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!
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
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.
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.
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.
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
Reddit Enhancement Suite
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.
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!
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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