Firefox add-on allows you to search the Wayback Machine

Posted by Celia Walter | 10 Jun, 2010

Fellow time travelers,

We have a new Firefox add-on that allows you to search the Wayback Machine from your browser. You can get it at: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/162148/.

For those who have yet to travel back in time, the Internet Archive Wayback Machine allows you to browse through over 150 billion web pages archived from 1996 to a few months ago.

So install the Wayback Machine Firefox add-on and take a trip.

From The Internet Archive

And more, from ResearchBuzz:

Enter the URL of a site in which you’re interested and you’ll get a Wayback result showing all dates available.

 

In the case of www.yahoo.com, which I tried to check first, I got archived pages going all the way back to 1996.

One caveat, though — this is for site URLs only. You can’t do keyword searches this way. (Didn’t you used to be able to search the Wayback Machine by keyword? I think it was a pretty long time ago.)

I wish this was more of a full-blown extension — where you could pull up current and former versions of a page, highlight differences, etc — but it’s nice just to have that in my search bar. If you haven’t used The Wayback Machine in a while, go take a look at the advanced search page. You can now filter by file type, compare two versions of a page, and even get a PDF output of an old page version (this feature is in beta.)

 

Post in Internet, Firefox | comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

VLC Media Player 1.0.1 and SmarterFox 2.1.2.

Posted by Celia Walter | 5 Sep, 2009
VLC Media Player 1.0.1

http://www.videolan.org/

There are a number of open-source media players out there, and VLC Media Player is definitely one of the better options. With this application, users can advance files frame-by-frame and also customize the toolbars so that the user interface is free of any other non-essential items. As one might expect, the application can play a wide variety of formats, and it can also be used to record. This version is compatible with computers running Windows 2000 and newer and Mac 10.5 and newer. [KMG]



SmarterFox 2.1.2

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/9825

If you could have a Smart Fox, why not just get a SmarterFox and be done with it? This nice add-on for the Firefox browser certainly makes web-surfing a bit more appealing and visually stimulating. SmarterFox displays a sharp looking "bubble" complete with customizable search engine shortcuts when highlighting a word or phrase. SmarterFox will also offer various suggestions when users are typing and it can also be used to download various links and Flash video content. This version is compatible with computers running Windows 2000 and newer in tandem with the Firefox browser. [KMG]

 

From: 

Scout Report

Post in Open source software, Firefox, Video | comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Firefox 3.5, a review

Posted by Celia Walter | 1 Jul, 2009
Firefox 3.5: Excellent for fans, but competition getting tougher

Firefox 3.5 brings the world's second-most popular browser up to speed with current browsing technology and trends, and perhaps nudges it just a bit ahead of the competition. However, it is by no means the leap ahead that its predecessor Firefox 3 was, and it's clear that the competition isn't going away anytime soon.

Available for Windows, Windows Portable, Mac, or Linux, Firefox 3.5 nevertheless represents the best Firefox we've yet seen from Mozilla.

From CNET The Download Blog

Post in Firefox, Browsers (software) | comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Undeleting Firefox Tabs

Posted by Celia Walter | 16 Jan, 2009

This is one for Firefox users. Both Firefox and IE7 support multiple tabs. This is great when you want to flit from one web page to another but you can end up with dozens of them in a session. If you delete or close a tab by mistake, you can undelete it in Firefox by pressing Ctrl Shift T. This will also work if you have closed Firefox using ‘Save and Quit'. It does not work in IE7 - does anyone know if it is even possible to rescue a closed tab in IE7?

From: Tales from the Terminal Room  January 2009, Issue No. 86 http://www.rba.co.uk/tfttr/archives/2009/jan2009.shtml

Post in Firefox | comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

7 Things You Should Know About Zotero

Posted by Celia Walter | 1 Oct, 2008

Educause has published another of it’s 7 things articles, this time filling everyone in about 7 Things You Should Know About Zotero. If you’re doing any sort of research or have a need to create bibliographies of online resources, you may want to check out this article which answers these questions about the popular Firefox extension:

  1. What is it?
  2. Who’s doing it?
  3. How does it work?
  4. Why is it significant?
  5. What are the downsides?
  6. Where is it going?
  7. What are the implications for teaching and learning?
iLibrarian blog

Post in Open source software, Firefox, Reference managers (software packages) | comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Firefox 3.0

Posted by Celia Walter | 22 Jun, 2008
Firefox 3.0 was recently released, and those who were fans of the browser before will find a number of new features worth checking out. Now visitors will find that the location bar drop-down menu includes URLs from the browsing history and bookmarks. Additionally, there's an "Add-Ons" manager which includes a built-in plug-in search engine. Also, visitors can pause and resume downloads for their own convenience. This version is compatible with computers running Mac OS X 10.4 and newer or Windows 2000 and newer. [KMG] Scout Report

http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/

Post in Firefox | comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

10 Seriously Useful Firefox Add-ons

Posted by Celia Walter | 30 May, 2008

+ Add to Search Bar — Fire fox already has a built-in search box that allows you to add different site searches — e.g., the major Web engines, Amazon.com, Wikipedia, etc. This extension permits you to instantly add (right click menu) search functionality for any page you stumble across.

+ Coupon Craze — I do a lot of online shopping. This Firefox add-on automatically alerts you to any coupon codes, special deals, etc., when you are visiting online retailers. A similar extension is RetailMeNot.

+ Flashblock — I don’t know about you, but I really, really do not like it when I click on a link that takes me to a website where I am greeted by a Flash movie or animation that begins playing immediately. This extension proactively blocks all Flash presentations, replacing them with a right-pointing arrow that you can click to view the Flash content. When YOU want to look at it.

+ Forecast Fox — There are no windows in my workspace at the Day Job. This extension puts current weather information (from AccuWeather) in the bottom right of the browser window frame, and even lets me know when there are special alerts. So now I don’t have to actually get up from my desk and find a window to see what is going on outside. (Which is kind of sad, when you think about it…but that’s life.)

+ Foxmarks Bookmark Synchronizer — If you use more than just one machine to access the Internet — e.g., one at home, one at work — you need this. It keeps all of your Firefox bookmarks synchronized across every computer that you use.

+ Gspace — Nifty extension that lets you use your Gmail online space as an external hard drive. Who can’t use more storage?

+ No Squint — OK, my eyes are not what they used to be. If this is also true for you, download this extension immediately. It allows you to adjust the default text zoom level for any site — and then remembers it on a per-site basis. Lovely.

+ PDF Download — Click on a PDF link and it gives you the option to open, download or covert the PDF to HTML. What I find particularly valuable is that it tells you how large the PDF file is before you click to open it. Since I always like to inform people about PDF file size when I am posting to DocuTicker, this is extremely helpful.

+ Repagination — You come across a lengthy online article, and the website offers no apparent way to view/print it as a single page. Repagination makes this happen. Simple but elegant.

+ Video DownloadHelper — Makes it easy to download videos from YouTube and similar sites. Says it also works for audio and picture galleries, though I’ve never tried it with either. As always, copyright emptor.

Resourceshelf

Post in Firefox | comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Firefox addon summarizes Google search results

Posted by Celia Walter | 20 May, 2008
Sensebot is a semantic search engine still in beta (we reviewed it last summer). The main boon of Sensebot is that it summarizes Google search results through text mining. But you don’t have to register for the beta to profit from the technology. Try installing the Sensebot Summary plug-in for Firefox... Pandia

Post in Firefox, Google, GMail and other Google products | comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

MozBackup 1.4.7 and Google Earth 4.3

Posted by Celia Walter | 20 Apr, 2008
http://mozbackup.jasnapaka.com/

This tiny application allows users to back up, save, and restore bookmarks from Firefox, Thunderbird, and SeaMonkey. Visitors can also use choose which parts of the profile they want to save or restore, including various emails and address books. This version of MozBackup is compatible with computers running Windows 95 and newer. [KMG] Scout Report

Google Earth 4.3

http://earth.google.com/

If visitors haven't already taken a look through Google Earth, the new version of this mapping application may pique their interest. The visual interface for the application displays a rendering of the globe, and return visitors will notice that the control panel is now translucent and rests in a corner of the map. The application also integrates with Google's 3-D rendering program, so users can place their new building in a real-life setting to see how it looks in context. This version is compatible with Mac OS X 10.4. [KMG] Scout Report

Post in Firefox, Google, GMail and other Google products | comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

20 Time-Saving Firefox Shortcuts

Posted by Celia Walter | 26 Feb, 2008

iLibrarian blog

February 25th, 2008

Terry at SEONOOBs comes up with 20 Amazing Firefox Shortcuts to Save You Time and Money. The browsing tips include instructions for how to accomplish each of these tasks in a more efficient manner:

  1. Search Sites With Keywords
  2. Assign Keywords to Bookmarks
  3. Navigate Tabs
  4. Type Quicker URLs
  5. Quick Word Search
  6. Drop-Down Bookmarks
  7. Delete Addresses
  8. Get Instant Downloads
  9. Launch Multiple Homepages
  10. Caret Browsing
  11. Save Audio and Video Clips
  12. Quick Google Search
  13. Viewing Images
  14. Speed Up Firefox
  15. Make a Live Bookmark
  16. Stop Animation
  17. Open New Tabs
  18. Close Tabs
  19. Customize Firefox
  20. Find Words and Links

Post in Firefox | comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Firefox: plugins and extensions

Posted by Celia Walter | 15 Feb, 2008

Sarah's Top Ten Firefox Plug-ins and Extensions

Post in Firefox | comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

15 must-have Firefox tricks

Posted by Celia Walter | 17 Jan, 2008
Preston Gralla reveals how to tweak, hack and bend Firefox to your will.
 

December 18, 2007 (Computerworld) -- What good is a browser unless you can tweak it, hack it and bend it to your will? No good at all. The more you can hack it, the better it is.

And that means that Firefox must be a great browser. It's infinitely customizable, via editing a text file called userChrome.css, making changes via a command called about:config, and using free add-ons to extend the features of the browser.

In this article, with those techniques and others, I'll show you 15 great Firefox tricks, including how to build your own Firefox search engine, how to speed up your browsing, how to hack the interface and plenty more. So launch your favorite browser, and get ready for some great tricks.

Editor's note: If you use Internet Explorer 7 instead of Firefox, check out these

8 top tips for IE 7

more From Computerworld

From 

 

 

Post in Firefox | comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

40 Useful Firefox Add-Ons for Librarians – Parts One to Three

Posted by Celia Walter | 16 Jan, 2008
  1. 40 Useful Firefox Add-Ons for Librarians – Part One
  2. 40 Useful Firefox Add-Ons for Librarians – Part Two
  3. 40 Useful Firefox Add-Ons for Librarians – Part Three

From iLibrarian Blog 

Post in Firefox | comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)