Over the years I’ve gotten used to browser extensions and have a few I consider part of my typical browser install. Without them I feel less productive and the experience of browsing the web is not complete. The extensions I use are for ad-blocking, password management and on-the-fly image manipulation like hover-zoom. I also use one for session management and one for URL shortening. There’s been others also but I am now down to a set of five extensions I use all the time.
I’ve been asking myself why do I need these extensions? The answer is simple: The browsers available lacks important features and more and more so after the extensions concept got widely adapted. The browser vendors creates a slim feature poor browser and rely on the user to fill in the blanks with extensions. There are problems related to this:
— Poorly written extensions causing instability and crashes.
— Extensions interfering with each other or with the browser itself slowing it down.
— Extensions compromising security of the browser.
Lately the security aspect of extensions have reached the news since there’s been stories of people getting accounts on services like LinkedIn compromised by malicious extensions. This has made me rethink how I would like my web browser to be developed and work. I would like to see the browser return to when it’s design goal was to offer all the features you need for secure and convenient web access. An advanced password manager is obvious, and there are other features that I would like to see back in a web browser where it once belonged. I remember back in the day when my browser had all I need. It was fast, finely tuned to my liking and secure. There are many browsers to choose from these days but the full featured super-fast and feature-rich web browser is no longer there. I am hoping that will change at some point.
[img]http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r5PNlOqmV48/UnwXTh8q0BI/AAAAAAAAAR4/V9g6w3tuBXw/s1600/Left.gif[/img] [img]http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KBE0YbU85L4/UnwLWvwCS7I/AAAAAAAAANs/Adi-GX1_9SE/s1600/Right.gif[/img] Hmmm??? Are you perhaps giving us the very vague heads up that Vivaldi Browser is about to debut?
[img]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kfPjoQLl6WE/Unv6qVe4sEI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/dLXguuxobGA/s1600/BigGrin2.gif[/img] Just kidding. I’ve never used any Browser extensions. Heck, I don’t even remotely use everything Opera Browser has built in. Consequently, a need for Browser extensions has just never entered the equation for me. I guess I have very simple Browsing habits / needs.
However, that’s not to say that then any Browser will suit my needs. Nope. Far from it. For me, it’s only Opera Browser. Firefox and Chrome work pathetically on my slow / underpowered systems.
One of the main things I detest about Firefox and Chrome is their lack of an Extended Progress Bar like Opera’s. Maybe if there was a Browser extension for Firefox and Chrome that gave them Extended Progress Bar capability, they would be less useless for me.
Vivaldi Browser would be nice, Is this the proof https://www.facebook.com/vivaldi.browser
I hope you do not mind sharing your soapbox with me… I have been saying the same things to friends, colleagues and clients for years.
I used Opera as a main browser since the late 90’s and only needed to use a few extensions (Ghostery and some Swiss Army Knife to expand shortened URLs).
The only reason I chose them was that I researched the developers and made a decision that I could trust them.
I have always had an issue with extension security. I do know a wee bit about programming but not enough to be able to go through some of the more complex extensions available and certify them as safe.
Also with support or updates, if one is updated and crashes the other… well you know the scenario I’m sure. Or if a developer simply decides to no longer produce a valuable resource extension you use where do you go?
I still fire up Opera to use the Bit Torrent downloader (built-in!!) among other things.
I wish it was proof, but we have registered a lot of Vivaldi related social network user names and domains without any content or current intent.