Power Downloader restarts Firefox fast

(Credit: CNET Networks)

It's no secret that Power Downloader's favorite Web browser is Firefox, for both Windows and Mac. Judging from the Mozilla browser's growing market share, it's not just Power's favorite, but the preferred browser of many of his fans, too. So, he's happy to recommend one of the most useful Firefox extensions he's ever come across: MR Tech Local Install.

MR Tech Local Install does far more than creating a quick Restart button.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

It's a mouthful of a name, but it's got features for beginners and power users. Basically, it's the extension's extension, giving users added control over add-on behavior as well as providing an incredibly useful tool: the Restart button. Power Downloader has added this button to his Firefox toolbar, and now he can restart the program with one click. This is great because if the browser doesn't need the refresher for a new plug-in or theme, it's probably leaking memory and this is a quick way to stop that. Power also likes that MR Tech checks for updates and can override the MaxVersionNumber of many older extensions that haven't been updated.

Power knows that when he's tracking criminals, he can use this plug-in to track and change the folder where his extensions get saved, make tweaks to the Firefox context menu, and perform even more customization hacks on the fly. The simple panel interface is easy to use, but Power warns beginners that they might be overwhelmed by all the choices it offers. Still, he recommends that if you download only one extension, make it this one so that all the others you get will be far easier to handle.