An application is always designed in a manner that it remains in sync to its core functionalities. Certain additional features could become a requirement for a program with the passage of time. They are originally absent when the application was first designed. These are the add-on features that are released separately to augment the program in multiple dimensions. These features enhance the user experience alongside providing additional functionality to the application. This extended functionality can be added by designing a plug-in or an add-on. Plug-ins’ are shared libraries or small software modules, which can be installed to support content that the application originally can’t support. Plug-ins can also be designed by the user according to their need.Web browsers use a wide variety of plug-ins to expand the array of formats it can support. These include plug-ins for audio, video, online games, language support etc.

When a web browser comes across a non-native format, a screen could pop-up asking for the right plug-in or the browser could recommend a supporting plug-in that it requires.  All plug-ins are not compatible with each web browser, therefore plug-in documentation should be examined before installation. Plug-in installation is dependent both on the plug-in and the application for which the plug-in is being installed for.

Like all web browsers, Mozilla Firefox requires plug-ins in order to enhance and extend its functionality. In order to view the interactive contents on web, you would require a Java plug-in. Adobe Reader is also a plug-in that allows you to download and view PDF files. Flash plug-ins might be required to support the multimedia content where as some websites require Silverlight plug-in. Apart from these common application oriented plug-ins, there are many other plug-ins out there that also can provide some really cool features. Here I am introducing three such plug-ins that you might useful.

Click&Clean

We often face difficulties locating and deleting browsing history, temporary files and cookies that keep recording synopsis of our activities on the internet. As they keep piling up in huge numbers, it is also good to keep deleting them to free up some disk space. Some cookies could be harmful; a malware could also modify a cookie to make it work in a different way than it was designed for and that may stop a particular application to function. Hence, it is definitely better to delete these files on a regular basis to keep your PC running smoothly. To delete all these unnecessary files, Mozilla Firefox has come up with an Add-on that helps deleting temporary files, cookies, history and other unnecessary files. With a single click this plug-in enables you to delete the following:

• Browsing history
• Download history records
• Cookies
• Temporary files
• Flash LSO (Local Shared Objects)
• Private data upon termination of Firefox

Click&Clean not only deletes the above mentioned data but it is also capable of cleaning up your hard-drives. It also allows secure deletion of files and can also use external software running on you system like CCleaner.

To add this plug-in

1.  Go to Mozilla Firefox’s menu on the top left corner and select add-ons as shown in image 1.
2.  A new screen will come up where you can do a search for any plug-in as shown in image 2.

3.  Type the name of the plug-in (click&clean) and hit enter to search it. Once it is found, install it and then restart the browser.  Go back to the add-on screen again where you would see click&clean installed. Go to “options” and set it up.

Adblock PlusPlug-in

There is an ever growing trend of using the internet for marketing and commercial purposes.  We witness popular websites are full of advertisements that could be very annoying for you at times. Mozilla Firefox fixes all your troubles regarding the ads, banners and tracking. All you have to do is download the Adblock Plus Plug-in. It will do wonders for you and provide you with a very smooth environment without any adverts and banners popping up. It is one of the most widely used add-on offered by Firefox. Adblock Plus enhances your browsing experience as it is very customizable; allowing you to take control. It is very easy to manage as you can activate this plug-in for any website you want and you can deactivate is as well. Thus it’s a matter of what you want. It also improves the browsing speed by blocking the adverts and provides safety to you system. Adblock Plus can be installed by the same way we have done the Click&Clean add-on.

Shockwave Plug-in

Shockwave player allows user to view rich multimedia content on the web. This plug-in enables the browser to support animated and interactive contents like browser based games and online training programs. This program is also developed by Adobe.

If content of a webpage require the Shockwave and you have not yet installed it then a puzzle piece icon will appear on the content.

1. Click on this puzzle piece icon or visit adobe.com, click “Download Now”.
2. A dialogue box will appear, click “Save file”.
3. After the file has be downloaded click “Open” for it to run the file.

The Shockwave plug-in can limit your RAM for a very short period of time because this is highly a memory intensive program. You should have the latest version of Mozilla Firefox installed in order for Shockwave to work smoothly.

Plug-ins are usually programmed and scripted by a third party; therefore they should be updated accordingly to support the application. Before installing any plug-in, make sure your computer have standard security software installed in case the plug-in you installed is vulnerable or is a malware presented as a plug-in, which can compromise the privacy of your system.