Popular Firefox Plugins that Hurt Your Browser

The number of downloads or popularity of an add-on should not be the determining factor in installing a Firefox plug-in. The most important question you must ask is whether it can enhance the way you browse without any adverse effects. Thankfully the Firefox plug-in community polices itself fairly well. The majority of extensions that are malfunctioning are either quickly fixed or just disappear.

However, some of the plug-ins that are commonly used can work in adverse ways, but are unapparent in doing so. Here are two very popular plug-ins that I suggest to avoid:

Fasterfox

This Firefox accelerator has a mechanism called pre-fetching that makes you a wasteful web surfer. Here is how pre-fetching works. When you visit a website and begin reading, Fasterfox begins downloading and following links on the webpage during your idle time. The premise is that this mechanism will speed up the process if you decide to visit one of the links. The page will be preloaded on your computer and will load quickly when you need it.

This may be convenient for the individual user, but it is incredibly wasteful of bandwidth. Just think of how many links are included on the average website. Suppose you don't mind wasting the bandwidth, some system admins are actually detecting Fasterfox and blocking anyone who is using it.

It is possible to be responsible with Fasterfox use, but unless you know what you are doing I suggest avoiding it.

NoScript

This Firefox add-on is immensely popular and it does work as advertised. It can give you control over Java, JavaScript, and other executables that a website can run. You are able to block or allow websites by using blacklists and whitelists.

NoScript goes so far as having you block or allow executables based on originating domain. One website can have content from multiple domains. If you really find this type of control necessary, then you are most likely using the extension properly to its fullest and will continue to use it. However, for the average Joe web user, it becomes a hassle having to add and allow executables for every site you want to whitelist.

NoScript does indeed make Firefox more secure, however for the average user it is not worth all of the hassle. Don't get pulled into downloading what is popular, NoScript is not necessary unless you are transferring data that is sensitive, which most people are not.