Tame the Fox: Making Firefox Awesome On Your DVR

This article is about:

FF on your TV

If you’re like me, you want to be able to hit the web once in a while on your HTPC. But websites were certainly not designed for your television. Here are a few hints to help massage Firefox into performing better on the big screen.

Launch from Mediaportal

Things are always better when you don’t have to go to that desktop. Launch Firefox directly from Mediaportal using the Multishortcut plugin.

Autohide

“I wish that darn menu didn’t take up a third of my screen.”

Autohide is a Firefox extension that removes all of your menus so you have 100% of your screen dedicated to web browsing. But the real beauty is that when you move your cursor up top, the menus reappear. Yay!

Download: Autohide

Mouse Gestures

“But I don’t want to go un-hide my menubar just to go back a page.”

I hear you. That’s why I use Mouse Gestures with Firefox. Now by moving my mouse in a certain way, Firefox will do all sorts of useful things. For example, when I hold down the right mouse button and drag left I go back a page. You’ll wonder how you ever survived without it.

Download: Mouse Gestures

Font Size

“Well, that’s all nice but I still can’t read a thing!”

My Favorite Settings

Not a worry. For this fix, head to Firefox’s option’s menu: Tools->Options->Content and then click Fonts and Colors and go to Advanced. Here you can change default fonts and sizes. and make sure you uncheck “Allow pages to use their own fonts.” We want to be in charge here.

Now, the only downside is that some websites will look goofy because of your larger fonts. Oh well, your HTPC probably isn’t your main web-surfing station anyway. But this will at least help you download those pesky drivers or grab a utility now and then.


Related Articles

Leave a Reply