Browser extension gives Facebook a 'better' face lift
Still hate Facebookâs new look? Maybe this browser extension can help. Dubbed âBetter Facebook (BFB)," the extension allows users to control what appears on their Facebook pages, even as its developer claimed it has been downloaded nearly 200,000 times. âIâm keeping track of the problems that still exist and I will be rolling out patches to address issues as I fix them. I know I have some catching up to do, and I hope youâll stay patient," developer Matt Kruse said on his Facebook page. Kruse said he is âwatching closely" to see how recent new changes in Facebook might affect BFB, and what might need to be done to make the changes better for Facebook users. Facebook held its F8 Developer Conference this week, where it announced more significant changes to the site and its functionality. He hinted at an initial patch release to address some of the immediate bugs and quirks of BFB with the new Facebook layout. âAs BFB approaches 200,000 users, I want to thank all of you again for spreading the word to your friends and the web, and also for all the generous donations today and always. To have such great support makes me strive even more to fix FBâs blunders and add great features as quickly as I can," he said. In the BFB website as of Friday morning, Kruse said some of Facebookâs recent changes caused BFB to stop working. But he said the latest version to date, 5.931, âshould work correctly." The BFB extension is available for browsers including Mozillaâs Firefox, Googleâs Chrome, Appleâs Safari, Opera 11, and GreaseMonkey. 75 individual options BFB claims to have over 75 individual options which control many features of Facebook, including:
- Tabbed news feeds
- Themes/Skins
- Feed Filters
- Hiding posts already read
- Automatically removing âRecent Activity" from oneâs profile
- Enlarging thumbnails on hover
- Character counter in Status Updates
- Hiding annoying âUpdate Your Email Address" notification