Eight browser extensions that make your life easier
12.10.2016
Translation: machine translated
Open the browser and that's it? That's a thing of the past. Today, browsers are tools that can be fully customised to your needs. We have selected the best browser plugins for you.
Let's be honest: you don't need a programme as much as you need a browser. Windows or macOS is actually just a tool that allows you to open your browser. But for many users, this is the end of the line because they still have the image of the dusty Internet Explorer in their heads. This is despite the fact that browsers have long since evolved and can become perhaps the most powerful tool on your computer.
Arrivederci, Edge! Sayonara Safari!
When you unpack your computer, it comes with a browser. They're pretty nice, but hey, you can do better. First and foremost, you need to know that Edge and Safari are there to download Chrome. Edge is the default browser on Windows 10 systems, and Safari is the pre-installed tool on macOS. Let me explain why Chrome should be your default browser. (Okay, maybe you have Firefox or even Iceweasel. They're quite good, actually, but I could kick the rest of this article to the curb if I didn't recommend Chrome)
What is Chrome? Chrome is a browser developed by Google that was launched sometime in 2008 and has since taken users' hearts by storm. Chrome doesn't put too much strain on your computer (except that it likes to eat up your RAM), receives regular updates that install automatically and offers cloud services that can transfer your browser and its settings to any computer. And to your mobile. And to your tablet. In other words: Chrome is everywhere you need it.
That's why Chrome is our browser of choice. But just installing the browser isn't enough, because we're talking about plugins that make your life easier and your online existence more secure. And since AdBlock is for beginners, we'll just skip it for now.
Security
HTTPS Everywhere
HTTPS is the secure version of HTTP, the Hypertext Transfer Protocol. Put simply, all internet traffic is routed via this protocol. Hence the http:// in a web address. The HTTP protocol was introduced in 1991 and has undergone some development since then, but not in terms of security. This is why the HTTPS protocol, with S at the end, was introduced in 2000. The S simply stands for Secure. Under the bonnet, the HTTPS protocol offers an additional layer that encrypts communication between the server - i.e. the website - and you, the client.
That sounds complicated and totally boring. It is for end users. Because honestly, outside of an episode of CSI Cyber, most of us will never be confronted with the Diffie Hellman handshake.
That's why the Electronic Frontier Foundation EFF has released a Chrome plugin called HTTPS Everywhere. The EFF developed the plugin in collaboration with the TOR Project.
HTTPS Everywhere does nothing other than ask every website you want to visit: "Hey, do you have an HTTPS version? Because then I'll use it!" The trick is that many websites have an HTTPS version but don't offer it by default. Often because advertising trackers then no longer function ideally and either provide no data at all or only incomplete data. As a user, you won't notice anything in everyday life.
Ghostery
You are being tracked. Every step you take on the internet is recorded and analysed. Not by the NSA or its Swiss counterpart, the Federal Intelligence Service. Okay, maybe by them too, but mainly by advertising companies and social media. Because they sell your data for profit.
Have you never wondered why adverts on the internet know exactly what you like? As a woman, you rarely see adverts for men's clothes and I can't even remember the last time I saw beauty tips. The reason is that your surfing behaviour is analysed by the advertising industry. It's easy to see whether you're male or female, a gamer or a hiker, a foodie or a sportsperson. Just take a look at your browser history. A tracker on every page and the aggregated data provides a picture of you that is incredibly accurate. But just one tracker is not enough. Here is a brief overview of the trackers of the most popular sites in Switzerland that are not search engines or social media.
- youtube.com
- 1 tracker
- wikipedia.org
- 0 trackers
- 20min.ch
- 14 trackers
- blick.ch
- 10 trackers
- amazon.de
- 1 tracker
- bluewin.ch
- 10 trackers
- ricardo.ch
- 3 trackers
- srf.ch
- 4 trackers
- sbb.ch
- 1 tracker
- postfinance.ch
- 1 tracker
Trackers include not only the big names like Facebook or Twitter, but also AdTech or the Swiss company Net-Metrix, which you've probably never heard of. These people also receive your data. Speaking of which, the hip news portal Vice has 16 trackers, so not even indie media are on our side. IndyMedia Switzerland has zero trackers, by the way. The radical left thinks nothing of advertising, but a lot of the revolution.
The Ghostery plugin remedies this. By listing the trackers represented on the site, you can decide for yourself which advertising network can receive data from you. The options allow you to decide on the tracking on each page separately. Your data remains private and you get a little freedom back.
LastPass
"What was my password again?" is a question that Swiss people often ask themselves. One solution seems to be to simply use the same password for all accounts. The reason why this is insecure is that if one password is broken, all passwords are broken.
LastPass provides a remedy by saving your passwords - no matter how complicated - and inserting them into username and password fields as required. Thanks to the Android and Apple iOS app, passwords can also be mobile.
Usability
Magic Actions for Youtube
In case you are annoyed when you always have to tell YouTube that you want to watch a video in 1080p and larger. Magic Actions for Youtube remembers your settings by saving values in a cookie and then restoring them every time you visit Youtube.
Spotify
The music provider Spotify and its services are also available as a Chrome plugin. This is perfect for office workstations where you want to listen to music all day but don't have installation rights. Because within Chrome, you can probably do whatever you want. So plugins are usually okay. Of course, it is possible to access Spotify in Chrome or any other browser at play.spotify.com, but the browser plugin offers simplified operation.
Reddit Enhancement Suite
The social news aggregator Reddit can also be described as a "never-ending source of nonsense and pastime". Among other things, the site offers interviews with stars and other extraordinary people, relationship tips, stories from the Tech Support, questions and discussions about Switzerland, beautiful pictures and much more. There's also plenty of nonsense on Reddit. There are book recommendations for bad books, stories from life with Igor, the brother-in-law, a portfolio of hideously prepared food, people in tyrannosaur costumes or just funny things.
Countless Swiss tabloids find their stories on Reddit. Stories that move the Reddit community often end up on Swiss news portals such as 20 Minuten or Blick am Abend about two days later.
The Reddit Enhancement Suite makes browsing the site much easier. Images can be displayed directly on the site and all images can be expanded simultaneously. There is also no need to scroll, because the RES, as the Enhancement Suite is called by its users, implements lazy loading. As soon as you reach the bottom of the page, the next page loads. Furthermore, articles that are Not Safe for Work (NSFW) can be hidden.
Other
Cut the Rope
The little monster Om Nom is hungry. The only problem is that someone has hung up the sweets that Om Nom lives on. Players have to cut the strings in the browser game Cut the Rope to feed Om Nom.
The levels become increasingly difficult and more elements are added to the gameplay to make feeding the green creature more complex. Passing the time has never been more clever and cute.
Search extension. Very wow. Much Chrome
libdoge is a very special Chrome extension that has it all. A dog's head moves around the edge of the screen and makes pithy comments about the content in the best Doge meme style. Such an extension. Very wow. Much Doge.
Of course, there are hundreds, thousands of other extensions, games and tools, but you can discover them for yourself in the Chrome Web Store. Just give it a try. And if you don't like an extension, simply uninstall it again.
It is important that you remember that your browser is not just something you have to accept as it is. You can shape and change it. Since this all happens in the context of the curated Chrome Web Store, the extensions are safe in the vast majority of cases.
Which browser extensions are your favourites? And why? Share your personal Chrome setup with us in the comments.
Have fun!
Header image: Browser plugins make your life easier
Journalist. Author. Hacker. A storyteller searching for boundaries, secrets and taboos – putting the world to paper. Not because I can but because I can’t not.
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