This screenshot illustrates the default start page of Chrome that is displayed when you open a new tab inside the Google browser. It includes a list of most frequently visited websites as well as a list of recently closed tabs – very handy when you reopen an accidentally closed website tab.
The start page of Firefox 3.0 is currently blank but Mozilla is working to add some Chrome like flavor to the upcoming Firefox 3.1 release. For this reason, they have just released a new about:tab add-on (xpi) that brings Chrome like features the the Firefox start page.
About:Tab shows a list of "frequently visited sites" and the "most recently closed tab" but you don’t see image thumbnails in the default view – you can however click the "star" icon and see Website screenshots on the start page just like Chrome or Opera.
Unlike Google Chrome where the list of frequently visited websites is read-only, About:Tab for Firefox lets you re-order as well as remove websites from the list.
Contextual Actions via Clipboard
One of very interesting features in about:tab is that it can read content from the clipboard and if the text pattern matches a website URL or a physical address, you’ll find direct links on the start page for opening that website without having to paste the URL in the address bar.
If the pattern doesn’t match anything, you get a search link. For some reason, I couldn’t get this to work but it could be a problem with my setup or a bug in the add-on.
The about:tab extension currently works only with Firefox 3.1 and the functionality could become part of the default release. You can check for some more start-page designs as suggested by the Mozilla community.
Other add-on that you want to try include 3×3 Links and Speed Dial.
Find this article at: http://www.labnol.org/software/google-chrome-like-start-page-for-firefox/7992/
Tags: addons, Archives, firefox, speed dial, Software
Reader Comments
apart from users contextual content like frequently visiting sites. This page’s user experience can be enhance by providing may be total time spent on this browser similar to what pageaddict provides. At the same time Mozilla can market some popular add on
Written by Gajendra on 03.16.09
if you download last version of google toolbar, you can same features.
Written by bloggErdal on 03.17.09
Google toolbar 5 has this feature available.
Written by Amit on 03.17.09
I can’t get this to work at all. I’m using 3.1b3 and all I get is a blank screen when I open a new tab
Written by jeremy on 03.17.09
Does not work with Firefox 3.0.7
Written by Anaggh A. Desai on 03.17.09
I use New Tab JumpStart link
Written by Addy on 03.17.09
Nice. But I prefer the SiteLauncher extension, faster and doesn’t depend on you keeping your brower cache.
Written by Diesel Morgant on 03.17.09
You can get the Google Chrome start page, 100% same looking start page in Firefox, all you have to do is just install Google Toolbar and see the magic…
Written by Tech Thunder on 03.17.09
I would rather see the page that flock uses. about:myworld
Written by dwight on 03.17.09
About:Tab 0.0.31 could not be installed because it is not compatible with Firefox 3.0.7
Gives this message still:)
Written by Anaggh A. Desai on 03.17.09