Google Search Bar - Thumbs Down

Bit perplexed as to the value of the Google Search Bar.  As I said earlier this week, I was giving it a run and to be honest it simply takes up screen space for very little benefit.  The two main features are the search window and in my case the BlogIt function.

For the search, I already had my vanilla Firefox install configured to use Google Australia, yet the Search Bar uses Google Australia with the Australian search option ticked off!? Can’t understand how to configure it to work just like my vanilla window.  Secondly, I already had the BlogIt extension installed and this simply moves the right click functionality of BlogIt onto the toolbar… a step backwards IMHO.

Therefore with no redeeming features and the negative aspect that Firefox cannot merge its toolbars and hence stacks them one under the other and subsequently uses screen space, I am heading for the uninstall button as we speak.

It just goes to show that not everything done by the general populace via OpenSource is as useful as first intended.

On the plus side, I do have several extensions on my Firefox browser here at work that I do consider mandatory.  My view, if you run Firefox you MUST get:

·          Tabbrowser Preferences

·          AdBlock (block those pesky adds)

·          IE View (you can designate to open certain pages in IE if they do not support Firefox)

·          All-In-One Gestures (mouse navigation)

·          miniT (allows you to move tabs around in a click and drag motion)

In addition, I have BugMeNot, StumbleUpon and BlogIt which I consider very handy for what I do and work very nicely.