Apr 27 2009
Safari Gear
I used to think of Safari as hindered by the lack of Firefox-esque add-ons. Now, I’d count that as one of the browsers strengths. Safari is lean and fast (and the new betas are Acid-test compliant and allow you to create standalone app browsers).
There are, however, some useful add-ons out there that enhance Safari without taking to big a hit on performance.
Off-line data support is actually already in Safari – part of the HTML5 spec. But until that catches on, Google Gears is the best bet for off-line support.
Favorites Google Reader, Google Calendar and Remember the Milk all support Gears. Google Gears let you load these and other web-based applications offline and access stored content.
Glims is a multi-faceted add-on that brings soe great extra features to Safari. Dynamic search, session persistence and customization of the search box – to name a few.
If all you are after is a to restore your previously open pages at startup, then you might also be interested in ForgetMeNot, which does just that (and only that).
Envious of Firefox’s Awesome Bar? Don’t be. Add keyword searches to your address bar with Keywurl. This feature is actually included in Glims, but Keywurl does such a nice job of it, you ought to check it out.
We’ve mentioned this before, but GreaseKit is worth revisiting to add Grease-Monkey-like site scripting to Safari. It also (as the name implies) works in other WebKit browsers.
This add-on is actually an entirely alternate interface made specifically for browsing images. Think if it as FrontRow for photo sites and searches. It is very polished and impressive to use. Cool if you do a lot of photo browsing online.
In its four versions, Safari has gone from a “why?” to a “wow” and continues to be a great choice in browsing, thanks to its speed and add-ons.