionally daring might wish to demonstrate their nav fu by ditching the mouse altogether. Everyone knows that the Tab key jumps from one page element to the next—including links—and that pressing the Enter key submits field information and activates links. But the Mouseless Browsing extension completely liberates you from the little rodent by associating page elements with numbers. Just enter the number, press the Enter key, and Firefox responds as if you clicked the link. It’s a great way to fly though web pages and give your clicking finger a break.

Windows Explorer has a handy “Up” button that whisks you up one level in the directory structure, so why shouldn’t your web browser? You can stash Go Up on your toolbar, and with a quick click you can advance upwards in a website’s directory—for example, using Go Up at www.maximumpc.com/reviews will take you directly to our home page without forcing you to backtrack with the Back button.

As if that wasn’t godlike enough, Aardvark allows you to whimsically delete any element on a web page by simply placing the cursor over it and pressing R. Remove ads, pictures, text—anything you (don’t) want. The power is intoxicating.

Security
You wouldn’t leave the keys to your car on the hood, so don’t leave the keys to your PC in your browser. NoScript allows you to permanently approve (white-list) sites you know are safe—like your bank’s home page—and permits only those sites to execute Javascript. Access the preferences by going to the Tools menu, click Extensions, and click Options after highlighting NoScript. You can then add safe sites and configure advanced options. NoScript can even be added to the status bar, letting you allow or forbid the current site on the fly.

Search
There are plenty of search toolbars that promise to give you the information you want, but Clusty Toolbar soars above the herd. It has the standard search input area that can search for and highlight keywords on the page; but what really sets Clusty apart is its link to the über-cool Wikipedia encyclopedia. Select any word or phrase on a web page, right-click, select Get Encyclopedia Clip, and you’ll be served instant intelligence about the selected text from Wikipedia. The encyclopedia clip even opens in a small window, so you never have to leave your original page. If your curiosity is piqued, simply access the full Wikipedia entry via the link at the bottom of the clip window. Instant dictionary results as well as web searches for the selected text are also available. Groovy.

While you’re at it, why not tweak Google to provide results with a perfect fit every time? You can do it with CustomizeGoogle, an ingenious extension that lets you take control of the world’s most popular search engine. If the ads on the search results page are bugging you, simply remove them with a tick in the CustomizeGoogle option menu. Ads powered by Google will now disappear, and you can banish ads in Gmail as well.

CustomizeGoogle taps into every component of Google, including News, Groups, Images, and Froogle. It can even display links to other search engines based on your search criterion, right on the Google search results page!

Messaging
There exists an exotic species of hominid who communicates exclusively through text messaging, and they have the giant thumbs to prove it. You can establish diplomatic relations by sending text messages to their cellphones via email, but it’s always a hassle because you need to know the carrier’s domain, and in turn, the carrier itself. Teleflip, on the other hand, bridges the gap by allowing you to use any SMTP (outgoing) mail server to send SMS text messages to cellphones, so you don’t have to know all the minutiae of your carrier’s info.

You can find your SMTP server information in the Accounts setting of your mail program, or in the Help section of your free web-based email service. First, access the Teleflip settings in the Tool menu. Input your email address, server information, username, and password and you’re all set to text your heart out. To send a message, access the Teleflip tool in the Tool menu and click Send a Text Message. After entering the recipient’s cell number and your message, hit OK. Teleflip then zaps your communiqué over the net and into the airwaves.

Absent-minded ambassadors can take comfort in Der Browser Timer, der best way to remind yourself to send a thoughtful message, with a countdown-style timer or audible and visual alarms that jog your memory at regular intervals.

Time Savers
Tabbed browsing is just plain cool—how did we ever live without it? The same can be said about a nifty little extension that makes switching between tabs even easier—the Tab Scroller. Just hold the right mouse button down and move the scroll wheel, and the page names of every tab will be displayed in a popup menu. Use the scroll wheel to select the desired tab and, voila, you’re there. It’s quick and makes life easier, especially if you’re an incorrigible tab-maniac.

Autocopy takes the Control-C out of copying text. When active, any text that’s selected with the cursor is automatically copied to the clipboard. Autocopy can be configured to turn on or off via the status bar, context menu, Edit menu, or all three.

Fares, Weather If you’re constantly leaping from airport to airport, or even if you’re just planning an upcoming vacation, the FareWatcher extension is a great way to stay abreast of the best airline prices. The extension sits on the status bar and relays customized fare results via RSS from Farecompare.com. The Settings menu allows you to tailor the results by limiting price and specifying the airline and service type (coach, business, or—you lucky bastard—first class). It’s currently limited to domestic flights within the U.S., however.

ForecastFox is like having your own personal meteorologist hanging out on your status bar. Powered by Accuweather.com, this extension shows current and forecast weather as well as regional satellite information. Plus, you can create profiles defining location and unit of measure; so you can get the weather in your hometown in Fahrenheit and then effortlessly check the conditions in Glasgow, in Celsius, just by switching profiles.