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The Bottom Line

ShowIP is a Firefox for Macintosh extension that displays the IP address of the web page you are currently viewing right in your browser's status bar. In addition, it gives you the ability to query services such as whois and netcraft via IP or Hostname.

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Pros

• You can quickly view the current web page's IP address with no user interaction required.
• Copying the IP or Hostname to the clipboard can be done in just two mouse clicks.

• Retrieving geolocation and other information can be helpful in uncovering suspicious sites.
• You are given the ability to add your own custom IP and/or Hostname queries to ShowIP.
• The user interface is easily customizable in both color and address style.

Cons

• Most DNSstuff queries included require a $3 per month membership to access.
• The existence of the left-click menu is not stated anywhere in the extension itself.

Description

• ShowIP displays the IP address of the current web page in Firefox's status bar.
• Right-clicking on the IP address displays a menu containing custom queries based on the current page's IP address.
• Left-clicking on the IP address displays a menu containing custom queries based on the current page's Hostname.
• The IP address or Hostname can be copied to the clipboard via the appropriate menu choice.
• The Netcraft query displays the OS, web server, and hosting history for the current web page.
• The IPv6Tools options take you to a web page on DNSstuff.com which contains several relevant tests.

• The esymbian ip2country option displays the geolocation (host country) of the current web page.
• ShowIP's Preferences allow you to add new custom query entries to both the IP and Hostname menus.
• New queries can be configured to open in a new browser window, standard tab, or background tab.
• The IPv4 Address style can be set to decimal (default), octal, hex, or DWord.

Guide Review - ShowIP

ShowIP is a fairly simple extension but can prove to be a very useful one. The IP address of every web page that you visit is prominently displayed in Firefox's status bar without getting in the way. Color coding allows you to display IPv4 and IPv6 differently, and the style of all IPv4 addresses can be configured to your favorite standard. The custom menu queries, with the exception of the ipv6tools that require a monthly subscription fee, come in handy from time to time. I recommend removing those that are not free via the Services tab in ShowIP's Preferences. Also, the ability to add your own queries with parameters is a nice touch. This extension isn't perfect, but it gets the job done at the lowest level and makes a nice addition to your Firefox browser.

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