A note about ImgLikeOpera, ImgLikeOpera makes browsing much, much quicker. Takes a few days to get used to it, but once you do, you will find yourself much, much more productive. It should be used by everyone (There's a reason it comes with Opera)
Some people have complained that after installing ImgLikeOpera they can no longer use Gmail the way they used to because the image buttons to edit text when composing an email are not there as well as some other images on the site that make it very hard to use. The solution to this is to create a filter within ImgLikeOpera to have it always load images from Gmail (note, the images in Gmail are all Kosher as far as I know, Gmail itself will block images within emails and ask you if you want to display them). The way to do this is as follows:
1. click the image like Opera icon (looks like a camera) to get the menu
2. choose "ImgLikeOpera stettings"
3. click the "filters" tab
4. in the filter box type "google.com/mail"
5. under "filter policy" choose number 1, "Load All images"
6. click "Add"
7. Click "Apply"
Note: this process can be used for any web site that you want to always load images. In general you should use filter policy number 2, "load images from originating Web site only" so that outside images that are embedded in the site will still be blocked. I use number 1 specifically for Gmail because it will sometimes try to load images in an email that are hosted on another site. These are already blocked by Gmail so I don't need ImgLikeOpera to block them.
Another note about ImgLikeOpera. This plugin imitates a browser called Opera. I believe that the other two plugins also come built into Opera as well, but need to be enabled. I would not recommend Opera over Firefox at all, but if someone has a reason to not use Firefox, they can use Opera and achieve the same result.
It might be an easier transition if you first start by using Firefox, then a few days later after you have gotten a bit used to it you can add the first add-on, a few days later the 2nd, etc.
It should be noted that Firefox must be restarted after installing the plugins for them to have any effect. If you install an add-on and don't see any
changes right away, don't fret.
For more on this discussion please see the thread I created about this issue on Yeshiva World: http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/coffeeroom/topic/pritzus-on-the-internet
While we are on the topic of Firefox I am including some more discussions of add-ons here. Below are some other add-ons for Firefox. I have not tried all of these but I was asked to add them to this discussion:
1.
Sifrei Kodesh Search: http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/coffeeroom/topic/free-firefox-add-on-search-shas-tanach-rambam This add-on uses Google to search Sifrei Kodesh. It comes with an on-screen keyboard to tupe in Hebrew and allows you to choose which seforim to search.
2.
For those who use sites that require Internet Explorer you can use the add-on, Coral IE Tab: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/10909 This will allow to open Internet Explorer tabs from inside Firefox. Adblock will work even though you will be using IE!
3.
WOT (http://www.mywot.com/en/download/ff) is a plugin that lets you know – before you even click a link – what type of a site you are potentially clicking through to. It also blocks pages that have a very low reputation.
While this duplicates the behavior of many filters, it does it as part of the browser, it informs you before you click the link, and it can let you know things that filters don't (such as a vendor with a clean site but poor reputation.)
4.
For experienced Firefox users, a few AdBlock Plus plugins / alternatives:
* KarmaBlocker: Said to be better than Adblock, but more difficult.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/5230
* Element Hider: Add-on for addblock to also block text ads.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/4364
5.
Also, I just noticed another filter for Firefox but have no idea how well it rates, FoxFilter: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/4351
Just to reiterate one more time:
None of the above replaces accountability and filtering software.
Please email me (or ask your Local Orthodox Techie) if you have any questions.
Josh Lintz
Kew Gardens Hills, NY
joshlintz@gmail.com
www.joshlintz.com/rsa