ThumbStrips

If you’re like me you use and love Firefox. You probably have a few add-ons and hopefully one of them is ThumbStrips. The popularity of Firefox add-ons can be overwhelming if you visit the Mozilla site and quickly realize how many add-ons there are. Mozilla just launched “Fashion Your Firefox” that will help to streamline the process by which you download great add-ons.

Fashion Your Firefox is an edited, shorter list of Firefox add-ons, chosen by Mozilla staffers. There are a few categories to choose from and only a few add-ons in each category. If you check out the Fashion Your Firefox site, you’ll notice under the Digital Pack Rat category ThumbStrips is one of their choices!

If you get a chance, check out Fashion Your Firefox and the variety of great add-ons you can download for Firefox.

We released ThumbStrips on 5/23/07 and we recently went through the process of uploading the Firefox extension to Mozilla’s add-on site. I figured after a few minutes of working through some forms ThumbStrips would be available to the world. I was wrong.

Mozilla recently re-designed their add-on site and the process by which you upload an extension. After you create a free account, you can upload an extension to the sandbox area of Mozilla. This graphic shows the Sandbox Review System for all new extensions.

Basically, you can’t upload directly to the public viewing area since you have to nominate your add-on to be public. So moments after I uploaded ThumbStrips to the sandbox I submitted my nomination! Unfortunately, Mozilla responded saying the add-on needed reviews before it could be public. Oh well, I’m learning as I go.

I responded by pointing out that ThumbStrips has received over 1,900 downloads from this site and people have been blogging about the iLab’s first extension. I also apologized for the quick nomination to public and that I was new to the process.

So far ThumbStrips has been downloaded 5 times from the sandbox. Mozilla add-on reviewers and other early adopters of new Firefox extensions typically play in the sandbox. If you’d like to help speed up the process of getting ThumbStrips on the Mozilla add-on site please create a free account. Also, make sure to update your profile and check the box that reads “Show sandbox?” This will allow you to search new add-ons in the sandbox, including ThumbStrips!

ThumbStrips is in the Mozilla add-on sandbox here and you can add a review to help the process move along.

I hope everyone is enjoying ThumbStrips! Please share any feedback or comments you may have and check out the ThumbStrips forum to ask questions and get answers about ThumbStrips.