The Flashblock extension for Firefox lets you control whether Flash animations automatically start playing on Web pages. With the release of Firefox 1.5, I was bereft! No update!

Andrew Lawrence pointed out via iChat that Flashblock had an update--the extension has forked. There are compatibility problems in releasing a single extension, apparently. For Firefox 1.0.x, you can use Flashblock 1.3.3; for Firefox 1.5, Flashblock 1.5.

http://flashblock.mozdev.org/

Installing extensions within Firefox is a breeze.

1. Visit the page containing the extension. 2. Find the install link. 3. The extension should download (if it's blocked, see below); click Install. 4. Quit Firefox and launch it again to load the extension.

If the extension doesn't download in step 3, that's due to Firefox's clever feature in disallowing software installations from sites you haven't approved.

Here's how to approve the site.

1. Click the download button or install button the Web site. 2. A gray bar appears across the top of the Firefox browser warning you the installation was blocked. 3. Click the Edit Options button at the far right of this gray bar. 4. The domain name is prefilled in the popup window; click Allow to add the domain to an approved list. 5. Close Close. 6. Try step 1 again; if it works, go to step 4 above.