ThunderBrowse

Editors' ReviewDownload.com staffJuly 20, 2012ThunderBrowse is a Mozilla Thunderbird plug-in that gives you a feature you didn't know you were missing. Once you get it, though, it's all over--e-mailing without it is so much slower. By integrating Web surfing directly into the e-mail client, ThunderBrowse cuts down on the time it takes to open a link from an e-mail in your Web browser. The plug-in adds a simple URL bar to the e-mail preview pane, with Forward, Back, Refresh, and Go buttons. Clicking on a link embedded in an e-mail now opens it up in the preview pane. Tabs are now supported, and ThunderBrowse can open a new window via a customizable hot key for speedy lightweight browsing on the fly. It's got a reasonable number of customizable features, too. The option to open in your preferred browser is accessible either from the context menu or the middle mouse button. It automatically detects whether your default is Firefox or Internet Explorer, and you can set it to ask before opening the browser. You can also point it directly to an alternate browser, if you want, and a History-clearing button in the options menu. ThunderBrowse is definitely for lightweight browsing. JavaScript and embedded video support can be added with the CS Lite plug-in for Thunderbird, but even without them ThunderBrowse is one of the best extensions around for Mozilla's open-source e-mail manager.