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It’s no surprise that most internet users spend the majority of their time in their favorite internet browser [read Firefox]. If you’re interested in launching external applications without having to leave Firefox, install the External Application Buttons extension. Hat tip to Dave.

1. Install the External Application Buttons extension from here and restart Firefox.

2. By default application buttons in your menu bar will be prefixed with “Shortcut to” on mouseovers. The default application icons size is also set to 16pixels. If you want to change either of these settings, go to Tools > Extensions > External Application Buttons and click Options. Restart Firefox to save your settings.

3. Right-click anywhere in your menu bar and choose Customize. Towards the bottom of your toolbar buttons palette, you’ll notice a new item titled Applications. Drag the item wherever you want your external app icons to appear. I placed mine to the left of the Firefox load status icon.

4. After closing the Customize Toolbar window, right-click in the empty area where you dragged the Applications item. In the resulting popup menu choose New Button. Browse and add your most frequently used applications.