Firefox Secrets: A Need-To-Know Guide

This is a must read guide to anyone who wants to learn how to browse faster and more conveniently with Firefox. Firefox Secrets will teach you how to get the most from Mozilla, including how to find and use all the hidden features, extensions available to you. You'll learn: Ways to ease the transition from Internet Explorer A way to setup multiple `homepages` when you launch your browser Read RSS feeds from within Firefox using a free extension Where to download a new and less obtrusive `Download Manager` The best `must-have` extensions to download as well as the `fun` ones Two different ways to speed up Firefox downloads with prefetcher and pipelining Firefox's secret features for Web Developers And much, much more!

Firefox Secrets is the ultimate guide to the Web Browser that major magazines, newspapers and even Microsoft's own `Slate.com` website are recommending as the ultimate replacement to Internet Explorer.

User review
Firefox Secrets: A Great Primer!!
This is a nice title for those of you switching to Firefox. It enables you to get the most out of Firefox. Sitepoint points out that it publishes fun and easy-to-understand texts and this one is as easy as it gets,,,,though it's not that easy to read.

But for those of you who are tired of IE's problems, constant updates, etc. this title helps you get the most out of Firefox right away.

Nice title,,.

User review
Hit the ground running
I bought Firefox Hacks but didn't know where to start. I turned to Firefox + Thunderbird Garage and I became an effective user but still couldn't grok Firefox Hacks. Then Firefox Hacking but that left me wondering why people could get so wrapped around chome hacks - there must be more to it than that. My attempt to use the DOM inspector failed and I thought my implementation was buggy.

Firefox Secrets turned all the lights on. The topic selection, level of motivation and illustration, and order of presentation seemed dead on for my needs. Of the great many useful presentations I'll mention three:

o DOM inspector use
o Eliminate search text box and do search from location text box
o change preferences thru about:config

After reading Firefox Secrets, not only does Firefox Hacks makes total sense but have been able to use the new Greasemonkey Hacks.

User review
Perfect for those wanting to unlock the power of a great browser.
I was a little unsure if a browser warranted a book at first, but after reading it my mind changed completely.

If I may use an analogy, I would say this book covers more than just the tip of the iceberg.

A very easy to understand (especially for a non-programmer) explanation of why those like myself (Casual user)to the programmer/developer could use this browser and it offers the expandability those who want more crave.

Also, step by step instructions for a layman are also included,,. It even has a disk for you to install from! I really enjoyed reading this book, and a little humor was thrown in for good measure, definitely worth a read.

User review
does not warn of the dangers of Greasemonkey
Much of the book will be of interest to only a few readers. The basic usage of Firefox as a browser to go to a website is so simple as to scarcely warrant a book. Instead, this is mostly a book for those of you who design websites and write HTML. You can use Firefox to change CSS rules, or constrain JavaScript objects in the browser page. Or edit the DOM of a viewed document.

For programmers writing HTML, a very useful extension lets you see the headers passed between the browser and the website. Useful in debugging HTML forms, or to see if HTTP redirects are working properly, for example.

There is a section on Greasemonkey. Which has attracted some attention in the open source community. It lets Dynamic HTML be applied to the web page loaded by Firefox. So the page can be changed in virtually any manner, before Firefox actually displays it. The only problem is the complete absence as to the potential peril of this. Instead, the book maintains a gee whiz attitude towards Greasemonkey. It should also warn that a cracker could use it to manipulate and fool a user who comes along to that computer and uses Firefox. Imagine this computer being in a public library or cybercafe and you can see the potential for abuse.

User review
Take Firefox to the next level
This is the first Firefox book I've read, so it won't have a comparison to any of the others -- as a few books hit the market soon after Firefox started nipping at Internet Explorer's market share of the browser market.

Chapter 1 kicks off the book with an introduction explaining why Firefox is a first-rate browser and how to install its Windows, Mac, and Linux releases. `Essential Browsing Features,` the next chapter, reviews tabbed browsing, searching, downloading, and other features.

I've used Firefox prior to the v1.0 release and I've picked up a few tricks in this chapter. The tips go beyond entering keywords into the search box or changing search engines. However, I found an error -- the book says to left-click on a selected word on any Web page and run a search on the selected word - It's right-click, not left.

`Revisiting Web Pages` dives into bookmarks and how to get the most out of your bookmark file. The tricks explain how to quickly find a Web page that is hidden in your bookmarks somewhere, and you don't have a clue what it is called and the keywords aren't giving you what you want. Also covered are RSS feeds, Live Bookmarks, and memory tools such as using history, managing cookies, using the password manager, and clearing tracks.

Many people love Firefox because it's customizable. One way to make it your own is by changing the theme (look and feel). `Dressing up Firefox` explains how to find and change themes.

Another way to get what you want out of Firefox is through extensions, covered in chapter 5's `Personalizing Firefox.` Yeow shows multiple ways of installing extensions and using the extension manager. The chapter works through the extensions the author recommends (he provides a good selection) and how they work.

Intermediate Firefox users most likely want to jump ahead to chapter 6, `Tips, Tricks, and Hacks` and maybe chapter 7, which is for Web developers. Chapter 6 looks at about:config and how to modify preferences through its interface. Then Yeow shows where to find the user's profile, and covers what files are included in the profile and what they do. Find great tips on how to mark unread tabs, shift the sidebar to the right, and disabling annoying 1996 Web site features like blink and scrolling marquee.

`Web Development Nirvana` highlights the tools that come with Firefox for developers and which extensions make development easier including LiveHTTHeaders, Web Developer Toolbar, and Greasemonkey. The book closes out with troubleshooting and information about browser's nightly builds.

The book only has minor shortcomings. The tips and warning sidebars text is smaller than the rest of the book's contents. It might be difficult for some people to read.

While it's nice that a bonus CD came with it, it's outdated (v1.0.3 and the current had already surpassed that by several minor releases. It also has Thunderbird 1.0.3 and the current version as of this review's writing is 1.5 Beta 1.). At least, it doesn't increase the book cost and gives newer users an easier start as they don't have to worry about downloading files. But the site says it's a [,,.] value. No CD costs that much and none of the stuff costs anything.

It's a well-rounded book written in a friendly and easy going style that should get new users up-to-speed and provide experienced users with tips to maximize the Firefox browsing experience. The book helps you discover this mighty browser outside of what comes in the box or download. The companion Web site has sample chapters available [,,.].