Streamline Firefox browsing with useful, fun Add-ons

Streamline your Firefox browsing experience with useful and fun Add-ons

April 22, 2010

This how-to article looks at Add-ons for the Firefox web browser. An Add-on is a small component that can be installed easily into the Firefox browser.

For an example we’re going to use Weather Bug to display the current and forecast weather in the footer of your browser.

Go to the Mozilla Firefox Add-ons directory.
Type in “weather” into the search box and click go (or hit the Enter key).
Click on the “Add to Firefox” button
Add-on to Firefox 1
Click the “Allow” button at the top of the page to allow firefox to install this Add-on. Note: Weather Bug is a 3rd party developed piece of code that runs inside of Firefox. The popular Add-ons are all generally safe to use. But be cautious if you find an Add-on that is not on the Mozilla Firefox directory or is rated poorly.
Add-on for Firefox 2
A screen will popup detailing exactly what you will be installing. Click “Install Now”
Add-on Tutorial for Firefox 3
Another popup will tell you the Add-on is now installing. When it is finished installing, most Add-ons will require you to restart your Firefox browser. Click “Restart Firefox”.
Add-on Tutorial for Firefox 4
Many Add-ons, including Weather Bug, require some basic settings. When Firefox restarts, it will popup a box for you to setup your weather location.
Click “Add Station”
Add-on Tutorial for Firefox 5
Enter your Zip Code and click “Search”
Choose a Weather Station from the list.
Click “OK”
Click “OK”
Now check out the footer of your browser window to see your new Add-on for the weather.

Add-on Tutorial for Firefox 6
To change the weather station, click Tools > Add-ons from the menu bar.
Scroll down to find Weather Bug and click Options. You can now change the settings for Weather Bug.

That’s it. There are all kinds of Add-ons available to add features, change the look-and-feel and more. Play around and make your web browsing experience more useful and fun!