RSSGoogle Brings Toolbar to Firefox
By Nate Mook | Published July 8, 2005, 11:29 AM
As expected, Google has released a version of its toolbar software for Firefox, along with two other extensions that integrate Google functionality directly into the Web browser.
While Google has long supported Firefox across all of its Web searches and services, the company previously only offered a toolbar for Microsoft's Internet Explorer. Instead, Google referred people to the open source Googlebar project, which aimed to replicated IE's Google Toolbar for Firefox users.
The toolbar offers a Google search box (a feature already included in Firefox), spell check, auto fill functionality, a translator, and Google's AutoLink that turns street addresses into links to a map.
Other Firefox extensions include an add-on to the browser's built in search box that suggests query terms, and a feature to send text messages of Web page content to a U.S. mobile phone.
"Not that long ago, the Google Firefox Toolbar team met for the first time - and now we've built the Google Toolbar for Firefox in 10 languages for three operating systems (Windows, Mac and Linux)," said Tech Lead Justin Voskuhl in the Google Blog.
"For a small team that had never worked together, or used XUL, to create a product quickly that works across languages and platforms from a single ~250K download - that's good stuff, if you ask me."
One major feature of the Google Toolbar is not needed in Firefox, however: pop-up blocking.
Google Toolbar for FF does not work worth a cent. Stick to tried-and-true Googlebar Lite which is excellent.
Score: 0
|"Your an unknown operating system may need a tune up.
Difficulty level: Easy (Just 1 step to tune up)
Time required: 2 Minutes"
Yeah I'm really going to trust an advertiser that talks about "Your an unknown operating system". Har dee har har.
Score: 0
|There is already a google plugin and it doesnt set a 3000 year cookie and doesnt send non relevant data to google to track you.
Score: 0
|Page rank avaible in "Google Pagerank Status" extension for Firefox. And it is fast.
Score: 0
|makes firefox slow, takes away one of its biggest features(speed), uninstalled it already. I dont need page rank, autofill and other crap like that anyways.
Score: 0
|yea i noticed that too!
Score: 0
|A google toolbar for Firefox? What in the heck will they think of next? Personally, I would stick with Yahoo's toolbar for Firefox (as a yahoo user).
Score: 0
|Nice toolbar but makes opening additional windows too slow.
Uninstalled because of that.
Score: 0
|I personally haven't noticed that. Seems to work fine for me.
Score: 0
|yeah, there's a script error ongoing....i blame FF & its myriad independent extensions creators for that: one of 'em is likely getting in the way..
Because if you remove all extensions & just keep the Google Toolbar, all problems disappear...
Score: 0
|All my other extensions work and this piece of junk throws a "script error"--which do you think I'll keep?
Score: 0
|Opening the first window was next to impossible.
And once it did open, the Toolbar completed ignored what I chose under the options.
Score: 0
|