Computer Helpers
Firefox/Thunderbird
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Firefox & Thunderbird Computer Helpers from Boreham Library

These sites and services have been found useful or been recommended. This is not an endorsement or guarantee of safety. Sites, software and services subject to change without notice.

Definitions:

  • Shareware is software offered free only for a limited time or with limited functions, which should be paid for and licensed later; try before you buy.
  • Freeware is software offered with no payment requirement (although sometimes donations and/or feedback are appreciated).

Index to Firefox & Thunderbird Computer Helpers

Advice here comes from a number of sources, including Gizmo's Tech Support Alert email newsletter, Windows Secrets email newsletter, Smart Computing magazine, and RSS feeds from Lockergnome, The Internet Patrol, Lifehacker, Robin Good, Infopackets Windows Technology News.

Firefox is an open source (free!) web browser, the latest version of the browser which used to be called Mozilla, which is being recommended as being as good or better, and safer, than Microsoft Internet Explorer by many expert sources. It is also a sort of relative to Netscape. Firefox is also available on the Library Software CD-ROM, available for overnight checkout at the Library's circulation desk.

Firefox is kept relatively small by leaving out a lot which you might not need (but get the Java mentioned below, anyway!). For example, there is no built-in email program (see Thunderbird instead, elsewhere on this page). For a more full-functioned browser/email/chat/web editor, consider Seamonkey from Mozilla.

For a very objective analysis of whether or not you should switch from Microsoft Internet Explorer to Firefox 2.x, read the article from Gizmo's Support Alert Newsletter.

The Boreham Library strongly recommends that you at least add Firefox to your browser possibilities on your computer. There are times when Microsoft's Internet Explorer, for one reason or another, is not able to view or print certain things, including from the Library's own Electronic Reserves, as well as other sites. Having Firefox available gives you another way to do the same thing, and in the library staff's experience, usually gets around the limits of Internet Explorer. It's used on the computers in the Boreham Library and many other places across campus.

Tip: second line of the top toolbar has the search engine box. You can add other search engines to this, and make any one your default. Just click on the search engine logo, and select Add engines. Then select your favorite(s) from the list.

Firefox Extentions

Tip: Firefox may block, for security reasons, a site from installing an extension the first time you visit that site, even though it may be quite safe. You'll see a yellow alert bar across the top of the web site view that alerts you. Give permission here (you normally are prompted to put the site in your trusted sites for add-ons), and then try again to download and install it. You won't need to give permission again for that site.
You can go into Tools, Options, Content and select Warn me when web sites try to install extensions or themes. Open the Exceptions view and add the web site that you often use for extensions or themes, so you won't have this problem in the future.

Tip: for security's sake, use only extensions available from (a) the Mozilla site itself, (b) sites that certify all programs as spyware/adware/malware-free, or else (c) scan the extensions with your security software before installing them.

One of the great things about Firefox is that many people can create extensions, which are specialized programs that add all sorts of useful features. Here are some favorites you might like to add. Just go to the Extensions page and search. Once you find one you like, click the Install Now button (usually green), wait for the countdown, and then click on the Install Now button in the popup window.

Boreham Library Favorite Firefox Extensions

The following add-ons have been approved and tested as safe. That does not mean they might not sometimes have a bug in one version or another. Read the material with the add-on and determine if any known bugs will interfere with something you might want to do while using this extension. If you have a conflict, you can disable the add-on temporarily, or uninstall it.

  • Update Notifier - will notify you when updates are available for your extensions and themes. This is VERY important add-on to have!

  • Tab Mix Plus - this allows you to open tabs across your one Firefox screen, for each new page you open, instead of opening multiple Firefox copies. It makes it much easier to go back and forth between web pages for comparisons, handling several tasks, etc.
    Note: while some of these features are now built into Firefox 2.x, TabMix Plus still has some additional useful options. Go to Tools, Add-ons, and find the Tab Mix Plus section and click on it, and then click on Options for it. Under Events, select Tab Opening tab and checkmark all the Open Tabs From boxes.

  • IE Tab - this allows you to open those web pages in Firefox which still insist on using non-standard MS Internet Explorer-specific coding -- the ones that don't appear properly in Firefox and other non-IE browsers. You don't have to leave Firefox to see them, and by setting them in the list in IE Tab, you can automatically view them in IE Tab next time you visit those pages.
    Note: you CAN use Microsoft's Windows Update with Firefox, with the instructions here.

  • User Agent Switcher is recommended by Windows Secrets : "User Agent Switcher adds a menu and a toolbar button that let you switch the way the browser identifies itself to Web sites. According to Mozilla's Web site, User Agent Switcher is designed for Firefox, Flock, Mozilla, and Seamonkey. The add-on will run on any platform that these browsers support, including Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. It supports Firefox versions 1.0 through 2.0.0.x.... To add the User Agent Switcher button to your Firefox toolbar, right-click the toolbar and choose Customize. Drag the User Agent icon to where you want it. When selected, it offers a drop-down menu from which you can choose the browser you want to report. Windows Update can reportedly be fooled by this into letting users update Windows while using Firefox.

  • Forecastfox - This is a weather status and forecast that you can place several places on your page (such as the toolbar-menubar, at the top of your screen), configure to show your local forecast, show a radar map, and lots of features. Current temperature, predicted temperature, forecast for today and the next several days, severe weather alerts, sound alarm or not, and more features are included.

  • Sage - Wondering about RSS feeds? This is one of several extensions for getting them in Firefox, and it will even search a web page to find the feed and let you install it easily if you like.

  • del.icio.us is the social bookmarking service that puts your bookmarks online for others to see. With this extention, you can add a new bookmark easily and quickly.

  • Foxmarks Bookmark Synchronizer allows you to synchronize the bookmarks on Firefox on one PC to another PC.

  • Adblock Plus filters out the annoying ads from many web pages. However, it may, in a few cases, block an ad you want to see.

  • Web Developer adds a toolbar with a lot of useful features for people creating web sites, including details on the code, CSS, and lots of analytical tools.

  • Download Statusbar is a detailed view of how your downloaded file is coming through, with percentages, details on the file, time to complete, and lets you have more control.

  • L2 is great for use with library catalogs (including the UA Fort Smith Boreham Library catalog!) and other book services. When an ISBN is found on a page, L2 automatically pops up a box for the option to search this in Amazon, and present the reviews and information there, if available. Requires you to install the Greasemonkey extension first.

  • Book Burro pops up when a book is being viewed and lets you search a number of book services for the best price, or the WorldCat library catalog (specify your zip code). Note: this is from a separate organization, so you'll need to tell Firefox to allow it to install from this site.

  • Firedoodle creates a whiteboard function, which lets you mark up a webpage as if you had a set of colored markers -- make arrows, circle things, make notes. Useful for tutorials.

  • FireFTP provides FTP capability for transferring files to and from other computers. It can also be used with FireFTPbutton to add a toolbar button.

  • All-In-One Sidebar (AiOS) is an award-winning sidebar control, inspired by Opera's. It lets you quickly switch between sidebar panels, view dialog windows such as downloads, extensions, and more in the sidebar, or view source or websites in the sidebar. Click on the left edge of your browser window to open the sidebar and get easy access to all your panels.

  • Zotero is an add-on just for Firefox (and Netscape) which captures citations, manages documents, and exports in several standard styles to MS Word and other word processors, as well as web documents. This would be a very handy add-on too for anyone using the portable Firefox on a USB flash drive, since you could save all your Zotero information to the USB flash drive and take it with you. This add-on will continue to improve and add more features, the developers promise -- and it's still free!

Firefox Customizing

The layout of the top of Firefox is customizable. Much of this is in the userChrome.css file. Information courtesy of Lifehacker.

In order to modify certain aspects of Firefox's chrome, you have to edit a file called userChrome.css stored in your Firefox profile directory. This file is user-specific and can be easily copied from one Firefox installation to another. Here's where your userChrome.css file is located, depending on your operating system:

  • Windows XP/2000
    C:\Documents and Settings\[User Name]\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\xxxxxxxx.default\chrome\ where xxxxxxxx is a random string of 8 characters.

  • Windows 95/98/Me
    C:\WINDOWS\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\xxxxxxxx.default\chrome\

  • Linux
    ~/.mozilla/firefox/xxxxxxxx.default/chrome/

  • Mac OS X
    ~/Library/Application Support/Firefox/Profiles/xxxxxxxx.default/chrome/

The following userChrome file is tried and tested by Boreham Library staff. Copy everything in blue and save in plain text format to a file named userChrome.css .

/*
* Edit this file and copy it as userChrome.css into your * profile-directory/chrome/
*/

/*
* This file can be used to customize the look of Mozilla's user interface
* You should consider using !important on rules which you want to
* override default settings.
*/

/*
* Do not remove the @namespace line -- it's required for correct functioning
*/
@namespace url("http://www.mozilla.org/keymaster/gatekeeper/there.is.only.xul"); /* set default namespace to XUL */

/* from http://lifehacker.com/software/ask-the-readers/best-firefox-userchromecss-tweaks-301520.php */
/* Remove Edit menu (if you already use all the keyboard shortcuts) */
#edit-menu { display: none !important; }

/* Remove Back button when there's nothing to go Back to */
#back-button[disabled="true"] { display: none; }

/* Remove Forward button when there's nothing to go Forward to */
#forward-button[disabled="true"] { display: none; }

/* Remove Stop button when there's nothing to Stop */
#stop-button[disabled="true"] { display: none; }

/* Remove Go button from address bar */
#go-button-stack, .search-go-button-stack { display: none !important; }

/*Remove magnifying glass button from search box*/
.search-go-button-stack { display: none !important; }

/* Show keyword input box when adding a bookmark */
#keywordRow { display: -moz-grid-line !important; }

/* Make the active tab wider */
tab[selected="true"] { min-width: 200px !important; }


Thunderbird

Thunderbird is the email product from Mozilla (since email is not included in Firefox, to keep it small -- you can use Thunderbird or any other popular email package instead, as you prefer).

Thunderbird Extensions

Like Firefox, many people have developed specialized extensions that add useful features to Thunderbird. Here are a few you might like to add:

  • Update Notifier - will notify you when updates are available for your extensions and themes.

  • Contacts Sidebar - displays your email contacts in a sidebar, so you can easily choose an address to add to an email you are creating.

  • Unselect Message - getting a lot of spam? This avoids Thunderbird automatically opening the next message after you close or delete one. Just opening a spam message can alert the spammer (when the email downloads a graphic, say) that you have received the message and your address is valid to spam to again.

  • Mail tagger lets you add those smilie graphics into your email.

Configuring Thunderbird for LionsLink

While LionsLink is a good email solution for many users, sometimes you want the additional speed and functions of an email program that resides on your own PC, or you want to be able to save a lot more email than is possible in LionsLink. You can configure Thunderbird (and some other email programs) to work with LionsLink.
BE WARNED: if you download email to Thunderbird and delete it on LionsLink, you will not be able to use it from any other PC later. It will only be on the copy of Thunderbird on the one computer which you set up to work with LionsLink. If you set Thunderbird up differently, however, it will leave email on the LionsLink server.

These same steps can be used for other mail services, such as Google's Gmail and Cox Communications email.

SPECIAL NOTE FOR LIONSLINK: each time you have to change your password for a new one, you will need to login to LionsLink directly just once with the new password. After that, the new password will work within Thunderbird, too.

These instructions are for version 1.5.x, but there may be some variation in steps between versions. Look for the appropriate instructions as needed among the following.

If there are no existing accounts, Thunderbird will probably start the Account Wizard when it opens. Otherwise, under Tools, select Account Settings and then select Add Account.

Select Email account and click Next.

 New Account Setup

Enter your name, and then your full LionsLink email address.

 Identity

In Server Information, select the POP server and enter the name as imap.uafortsmith.edu (yes, this seems contradictory).

The STMP server should be stmp.uafortsmith.edu

 Server Information

In User Names enter your login name without the @uafortsmith.edu in both places.

 User Names

In Account Name you will probably have your email address already filled in. If not, enter it.

 Account Name

Check the Congratulations information to be sure it is all correct.
NOTE: the Incoming Server Type should read "POP" rather than blank.

 Congratulations
Tools Account Settings

Now for some fine tuning.

Select Tools dropdown menu and then select Account Settings.
Account Settings

Fill in your email address again in the Reply-To Address box.

Fill in your organization if you like.

You can specify a signature file and check the Attach this signature box.
Create a little file named "signature.txt" and store it in My Documents. This should have your name, email address, and any other information you want everyone to have when you email them.

You could instead use a vCard, which gives a lot more information, if you prefer.

Change the port to 110.

Use secure connection is Never. (This is a limitation of the LionsLink connection.)

The other settings should be okay.
Copies and folders

You have a choice here. Messages can be kept on the email server, accessible from anywhere. Or, select Local Folders to keep the messages only in your own Thunderbird (on your computer or USB drive).

If you're not sure yet, leave your email address in the blanks, and mail will stay on the server for now.
Composition and Addressing

Here you can change where your reply goes. For example, change from below the message to above the message.
Outgoing Server Settings

Some of the Outgoing Server Settings must be updated.
Click on Edit.
SMTP Server Set the name of the outgoing server to smtp.uafortsmith.edu using port 25.

IMPORTANT: folders in LionsLink are NOT the same as folders you create in Thunderbird. Once you move a message into a Thunderbird folder on your PC, you lose it from LionsLink.

Now when you start Thunderbird, it should ask for your email password, and then download your LionsLink email.

To create folders to click-and-drag emails to, go to File, choose New, choose Folder, and be sure the folder is created as a subfolder of your Inbox for your account.

To check or change settings for the account, use Tools, select Account Settings, and pick the account.

Thunderbird can handle multiple accounts. You can set up more accounts, and check them all from Thunderbird. This is especially handy if you use one account for the University, and another for personal use at home.
If you set up more accounts, Thunderbird may expect to use the same incoming and outgoing servers. Just allow it to do that, and then go back in to edit the servers afterward using the Tools, Account Settings functions.