Best free browser add-ons
Free auto refresh add-ins for your browser
Auto-refresh utilities automatically update your browser screen at pre-determined intervals. They're useful for monitoring fast-changing events such as sports scores, auctions and financial markets where you need to keep track of what's happening. And let's not forget Facebook and Twitter fans who simply must be tuned in to what's happening in their social network.
Firefox users have an easy first choice in the form of a free extension called ReloadEvery [1]. It gives you everything you really need.
For Internet Explorer there's a rather unimaginatively-named toolbar plug-in called "Auto Refresher for IE." Once installed, you have to enable it from View/Toolbars. It's quite an old product but I found that it worked fine with IE7.
As with all auto-refresh utilities, make sure you turn these products off when filling in web forms, otherwise you may find you lose all your work.
[2] http://www.xwen.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=20&Itemid=40
Convert your browser to 3D
SpaceTime is a free application that replaces your browser tabs with a series of stacked and rotatable 3D panes. SpaceTime also has some special built-in features which optimize the effectiveness of common web tasks, such as Google, eBay and YouTube searches. For example, with a Google search the web pages found by the first few search hits will be fetched, stacked in 3D, and ready for you to quickly scan. There is much to like here. SpaceTime requires Windows 2000 or later, a reasonably fast PC, and a good internet connection. Thanks to Lex Davidson for the link.
http://www.spacetime.com
Ten killer Firefox extensions
This list is a bit different to the usual run-of-the-mill extension list and includes several extensions I'd never heard of. Well worth checking out. Thanks to subscriber Lex Davidson for the link.
http://www.webupon.com/Browsers/10-Killer-Firefox-Extensions-That-You-Probably-Dont-Know-About.91442
Use Google Sky from your browser
Now there's no need to download and install Google Earth Software in order to use Google Sky because you can now run it directly from your browser. There are many things of great beauty, wonder and mystery to see here. Check out the Hubble Showcase; only a sad and miserable soul could not be moved by these glorious photos.
http://www.google.com/sky/
The best free minimizer
This review was prepared by subscriber Joe Bennett as a part of his contribution to the new Wiki style "46 Best-ever Freeware List." Joe is one of 30 or so subscribers who have volunteered to act as software category editors for the project. If you feel you would like to assist as well you can get more details here. Here is his edited review:
If you are like me you probably have lots of different programs running on your PC at the same time. If so you'll know how quickly your task bar can become a confusing mess of many different programs.
A great solution to this mess is to minimize programs, not to a bar in the taskbar, but to an icon in the system notification tray. This takes up much less space and is also a more effective way of quickly switching between programs. (The system notification tray is, by the way, the fancy term for the right hand side of your taskbar.)
Some applications have an inbuilt feature that allows minimizing to an icon, but most don't. Enter the application minimizer. Each of the free minimizer programs listed here allows you to send any of your programs to the system tray instead of the task bar.
The product that impressed me most is TrayIt! [1]. First, it requires no installation; just double click the program file and it's up and running. Second, it can minimize open windows to the tray either temporarily or permanently with just one click. Third, it handles "difficult" windows such as skins with ease. Fourth, it works with all versions of Windows (95 through Vista). Fifth, it's a tiny 44KB! Finally, it's free. A little gem.
A good alternative is PowerMenu [2]. It works slightly differently because it gives the option to minimize to system tray on a context menu rather than by using the Ctrl key. It also has additional options to keep the window always on top and also set priority and transparency. Like Trayit!, it doesn't need to be installed. However, PowerMenu hasn't been updated for some time and has some features that only work for Windows NT and later.
4T Tray Free [3] is another option. It is the only one of the programs reviewed that allows you to minimize programs to the system tray in multiple ways, either by using keyboard shortcuts or by clicking on additional buttons on the applications title bar. This feature alone will make it an attractive option for some people. It is highly configurable, easy to use and very intuitive. However, unlike the TrayIt! and PowerMenu, it is not portable and needs to be installed before use.
[1] TrayIt!
Website:
http://tinyurl.com/2wfjb (Editor's note: I've used a tinyurl link as McAfee Site Advisor incorrectly rates this site as "red." The site itself is fine though there are links to other sites that are not OK. You can however download TrayIT! with confidence - Gizmo)
Author: Igor Nys
Date: 7/26/2007
Version: 2.11.11 (Stable), 4.6.5.1 (Release Candidate) Download File size: 35 kb
License: Freeware
Operating systems supported: Windows 95-Vista
64 Bit Capable: No
Portable version available: Yes
Other languages supported: Bulgarian, Czech, Dutch, French, German, Hungarian, Russian and Spanish
[2] PowerMenu
Website:
http://www.veridicus.com/tummy/programming/powermenu/
Author: Thong Nguyen
Date: 11/23/2002
Version: 1.5.1
Download File size:
License: Freeware
Operating systems supported: 95-Vista
64 Bit Capable: No
Portable version available: Yes
Other languages supported: None
[3] 4T Tray Minimizer Free
Website: - -
http://www.4t-niagara.com/tray.html
Author: 4T Niagra Software
Date: 3/24/2007
Version: 4.40
Download File size: 801 kb
License: Free for Personal Use
Operating systems supported: Windows 95-Vista
64 Bit Capable: No
Portable version available: No
Other languages supported: None
Quickly switch between open applications
Experienced users know that they can switch between running applications by using the Alt-Tab task switching feature built into Windows. The only problem is that to get to the program you want, you have to cycle through all running applications by repeatedly pressing the Tab key until you get to the required program. TaskSwitchXP is a replacement for the standard Windows Alt-Tab task switcher that overcomes this problem by displaying all running applications in one screen, thus making it quicker and easier to find the program you want. It also adds a whole bunch of features, including the ability to minimize applications to the system tray, terminate programs, show process information and more. All of this in a tiny 445KB program that takes up virtually no memory. This is a utility that should be on every XP PC. Thanks to subscribers Toby Knott, "Schtrudel" and Brad Taylor, all of whom suggested this product at different times over the last year. Freeware, Windows XP and 2003, 445KB
http://www.ntwind.com/software/taskswitchxp.html
Add paste and go feature to Firefox
One of the many great features in the Opera Browser is the way it loads a site automatically when you paste the URL into the address box. The same applies to search, just paste the search term and the search runs automatically without the need to hit "Enter" or the Search button. Paste and Go [1] is a Firefox extension that gives you similar functionality in Firefox. It's not quite as elegant as the Opera implementation in that you need to use Shift Ctrl V to paste and go rather than just Ctrl V but, nonetheless, it will save you time every day. A related Firefox extension is Linkification. This allows you to highlight a text-only link in a web page and then use the right click context menu to open the link in a new tab or window. [1] https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/3035/
[2] https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/190/
Turn your web browser into your desktop
If you want the ultimate online office, with all your programs and data available from anywhere, you need a Web-based operating system and desktop environment. And eyeOS is just such a product. Install it on your web server, and everything can be accessed with nothing more than a standard Web browser. Best of all, it's open source.
http://www.eyeos.com
Firefox extension attaches sticky notes to Web pages
I don't like sticky note utilities much but for this one I make an exception. Internote allows you to attach notes to webpages so that when you revisit the page the sticky note is automatically displayed. Neat eh? Free Firefox extension, Firefox 1.5 -> 2.0, 118KB. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/2011
The best online to-do lists
In this comparative review [1] they look at Bla Bla, Ta-da, Tudu, Remember The Milk and Voo2Do. I've found the to-do feature at BackPack [2] to meet my needs better than any of them even though it's part of a web calendar rather than a dedicated to-do service. As ever, your mileage may vary.
[1] http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/08/do-more-online-to-do-lists-compared/
[2] http://www.backpackit.com/
New Firefox backup extension
A few issues back I mentioned MozBackup, a free program that allows you to back up your critical Firefox and Thunderbird data. Another alternative is BackupFox which backs up all the data in your Firefox profile. It will also backup your Thunderbird profile as well. (395KB)
http://www.extensionsmirror.nl/index.php?showtopic=2953
Smart cookie management
It's hard to surf without accepting cookies as many sites simply won't work unless you have them enabled. You can overcome this in Internet Explorer by employing a little known technique based on a customized privacy import file. With such a file you can do all sorts of fancy tricks. One of my favorites is converting all cookies into "session cookies" i.e. cookies that are erased as soon as you leave the site that created them. This gives you the best of both worlds: you have full access to all sites but have no cookies left on your PC. Subscriber Vic Laurie shows you how to do this at his excellent computer education site. It's easier for Firefox users; just go to Tools / Options / Privacy / Cookies and set "Keep Cookies" to "Until I close Firefox."
http://www.vlaurie.com/computers2/Articles/custom_privacy_file.htm