Robert Accettura's Fun With Wordage » Firefox Tips

Firefox Tip: Tab Management

Robert — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 02:04:41 +0000

Some of you may know this one, but some may not. You can middle click (press the mouse wheel) on any link to open it in a new tab. To close a tab, just middle click on the tab. This is often much faster than going to the red “X”.

By default Firefox only shows the tab bar when multiple tabs are open. This is done to keep the UI simple, and maximize the space available for the page itself. Other browsers such as IE 7 keep the Tab UI visible at all times. If you prefer this, you can change it by going into Tools -> Options and clicking on the “Tabs�? tab. Then check the box next to “Always show the tab bar”.

Firefox Tip: Master Password

Robert — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 02:07:13 +0000

Love the password manager? Previously I provided a tip for haters. Here’s one for the lovers. Use a master password, this allows you to use one password to provide security, but without needing to remember all those others you have. To set one go into the
“Tools” menu and select “Options” and click on the “Security” tab. Now check where it says “Use a master password”. You’ll be prompted to create one. It will even show you how good your password is.

If you need help generating a good secure password, check out SafePasswd.com.

Firefox Tip: Don’t Let Websites Resize Your Browser Window

Robert — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 02:19:40 +0000

Have a favorite website that still thinks its 1999? Resizes your browser window into a small awkward space? It can be annoying. You have that big display, and you should be able to use it. Thankfully you can prevent this. Just go into Tools-> Options and select the “Content” tab. Then click on the “Advanced” button across from “Enable JavaScript”. Uncheck the “Move or resize existing windows” checkbox. Now you don’t have to deal with this.

Firefox Tip: More To Come

Robert — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 01:43:33 +0000

I haven’t published any tips recently. I’ve got another small batch about ready to go, the first will likely appear tomorrow. I’ve been debating on different ways to have fun with the series including some Question/Answer etc. Today I spent most the time I would use for this on WWDC 2007.

Firefox Tip: Delete One Item From History

Robert — Tue, 22 May 2007 03:01:20 +0000

Do you want to delete one item from your browsing history? Say that splash page, or misspelled site that you keep visiting when ever you type a url with a similar name because you type to quickly? Gogle instead of Google? It happens. Just select it by entering the partial name in the url bar, and press shift delete. That will remove only that one entry from history.

Want to remove that memory of the time you forgot to put on pants before you left the house? Sorry, that feature hasn’t been implemented in Firefox just yet. Perhaps in the next version. Patches welcome.

Firefox Tip: Organizing Deleting Bookmarks

Robert — Thu, 17 May 2007 02:33:44 +0000

Want to delete a bookmark you don’t want anymore? Just right click on the bookmark you don’t want and select delete. This works even in the bookmarks menu.

Want to organize your bookmarks? Put them into subdirectories for efficiency? Go to the “Bookmarks” menu and select “Organize Bookmarks”. From there you can drag/drop to organize them all you want. Consider subdirectories if you have a lot of bookmarks to keep the list easy to navigate.

Firefox Tip: What Does That Mean?

Robert — Tue, 15 May 2007 00:30:33 +0000

Ever read something online and wonder what that means? For example say I mention “Romulus and Remus”. Do you know who they are? If not, just select their names by highlighting them, then right click while they are highlighted. In the menu you will see the ability to search for them using Google (or your search engine of choice). Select that and you will see a list of search results for them. No need to open a new window and type their names in. Just another way to help you get the information you want quickly and easily.

This is a great tip for kids doing research on the web.

Firefox Tip: Search The Web

Robert — Sat, 12 May 2007 01:17:02 +0000

Earlier we discussed searching a web page, but how about searching the web. Firefox has a box on the top right side for searching the web with ease. Don’t like using Google? That’s fine, just click on the logo to see a list of alternatives. If you still don’t find what you want to use, check this page for a list if more search engines that you can use. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t search with the search engine you want. Google is great for most of us, but some prefer something else.

Some sites can be added by simply visiting them. You’ll see the box get a blueish border. Open the menu and add the site right from there.

Firefox Tip: Firefox Problems?

Robert — Fri, 11 May 2007 02:08:07 +0000

Is Firefox behaving problematic? Just like Windows, Firefox has a “Safe Mode” so you can start it up and fix things. Select “Firefox (Safe Mode)” in the Start menu. This will disable many things to get it started. It also allows you to clear out certain things to fix the problem. Be careful with this, but if you’re having a problem this can be a big help.

Still have problems? Check the Mozillazine forums where there are many helpful users willing to help out if you ask nicely.

Firefox Tip: Clean Your Profile

Robert — Thu, 10 May 2007 02:30:39 +0000

If you’ve been a serious Firefox user for a while, you may feel the need to clean your profile. I wrote about this a while back. If you feel inclined you can read how to do this and perform this process. This is an advanced tip recommended only for people who are very comfortable with computers in general.