Your web browser history is something you should be able to take around with you, no matter the browser you use.  Unfortunately it is not in any browser’s best interest to talk to each other, so you must rely on a third party to get the job done.  Infoaxe does the trick.

This add-on for Firefox will save full text web history (and make it searchable).  They pretty much log all the websites you browse though, and then create a search engine where you can search through pages you have visited before in the past.

This video does a great job at explaining the basics about Infoaxe:

Overall, it is a neat tool and takes a different approach to this age old problem of getting your browser history in sync.  You can download it and try it out via the Firefox Add-ons web site.

Open Links in Chrome – As the new kid on the block, it took some hunting to find a good way to switch to Chrome in a hurry.  The Chrome View add-on for Firefox is what you need.  This extension lets you open the page your currently viewing in Firefox, via Google’s new Chrome browser.

Open Links in Internet Explorer – Switching from Firefox to Internet Explorer is something we have been doing for some time now.  There are two great add-ons that allow you to do this.  The first is IE View.  This extension gives you the ability to open any page you have open in Firefox, in Internet Explorer.  An even better alternative though is IE Tab.  IE Tab will embed Internet Explorer inside of your Firefox tab, so you don’t really even have to switch browsers.

Open Links in Opera – Ah, yes Opera.  The girl at the dance with all the features that nobody uses.  Just in case you might want to hop over to Opera usage for a while, there is OperaView.  This too will give you a new context menu item that will let you open the target link in Opera.  Great for web developers or people who just like to be “different”.  (don’t worry, we won’t tell anybody)

Open Links in Safari – Lastly, the new pretty boy on the block (at least for Windows users) before Chrome took the spot, Safari switching can be done with an add-on too.  Safari View (mac) and Safari View (win) get you from Firefox to Apple’s browsing delight very quickly.

You know what, if you saw all the zeros that came after the one on this check you would do the same thing I am about to do. Who needs Firefox and Mozilla? Here are your Internet Explorer Facts!

Who Wants to Customize the Look and Feel?

Internet Explorer doesn’t bother me with the ability of being able to decide what the browser looks like. That damn Firefox keeps tossing themes and customizations I can make to the browser interface. Who needs it? I just want a browser with an address bar and those wonderful Internet Explorer icons.

Add-ons? Extensions? Who Needs Them?

Oh please Mozilla. Are you doing to tell me that your users know best when it comes to picking additional features to add via extensions or addons to the browser? Sure if somebody wanted to download a web developer toolbar and the next guy didn’t, is that really a good thing to do?

I know with Internet Explorer I don’t have to worry about getting to customize too much.

Standard are for Sissies!

Come on, Microsoft doesn’t have to live up to standards. IE7 only supports 54% of the CSS 2.1 standard, as compared to 52% in IE6 and 93% in Firefox 1.5 and 96% in Opera 9. Internet Explorer went up two percent, is that not good enough for you? I guess next you are going to say you want the menu bar back on the top of your Windows.

Microsoft has done what is best for you hidden it because you don’t need it. If you do need it, well – we can toss it in the middle somewhere because the day we were working on that was also “cake” day at Redmond.

On an additional note I wanted to let the Opera guys know I got their buyout offer too for my soul. Unfortunately, the bank said they couldn’t cash the “I OWE U” note you left, sorry!

*cough* April Fools! */cough*

The section on how it compares to the others was the most enlightening of all:

Firefox remains the best browser on the whole, with great features, impressive improvements all-round, a revised bookmarking system and thousands of add-ons to make it easy to perfectly customise.

The improvements in performance are stellar, it’s got some well-integrated features than everyone will use (resumable download manager, tag-ready bookmarking) and it offers, overall, a better, richer Web experience. We’re behind Firefox and we hope that when the final release is out it’ll be just that little bit better to boot.

More great news for the Mozilla crew!  Is there something the other browsers are getting or doing that you wish Firefox 3 would try to do too?

What if you could turn your Firefox browser into Microsoft’s browsing behemoth?

The IE Look-a-like Contenders

There are a number of Vista/IE7 inspired themes for Firefox out there, as we have touched on that topic before. Vista-aero claims to be the most IE7-like theme with the Vista aero style. Then you have myFireFox who’s claim to fame is perfectly simulating Internet Explorer 7+ by far. It can work perfectly in Widnows Vista Ultimate.

Tweakable IE Themes?

Did you know though that using either of these two themes comes with an extra perk? If you are doing so I would also highly suggest picking up the myFireFox & Vista-aero Modifier extension. It will allow you to edit key parts of the theme not accessible to your usual drag and drop default personalization from Firefox itself. Here are some of the tweaks you can make:

• Change the Theme Color
• Change the Tab Bar Icons and Functions
• Show or Hide Search and Zoom
• Make the Default Tab Icon Different

Any Internet Explorer 6 Fans Out There? Now for those of you who might miss Internet Explorer 6 – there is one alternative for you too. Check out the Looks Familiar theme to reclaim that design for Firefox.

Naturally, all of this has generated a bit of contention among users of Microsoft Windows where Firefox fans put down IE and users of IE 7 say they don’t want to bother with changing anything on their computers that is working. I’m an unlikely Solomon, but I do know what I would order if I were in charge: Use them both.

+ Continue Reading Firefox or Internet Explorer? Why Not Both?

There is no reason you shouldn’t like the IE7 theme, even if you are the biggest Firefox fan in the world. Don’t hate the player, hate the game. Now you can have the slick interface of Internet Explorer 7 with your favorite Mozilla browser under the hood. Some might say it is the best of both worlds.

+ Download and Install the myFirefox Theme for Firefox!

+ Learn More About the Navigational Sounds Extension!

Mozilla’s Firefox gained half a percentage point in market share at the expense of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer during August, continuing the steady climb of the open-source browser, a Web metrics firm said.

Firefox now owns 11.8 percent of the global browser market share, said Net Applications, a jump of .5 percent from July’s 11.3 percent. Internet Explorer, meanwhile, now accounts for 83 percent of browsers used to surf the Web; that’s down from July’s 83.5 percent.

[Read More About Firefox's Gains!]

[Can Microsoft Convince You To Switch?]