Firefox has nice built in password management features, however the one thing it is missing is the ability to export your saved information. Doing so is a nice way to get these entries into a password manager program. To add this ability to Firefox, check out the appropriately named Password Exporter add-on.

This extension allows you to export your saved passwords and disabled login hosts using XML or CSV files that can be imported in another browser or computer.

This is the functionality you would expect: simple and effective. Just make sure you do not keep the export files sitting around as the data is stored in plain text. When you are done with these files, be sure to permanently delete them.

If you consistently have a bunch of tabs open when using Firefox, one problem you may have is following the ‘breadcrumb’ of how tabs relate to each other. For example, if you are looking at search results on troubleshooting and then follow a link which opens a new tab and follow another link which opens another new tab (etc., etc.), the tabs can be cumbersome to backtrack. To help with this, check out the Tree Style Tab add-on:

This provides tree-style tab bar, like a folder tree of Windows Explorer. New tabs opened from links (or etc.) are automatically attached to the current tab. If you often use many many tabs, it will help your web browsing because you can understand relations of tabs.

Their explanation hopefully clarifies my example, but checkout the screenshots on the link and you will see exactly what it does.

I find this particularly useful when researching code documentation because I can jump back and forth between my search results and any message boards and articles I opened from there.

Not too long ago, I wrote about a Live Writer plugin which allows you to insert images directly from Flickr. In that exact same spirit, and functionality, here is a Microsoft Word add-in called Flickr4Word which allows you to do the same.

Flickr4Word draws on the model of Flickr4Writer and brings the Flickr(tm) services to Microsoft Word 2007. When you create a new document in Word, you can now directly access your Flickr(tm) services from Word and insert images into your mail messages.

Note the author’s comment about inserting images directly into your mail messages. This applies if you are using Outlook as your mail client and have Word set as your editor (I’m pretty sure Outlook 2007 always uses Word) which makes this add-in very useful for those with Flickr accounts.

Have you ever been reading a website which references something you would like more information on, but don’t want to have to navigate to another site? If so, just look it up directly in a pop-up window using Cleeki.

With Cleeki your search experience can be as simple as one click on a keyword you would like to query. You leave the rest to Cleeki, which searches multiple websites automatically, intelligently and simultaneously. Retrieval results are nicely organized and returned to you instantly.

This free extension has both a Firefox and IE version, so it should accomodate most people. You can think this as an on-demand smart tag which isn’t annoying. You can read about all the features and watch a brief demo on their homepage.

The most noticeable change in Office 2007 from the previous releases of Office is without a doubt the use of the command ribbon instead of traditional menus. This change does take some getting used to which can lead to a bit of frustration finding the command you need. To remedy this, bring back the classic/traditional menu system using the freeware tool, UBitMenu.

If you have spent agonizing minutes trying to find features in Word, Excel or PowerPoint ribbons that would have been at your finger tips in Office 2003 you will soon appreciate UBitMenu, especially when you have to finish an important document under time pressure.

UBitMenu does not hide the ribbon interface, but adds the classic menu as a new ribbon. By-and-by you will realize that many functions are indeed easier to handle using Office 2007 ribbons. Microsoft has done a good job there.

I do agree with their assesment that the command ribbon is a more efficient interface, however this is only after you have learned where the commands are. In the meantime, this tool provides a seamless transition from your old version to 2007.

If you do data analysis in Excel, you are probably well aware with the myraid number of chart selections available to make your data graphical. If ever need help determining which one might be the best option, check out the Chart Advisor add-on for Excel.

Ever struggled to find just the right chart for your data? Chart Advisor was created as a concept test to explore new ways Excel users can create graphs quickly and effectively. Based on the data in your spreadsheet, it identifies, ranks, and displays an array of charts most relevant to you so you can make the most out of your presentation.

This free add-on (with an 8,000 row limit) is a pretty nifty creation and is especially helpful for those not yet familiar with Excel’s charting capabilities.

A nifty little add-on which Internet Explorer users might want to take a look at is Snip IT. From the description on their web site:

SnipIT can be used to e-mail the selected text in Internet Explorer using the user’s e-mail client of choice. The add-on currently supports Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Hotmail, Yahoo Mail, Gmail and default installed MailTo client in Internet Explorer as e-mail client options. Yahoo Mail Beta is not currently supported.

I can see how this would be useful as if you wanted to send a link, part of an article, or even a full article to someone all you would have to do is highlight the text, right click and send. Additionally, the ability to utilize web based email providers really makes this actually usable. Users of the Google toolbar (and other toolbars perhaps) have similar functionality, but I believe it is strickly limted to Gmail, where this tool opens it up for all the big ones.

Every Windows user is familiar with the the standard commands from the control bar (Maximize, Minimize, Close, Move, Size and Restore). If you want to add a few more commands to this list then take a look at PowerMenu.

This free add-on enables you to control the following for each Window you have open:

• Transparency
• CPU priority
• Always on top
• Minimize to tray

Every one of these functions is useful which makes this a really awesome add-on. The program is small and lightweight so you should experience very little, if any at all, lag.

A big difference between Firefox and IE is the way add-ons are installed. Typically for Firefox, everything is installed through the browser where for IE most everything is installed through a program installation. Much like Firefox however, IE has a built in and easy to use extension manager, however I have found many people do not know how to acutally get to and use the add-on manager.

It’s simple, here is how:

1. In IE, go to Tools > Manage Add-ons > Enable or Disable Add-ons.
2. In the Manage Add-ons dialog, you probably want to pay the most attention to items listed in the “Add-ons currently loaded in Internet Explorer”, “Add-ons that run without requiring permission” and “Downloaded Active X Controls” options from the drop down.
3. Any add-ons which you do not use or, especially, anything suspicious looking you can disable by selecting the item from the list and then check the disable radio button.
4. Apply your changes and then restart IE.

A noticeable difference between Firefox and Internet Explorer 7 is the find on page feature. Firefox offers a very nice ’status bar’ type interface that is unobtrusive as you search for a specific word or phrase on the current page. IE7’s is a bit more antiquated as it is a cumbersome dialog box which can interfere with you being able to see the full page. A simple solution to this is the free extension, Find As You Type for IE.

This extension replaces the dialog box (Ctrl + F) with a tool bar interface and offers similar functionality to Firefox’s. I use the search functionality quite a bit and this add-in makes the two browsers consistent with their behavior.

I wouldn’t say this is a must-have add-on, but if you use both Firefox and IE7, I would definitely recommend it.

One of the new features added to Internet Explorer 7 was a built in RSS reader. This functionality is great for simply subscribing to and reading feeds without the need for an additional program. If you make use of IE7’s built in feed reader, then you should take a look at the RikReader add-on.

From their web site, this free add-on enhances the built in IE7 RSS reader functionality to include:

• A unified view of all your feeds: See all your items in a single view. “Codename: RikReader” collapses the hierarchy of feeds and folders into a single list of items ordered by date.
• A dynamic interface: Any new items or changes to the feed store will automatically show up in the current view.
• Full-text, indexed searching: Perform advanced searchers over all of your items, instantly, in one go.
• Tagging and Annotations: Add searchable notes with text and ink, label items with free-form tags.

Additionally, there are a handful of keyboard shortcuts which you can use to navigate your news items.

For users of IE7’s RSS reader, this is great addition to have.

If Internet Explorer 7 is your browser of choice, but you find it lacking the functionality Firefox has… don’t get jealous, get even with IE7Pro.

IE7Pro is a free add-on which adds loads of functionality. From their web site:

IE7Pro includes Tabbed Browsing Management, Spell Check, Inline Search, Super Drag Drop, Crash Recovery, Proxy Switcher, Mouse Gesture, Tab History Browser, Web Accelerator, User Agent Switcher, Webpage Capturer, AD Blocker, Flash Block, Greasemonkey like User Scripts platform, User Plug-ins, MiniDM, Google sponsored search,IE Faster and many more power packed features.

Those familiar with Firefox’s functionality will probably recognize that this add-on nearly levels the playing field with ’standard’ functionality. Without a doubt, this is a no-brainer download for IE7 users.

YouTube is a great site but sometimes you just don’t want to see any comments on videos at all. An add-on by Lifehacker cures that ill in short order for users of Firefox and Netscape 9. Grab Greasemonkey first, then the Better YouTube add-on and you’re good to go. See video below for an example of how it works.