Mozilla Firefox Setup (From Scratch)

This document describes how to set up Mozilla firefox from scratch on a new machine. (To setup address book synchronization, please see ThunderbirdSetup.) Following these steps will allow you to accomplish the following:

• Install the most current version of Firefox
• Install the recommended and most essential plugins
• Enable personal profiles to maintain synchronized bookmarks across multiple machines
• Customize Firefox settings for optimal efficiency
• Note that steps 2-3 can be accomplished by downloading the mozilla profile files for rde here and copying to the appropriate directory on the local machine (depends on OS)

Step 1 - Install Firefox

• Download the most current 3.6.x version. The newer 4.x branch breaks compatibility with many extensions and has a very irritating user interface. It should be avoided.
• Install setup program by executing it (as instructed on the Mozilla page above)
• Once installed, you may delete the Firefox setup file

Step 2 - Customize Firefox

• Start Firefox and unselect the checked selection at: "Bookmarks Toolbar" at View -> Toolbars -> Bookmarks Toolbar
• Change Firefox to startup with your last used pages by selecting that option at: Tools -> Options -> Main -> "When Firefox starts" to "Show my windows and tabs from last time"
• Change the home page to egeland.net at: Tools -> Options -> Main -> Home Page -> type in "egeland.net"

Step 3 - Install Plugins

• Download and install all the plugins as listed below. To install, just click on the "Install Now" button on each plugin page and then click "Install Now" after waiting a few seconds.

Essential Plugins

1. Xmarks. Allows your Firefox bookmarks to be synchronized across all machines on which this plugin is installed.
   • Upon installation you will need to login with your Google account and then create or enter a PIN.
   • Google accounts are of the format dave.egeland@gmail.com.
   • The default options will work fine.
   • Do not use this program to sync passwords, as LastPass is better.
   • Firefox Sync is another alternative which does not have the automatic bookmark publishing and sharing features of Xmarks.
2. LastPass. Good password and automatic form filling addon. Seems relatively secure, since passwords encrypted on local machine.
3. Ad Blocker Plus. Blocks ads in Firefox. After installed, select the Easyprivacy + Easylist filter, located by clicking on "other subscriptions."
4. Download Statusbar. Eliminates the pop-up download box and shows downloads at the bottom of the screen instead.
5. DownThemAll!. Allows rapid downloading of large files or all files on a page by simply right-clicking in firefox.
6. IE Tab. This program will allow IE to run within a Firefox tab for those few sites which do not work with Firefox. The key settings in this plugin are found in its Options Dialog under Tools -> IE Tab Options -> Sites filter. Site URL names with appropriate wildcards should be placed in this dialog, for example, "*v2020-sai*" (shown below):
   

Optional Plugins

1. FEBE. Backs up Firefox profiles. Somewhat buggy, but seemingly the only plugin around which does this.
2. Readability. Shows text-only, uncluttered view of web pages.
3. nzbdStatus. For newsgroup downloading by controlling a SABnzbd server. An abandoned alternative is a patched version of: Hellafox 2.0.8c.
4. Skipscreen. Skips rapidshare BS.
5. Autotrans. Adds torrent links to transmission server.
6. Minion. MPD (music server) frontend.
7. Evernote. Note keeping app. Also available is a Windows app.
8. Zotero. Permanently archive variable web pages and create bibliography/references.
9. Switchproxy. Quick proxy switching. After installation and restart of Firefox, right click Proxy in the status bar (lower right). Then select Manage Proxies and add a standard proxy with the following data:
   • Proxy Label: egeland.net
   • Manual Proxy Configuration
   • HTTP Proxy: egeland.net Port: 3128
   • Leave rest of settings blank/default
   • Right click Proxy in the status bar and either select egeland.net or none to enable/disable the proxy
   • The proxy server will request username/password upon your first connection
   • Disable the "Show Toolbars" option under preferences for switchproxy as the toolbar is unnecessary

Conclusion

Any options on the above plugins can be accessed from Firefox at any time through Tools --> Add-ons --> Click on the plugin of interest --> Options. The above instructions will greatly enhance the usability of Firefox. This link will always be available from the http://www.egeland.net home page under FirefoxSetup. Please reference these instructions when re-installing Firefox or installing on another machine.

Other Possibilities

Other possibilities include synchronizing bookmarks using unison and the Profile Manager.