Increasingly the open source web browser Firefox is becoming the browser of choice for web developers, online marketers and traditional web browsers. One of the main reasons for this change is the flexibility and adaptability offered through the vast selection of plug-ins and toolbars available for Firefox, each plug-in is easy to install and takes only seconds. It can be a daunting process wading through the wide selection of add-ons available for Firefox. For many it is an alien experience, especially for those new to the Internet.



To help those that are thinking of moving , or have moved, to the Firefox web browser we've created a list of five of the most useful plug-ins for Firefox – to help all users start enjoying the added functionality and improved browsing experience that Firefox can deliver.

1. ScreenGrab

Allows you to grab a screen shot of whole web pages - not just the visible section of the page. This is highly useful for presentations and when creating reports on websites – is also great for taking screen grabs to send to web design companies to inform on look and feel of newly designed/developed pages on your website.

2. Netcraft Toolbar

Phishing is one of the most dangerous attempts on personal security on the Internet. The ability to protect against ‘spam' attempts to gain your credit card and user account details on websites is a must. Netcraft lets you know whenever you are requesting a webpage that could be a phishing attempt – a great move forward for anyone concerned with Internet security

3. IE Switcher

Unfortunately not all web development and web design agencies take care to ensure that their website displays in all browsers. Sometimes you will find websites that Firefox has difficulty in displaying. This plug-in will allow you to view the page as if it was in Internet Explorer. Increasing the amount of pages that you can view appropriately online. Can be set up to always display domains as if in Internet Explorer.

4. The Web Developer Toolbar

The Web Developer Toolbar for Firefox is a must for all those developing, designing or marketing a website online. This combines many functions regularly needed when developing web pages and websites. It has useful features such as disabling JavaScript (always difficult in Internet Explorer), disable Meta Redirects – useful to protect against phishing and the ability to turn off CSS – which is useful for those on lower bandwidth connections as it reduces load times on image heavy pages.

5. Groowe Toolbar

All the major search engine provide toolbars to help you quickly run queries. However having individual toolbars for Yahoo!, MSN and Google can reduce the amount of browser you have available to view pages. Groowe solves this by placing all of these and other toolbars, into one toolbar. Making surfing the web easier than ever and allowing you to view a larger portion of the webpage than ever before.

With all, or some, of these toolbars installed you can increase your online security, make browsing simpler or make work quicker than ever before.