Tab Mix Plus
Encyclopedia
Tab Mix Plus is a Mozilla Firefox
extension
that adds to the tabbed browsing functions in Firefox. It is a popular extension on Mozilla Add-ons
, which records download statistics. TMP is a collection of features from other extensions built in one package. Lifehacker named it one of their "Top 10 must-have Firefox extensions" for 2009. PC World
said that "With Tab Mix Plus, Firefox tabs go past the obvious and into the indispensable... it's hard to imagine how you lived without it." Wired
and CNET
both called it a "must-have" that is "powerful" and "gives you what feels like an infinite amount of control over tab behaviour."
.
Co-developer, "CPU", wrote in response:
"Concerning the bloatness factor, the extension seems a bit too big but that is only because over 20 languages are included. These add more than 100kb in size."
The last "official release" to be compatible with Firefox 2 was version 0.3.8.1, publicly released on August 2nd, 2009.
The first "development" version to drop Firefox 2 compatibility was the development version 0.3.8.2pre.090830, which became available on August 30th, 2009.
The last "official release" to be compatible with Firefox 3.0 was version 0.3.8.4, published to Mozilla Add-ons on June 17, 2010.
Mozilla Firefox
Mozilla Firefox is a free and open source web browser descended from the Mozilla Application Suite and managed by Mozilla Corporation. , Firefox is the second most widely used browser, with approximately 25% of worldwide usage share of web browsers...
extension
Extension (Mozilla)
]Add-ons are installable enhancements to the Mozilla Foundation's projects, and projects based on them. Add-ons allow the user to add or augment application features, use themes to their liking, and handle new types of content.-Extensions:...
that adds to the tabbed browsing functions in Firefox. It is a popular extension on Mozilla Add-ons
Mozilla Add-ons
Mozilla Add-ons is the official Mozilla Foundation website to act as a repository for add-ons for Mozilla software, including Mozilla Firefox, Mozilla Thunderbird, SeaMonkey, and Mozilla Sunbird. These add-ons include extensions, themes, dictionaries, search bar "search engines," and plugins...
, which records download statistics. TMP is a collection of features from other extensions built in one package. Lifehacker named it one of their "Top 10 must-have Firefox extensions" for 2009. PC World
PC World (magazine)
PC World is a global computer magazine published monthly by IDG. It offers advice on various aspects of PCs and related items, the Internet, and other personal-technology products and services...
said that "With Tab Mix Plus, Firefox tabs go past the obvious and into the indispensable... it's hard to imagine how you lived without it." Wired
Wired News
Wired News is an online technology news website, formerly known as HotWired, that split off from Wired magazine when the magazine was purchased by Condé Nast Publishing in the 1990s. Wired News was owned by Lycos not long after the split, until Condé Nast purchased Wired News on July 11, 2006...
and CNET
CNET
CNET is a tech media website that publishes news articles, blogs, and podcasts on technology and consumer electronics. Originally founded in 1994 by Halsey Minor and Shelby Bonnie, it was the flagship brand of CNET Networks and became a brand of CBS Interactive through CNET Networks' acquisition...
both called it a "must-have" that is "powerful" and "gives you what feels like an infinite amount of control over tab behaviour."
Functions
( More details are available in the Tab Mix Plus User Manual in HTML format, on the developers' website. )- Duplicates tabs
- Opens a new tab with the same page and back/forward history
- Controls tab focus
- Allows the user to choose whether new tabs will be selected when created by various events (such as linking, opening bookmarks, etc.)
- JavaScriptJavaScriptJavaScript is a prototype-based scripting language that is dynamic, weakly typed and has first-class functions. It is a multi-paradigm language, supporting object-oriented, imperative, and functional programming styles....
decompiling- Allows JavaScript to be forced into a separate tab instead of a pop-up box, and allows the user to view the URL of the JavaScript page.
- Changes handling of input
- Various combinations of mouse clicks, points, and key-presses can be assigned to activate tab-related functions, such as opening, closing and duplicating individual tabs or groups thereof.
- Reopen closed tabs and windows
- Saves information about tabs and windows as they are closed, allowing the user to "undo" closing them. The reopened page will reopen in the condition it was at the moment it was closed - including containing any text the user had typed into text boxes thereon - such as those on a Wikipedia edit page.
- Session Manager and Crash Recovery
- Saves the current set of open windows and tabs (and associated history), at a preset interval and/or on command. This allows the user to recover from a crash, or to deliberately save the current session, to return to it at a later date, or share a copy with another user.
- While Firefox contains a basic session manager functions, Tab Mix Plus has greater functionality in this area. In turn, the Session Manager extension has additional session management functions beyond those of Tab Mix Plus. These two extensions are known to "play nicely together": Tab Mix Plus detects the presence of Session Manager and deactivates its own session management functions, deferring to Session Manager.
Criticism
Tab Mix Plus was incompatible with Firefox 2.0 for 2 weeks after its release, resulting in many thousands of people uninstalling 2.0. Critics also point out that TMP is quite large and may be experiencing software bloatSoftware bloat
Software bloat is a process whereby successive versions of a computer program include an increasing proportion of unnecessary features that are not used by end users, or generally use more system resources than necessary, while offering little or no benefit to its users.-Causes:Software developers...
.
Co-developer, "CPU", wrote in response:
"Concerning the bloatness factor, the extension seems a bit too big but that is only because over 20 languages are included. These add more than 100kb in size."
Versions
Two versions of Tab Mix Plus are generally available at any given time:- An "official release" version
- Intended for general use, this is publicly available from the Mozilla Add-ons website.
- These releases have passed the Mozilla Add-ons review process.
- A "development" or "pre-release" version
- Intended for testing by interested users prior to release, this is available only from the developers' own website.
Firefox Version Compatibility
Recent TMP versions are no longer compatible with Firefox 2 or Firefox 3.0, and can only be installed when running Firefox 3.5 or higher.The last "official release" to be compatible with Firefox 2 was version 0.3.8.1, publicly released on August 2nd, 2009.
The first "development" version to drop Firefox 2 compatibility was the development version 0.3.8.2pre.090830, which became available on August 30th, 2009.
The last "official release" to be compatible with Firefox 3.0 was version 0.3.8.4, published to Mozilla Add-ons on June 17, 2010.