Web User - UK (2019-09-18)

FIREFOX

The latest version of
Firefox adds ahost of
useful features. Most
notableis the introduction
of what Firefox is calling
the Enhanced Tracking
Protection. This feature
automatically blocks
known tracking cookies.
You can check how well
the browser is blocking
content bygoing to
about:preferences#privacy. Bydefault, it’s set to Standard, but you can lock
downyour browser furtherusing the Strict andCustomsettings.
Autoplay blocking options also receivedanupdate. You can now stopwebsites
automatically playing videos andsound –prior to version 69,autoplay would only
block videos with audio. Toset this up, gotoabout:preferences#privacy
and, under Permissions, click the Autoplay button. Here, you can set your default
setting andwhitelist websites.

Best New Browser Tools

Tell us yourfavourite add-ons atwww.facebook.com/webusermagazine 18 Sept - 1 Oct 2019^33

Tr y new tools in Firefox 69

Downloadfiles faster with
DownThemAll
The much-loved Firefox add-on
DownThemAll (bit.ly/down484) has
returned. The tool, which lets you
downloadmultiple filesat once,
famously droppedoff the radar after
Mozilla introduced its new
WebExtensions system. After two years,
the developers have brought it back

• andit’s just asgoodas you remember
  it. Visit any web page, thenclick the
  extension’s toolbar button. You can
  downloadeverythingonthe page –
  from uploaded imagesto the text itself


• andeverythingonevery tab you have
  open. If that’s too much, there’s also
  a filtering systemthat lets you decide
  what typeof filesyou want to
  download. Visit the Preferences for the
  optionto turn the browser buttoninto
  a OneClick downloader.

Makenotes while

you browse

It’s alwaysuseful to

make notes while you browse

• whetherit’s a passingthought
  or details of a website you want
  to check
  back on.
  Rather than
  scrabbling
  aroundfor
  a notepad
  and pen,
  install Plain
  Text (bit.ly/
  text484).
  This tool
  places upto 15 notebooksright
  in your browser, so you can
  make on-the-fly notes with one
  click. You’re also able to change
  the backgroundcolour for each
  notebook to make management
  a lot simpler. Click the Plus sign
  to begin, give your note a name
  andchoose a colour, thenclick
  the enthusiastic ‘Create!’ button.

Collect andcompare

as you browse

Collections is a new

“general-purpose tool” in Edge

that pulls together everything

from products you intendto buy

to trip itineraries, depending on

how you use it.

It’s still in

beta phase, so

only available

in the Edge

Canary build.

Toset up

Collections

now, goto

edge://

flags#edge-

collections. In the drop-down

menu, switchfromDisabled to

Enabled, andrestart the browser

whenprompted.

You’ll now see apaneicon

besidethe address bar. Click

‘Start new collection’ andyou

can addyour current page to

the collection. It’s theneasy to

flick between your collections,

to collate or compare.

OTHER BROWSERS

This fortnight’s most useful tips and add-ons to help you get the

most from Chrome, Firefox, Opera and more

StopGoogle breaking

the web

If you’ve ever

wonderedwhy,

whenclicking a

linkonyour

computer,

you’re suddenly

confronted

with amobile

version of the site, check the address

bar –chances are that hiddenwithin

that URL are three letters with the

power to ruin your entire browsing

experience:AMP.

AMP was created andis controlled

byGoogle, and designedto hasten

website loading times on phones,

using acachedlazy loading technique

• goodfor your mobile data, bad if
  you’re not using aphone. Not only
  does it alter the website’s lookand
  remove certain functions,
  it can also senddata
  about your browsing
  straight to Google.
  Redirect AMP to HTML
  (bit.ly/noamp 484 ) solves
  this problem.Whenever
  you click an AMP link, the
  browser tool steps in and
  forces the desktop version
  of the website to load.