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Some time ago, we published a list of The 16 Most Essential Firefox 3.5 Add-ons. It was quite a comprehensive list, covering a pretty wide swath of popular and lesser-known add-ons in a courageous attempt to outfit your Firefox with all the additional functionality it otherwise lacks. Of course, it's difficult to really boil down the perfect Firefox experience into only 16 little extensions. I'm sure you could easily come up with 20 or 30 add-ons for the ultimate browser build.
But what about our long-forgotten friend, poor Google Chrome? Google just opened the floodgates to its own extension gallery the other day and, naturally, the first thing running through my mind is the question that's likely running through everybody's minds: How does it stack up? Well, no sense in waxing poetic about it. Let's find out. Just how easily can you replicate the ideal Firefox experience using Google add-ons, and in what ways is the browser--or, rather, the third-party add-on developers--lacking versus Firefox? We'll use our "16 essential add-ons" list as a guide.
Firefox: "With All-in-One Sidebar, you have instant access to Firefox’s entire inventory of Downloads, Add-ons, History and Bookmarks with one simple left-click."
Chrome: Brrrzzzzt. There is currently no extension that replicates this feature in Chrome. Loading new options, download windows, and browser history all happens through Chrome's "Customize and Control" button, which launches each selected item into a new tab or pop-up window.
Firefox: "Simply select text and drag it anywhere in your browser window: either to the search bar, to the middle of the page as a link, or if it’s an image, drag it to the middle of the browser window to save it on your desktop."
Chrome: Ding ding ding. Replicate this time-saving functionality for browsing by using the Google Chrome extension Drag N Go. You don't quite get to do as much as you can with QuickDrag, but you can nevertheless perform searches for dragged words or phrases that can be customized, by gesture, to search on different sites.
Firefox: "Simply right-click to open a link, select Open this link in IE tab, and Firefox displays a new tab for you in “IE mode.”
Chrome: Rock it. Grab the IE Tab extension to pull up a page using your favorite rendering engine, Internet Explorer, inside of Google Chrome.
Firefox: "Sometimes, our browsers and computers can become overloaded, and can instantaneously shut down while we’re in the process of filling out yet another tedious Internet form (ie. while blogging). Thankfully, Lazarus lives true to its name and resurrects our lost text."
Chrome: Is there a Lazarus extension for Chrome? Why yes there is! It features the same awesome functionality that will likely save my butt at least once while writing this very post.
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DOOMHAMMA
December 09, 2009 at 10:20pm
I'm not switching to Chrome until it has something as good as Adblock Plus.
cj100570
December 10, 2009 at 1:35pm
ask and ye shall receive http://www.chromeextensions.org/?s=adblock&scat=all
"Semper Paratus"
Albin
December 09, 2009 at 4:12pm
I've gotten so used to the faster and more evolved Developer Chrome I've forgotten what the "stable" version doesn't do. The new version has its own very simple and effective bookmark sync. (I'm sticking with FF as default for security and privacy reasons, but love Chrome for speedy handling of Google's own sites and services.)
FF add-ons I miss on Google are NoScript, BetterPrivacy, and QuickPageZoom.
Albin
December 09, 2009 at 4:12pm
I've gotten so used to the faster and more evolved Developer Chrome I've forgotten what the "stable" version doesn't do. The new version has its own very simple and effective bookmark sync. (I'm sticking with FF as default for security and privacy reasons, but love Chrome for speedy handling of Google's own sites and services.)
FF add-ons I miss on Google are NoScript, BetterPrivacy, and QuickPageZoom.
1337Goose
December 09, 2009 at 1:01pm
I've never been an extensions man, but these extensions don't appear to take up your entire screen or slow down your browser... sweet, I'm in.
~Goose
McB
December 09, 2009 at 11:31am
I was looking for something just like this. The only addon that is really keeping me from fully transferring to Chrome is AutoPager. Anyone know of a working extensions that functions in a similar way?
cj100570
December 10, 2009 at 1:39pm
you might find something like it here http://www.chromeextensions.org/
"Semper Paratus"
vvtempo
December 09, 2009 at 11:23am
Wow, excellent picks dude. Very good indeed. Firefox is simply the best.
RT
www.web-anonymity.se.tc
blackcat77
December 09, 2009 at 10:18am
When I read that extensions were available for Chrome, I downloaded it only to be disappointed again. The adblockers don't work, no working Greasemonkey, and most importantly, no No Squint so I was stuck with the tiny print on my 1920x1080 monitor unless I wanted to manually adjust every page.
IOW, Chrome is still not ready for primetime.
nekollx
December 09, 2009 at 10:22am
Patience grasshopper, Firefox DOES have a few years lead on Chrome...
------------------------------
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blackcat77
December 09, 2009 at 10:25am
But I have unpinned it from the taskbar. I'll check it again in a month or so and hopefully more things will work.
Neufeldt2002
December 09, 2009 at 10:11am
I only use one addon for firefox, Adblock Plus. Chrome has one too, Ad Sweep, that works just as well as Adblock Plus.
I wanted a signature, but all I got was this ________
JohnP
December 09, 2009 at 4:53pm
I would not run a browser without it. Firegestures is the other one that I got to have (which I guess Chrome has).
Digital-Storm
December 09, 2009 at 10:19am
MaximumPC doesn't put AdBlock Plus in their addon lists because it would be quite unbeneficial to their advertisements. Although I think more people should know about AdBlock so that websites use less obtrusive advertising. Google Adsence is very nice in that it doesnt clutter the screen atleast.
