# Firefox add-on to make IMDB usable again! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 24, 2010, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-add-on-to-make-imdb-usable-again/565258 "2010-12-24T04:44:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2010, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-add-on-to-make-imdb-usable-again/565258/1 "2010-12-24T04:44:02Z")
Studio Daily had an [article](http://www.studiodaily.com/blog/?p=5101) about a FireFox [Greasemonkey](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/748/) add-on called [“Less IMDB”](http://quoteunquoteapps.com/less-imdb), that removes a lot of the nonsense that has been ladled onto IMDB during the last update of the site. It even has a switch to let you look at the more graphically heavy version. It is also available for Safari and Chrome. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2010, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-add-on-to-make-imdb-usable-again/565258/2 "2010-12-24T04:45:40Z")
Nice. Thanks for sharing that. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2010, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-add-on-to-make-imdb-usable-again/565258/3 "2010-12-24T04:58:13Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > Nice. Thanks for sharing that. You’re\* welcome. - (Note to Studio Daily: That is the correct usage of the contraction “you’re”. The word you were looking for in the second paragraph of the blog posting is “your”). ---
**Author:** ![Liddle\_Lamsy\_Divey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f04885/32.png) [@Liddle\_Lamsy\_Divey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liddle_Lamsy_Divey)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2010, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-add-on-to-make-imdb-usable-again/565258/4 "2010-12-24T05:03:36Z")
Thanks for sharing that. Speaking of IMDB and Firefox, I can’t get any of the photos to load (it works fine in IE) and have a similar problem with YouTube, but there it’s only the main ad and certain videos’ pictures won’t show up when I do a search. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2010, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-add-on-to-make-imdb-usable-again/565258/5 "2010-12-24T05:23:53Z")
It’s not just me? I thought I’d done something to screw up my browser. Where did the tight menu with trivia/quotes/dialogue/etc. go? I’ve been scrolling all over the place for a while now–that absurd mess was _intentional_? ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2010, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-add-on-to-make-imdb-usable-again/565258/6 "2010-12-24T05:27:30Z")
YESSS! Thanks Gaffa! ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2010, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-add-on-to-make-imdb-usable-again/565258/7 "2010-12-24T06:37:01Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > It’s not just me? I thought I’d done something to screw up my browser. Where did the tight menu with trivia/quotes/dialogue/etc. go? I’ve been scrolling all over the place for a while now–that absurd mess was _intentional_? Yes, they’ve been taking lessons from MySpace:“How To Screw Up A Perfectly Usable Website By Making It An Ungodly Mess.” ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Ed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Just\_Ed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Ed)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2010, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-add-on-to-make-imdb-usable-again/565258/8 "2010-12-24T07:28:54Z")
Just wanted to note you don’t need an add-on if you are a registered user (not just the “Pro” account, but a regular free account). You can update your site preferences from your account to “Show previous title and name page design (reference view)”. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2010, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-add-on-to-make-imdb-usable-again/565258/9 "2010-12-24T08:29:18Z")
> [@Just\_Ed](#): > > Just wanted to note you don’t need an add-on if you are a registered user (not just the “Pro” account, but a regular free account). You can update your site preferences from your account to “Show previous title and name page design (reference view)”. Brilliant! It worked! The ugly pages are gone and it’s just like it used to be. Thank you! ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2010, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-add-on-to-make-imdb-usable-again/565258/10 "2010-12-24T09:18:04Z")
> [@Just\_Ed](#): > > Just wanted to note you don’t need an add-on if you are a registered user (not just the “Pro” account, but a regular free account). You can update your site preferences from your account to “Show previous title and name page design (reference view)”. Cool, I hadn’t noticed that option. (Not that they’ve gone out of their way to let people know it exists.) The add-on still produces a very nice result though. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2010, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-add-on-to-make-imdb-usable-again/565258/11 "2010-12-24T13:16:54Z")
> [@Just\_Ed](#): > > Just wanted to note you don’t need an add-on if you are a registered user (not just the “Pro” account, but a regular free account). You can update your site preferences from your account to “Show previous title and name page design (reference view)”. Another heartfelt thank you! ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2010, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-add-on-to-make-imdb-usable-again/565258/12 "2010-12-24T13:20:34Z")
The old design definitely needed a spruce up. However, what they came up with was awful. This add-on turns things into a much more agreeable compromise. I love it. Someone should now make something similar to make YouTube look decent again. Even after constant adjustment this year it still looks clumsy and cluttered. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2010, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-add-on-to-make-imdb-usable-again/565258/13 "2010-12-24T14:31:52Z")
I had already changed the view style in my account to “old style”. Isn’t this the same thing? ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2010, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-add-on-to-make-imdb-usable-again/565258/14 "2010-12-24T14:36:25Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > The old design definitely needed a spruce up. I completely disagree. Change for the sake of change is pointless. They made it less user-friendly and added no functionality that I can find. But hey, I guess it looks spiffy. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2010, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-add-on-to-make-imdb-usable-again/565258/15 "2010-12-24T15:51:31Z")
I rather like the “best known for” section. Much of my imdb traffic is to remember where I know someone from, and the answer is usually in this section. For example, just yesterday I was trying remember where I’d seen [Leila Arcieri](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0033837/) before. My answer was right there in the top section: Son of the Beach. ---
**Author:** ![randwill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@randwill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randwill)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2010, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-add-on-to-make-imdb-usable-again/565258/16 "2010-12-24T15:52:57Z")
What they really need to fix is the clunky message boards. That, “flat, inline or nest” business. Just set it up so each topic displays its contents like this and most other boards and give posters the ability to quote whatever they may be specifically responding to. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Ed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Just\_Ed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Ed)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2010, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-add-on-to-make-imdb-usable-again/565258/17 "2010-12-24T19:06:52Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > Brilliant! It worked! The ugly pages are gone and it’s just like it used to be. Thank you! > [@gaffa](#): > > Cool, I hadn’t noticed that option. (Not that they’ve gone out of their way to let people know it exists.) The add-on still produces a very nice result though. > [@twickster](#): > > Another heartfelt thank you! You’re all very welcome, but I can’t take full credit for it. Roger Ebert actually posted that tip in his twitter feed not long ago. 😉 Otherwise I’m not sure how long it would have taken me to find it; I don’t often go the settings page and yes, they didn’t make it obvious at all you could opt out of the redesign. > [@Mahaloth](#): > > I had already changed the view style in my account to “old style”. Isn’t this the same thing? Same thing I mentioned, yes, but I don’t know how it looks with the add-on. Some may prefer that view to either the old or new. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2010, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-add-on-to-make-imdb-usable-again/565258/18 "2010-12-24T19:57:50Z")
> [@Just\_Ed](#): > > You’re all very welcome, but I can’t take full credit for it. Roger Ebert actually posted that tip in his twitter feed not long ago. 😉 Otherwise I’m not sure how long it would have taken me to find it; I don’t often go the settings page and yes, they didn’t make it obvious at all you could opt out of the redesign.. I dropped him from my feed – he tweets too damn much. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2010, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-add-on-to-make-imdb-usable-again/565258/19 "2010-12-24T20:32:48Z")
I downloaded the file for Safari. I double-clicked on less-imdb.safariextz, expecting an installation window. What I got was another Safari window and the Finder window. How do I install it? ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2010, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-add-on-to-make-imdb-usable-again/565258/20 "2010-12-24T22:26:26Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > I dropped him from my feed – he tweets too damn much. Yes, but in his case it is completely understandable. Roger is a perfect example of how, with all that is wrong with the world today, on the whole things are better. Before computers and the Internet, he would have been reduced to communicating via a chalkboard to family and friends. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-add-on-to-make-imdb-usable-again/565258.md?page=2)