If you use Firefox, you might have heard of Greasemonkey by now.  If not, where have you been?  Greasemonkey is a third party Firefox extension that allows users to download scripts that change the way a web site works.  These scripts do not actually change the web site itself, but it changes the way Firefox interacts with the HTML on a web page to make it act in a way that is more user friendly.

Once the Greasemonkey extension is installed, a web user can find scripts written by programmers of all levels. These scripts can be small and not even noticed by most users to even larger scripts that change the entire scope of a given web site so that it is almost a whole new page you are visiting. Scripts are generally coded in JavaScript and opt to manipulate the Document Object Model interact most web sites operate within.

The way it works is simple. Once you have a script installed and visit the web site is corresponds to, Greasemonkey preloads the script and changes the given components of the site before it fully loads. This means that you do not even recall the old way the web site looks, because the script takes care of the issues that might have prompted you to download the script in the first place. Many scripts seek to fix bugs, rendering objects and other things that slow down or disrupt a web site visit.

Greasemonkey gives users and developers a chance to change the way the Internet works by making web sites more user friendly.  It can add to the dynamic of a web site and make it even more accessible than it ever was before.  If you have not given Greasemonkey a chance and use Firefox, now is the time to jump on board.  Greasemonkey will give you a new perspective on the Internet and your favorite web sites by allowing you to take control of what they do and how it feels.