Slashdotter
Note: watch the Slashdotter section of my blog for information on updates to this extension.
Slashdotter is an extension for Mozilla-based Web browsers that adds some customization to the Slashdot website. A summary of it was posted on Slashdot on March 28, 2006.
The latest version of Slashdotter is version 2.0.1. This version's features include:
- A "Reply to Selected Text" option is added to the context menu whenever you select text in a Slashdot comment or topic. The reply box is then pre-filled with the selected text, and can be formatted using your choice of format string. The default is '<blockquote>%s</blockquote>'. You can also choose to always have the reply page open in a new tab or only when you middle-click the "Reply" context-menu option.
- A link is added at the end of each comment (next to the "Reply to This" link) that allows you to toggle open/closed all of that comment's replies.
- Links to the Coral Cache, Mirrordot cache, and Google Cache are added after each link in a article description.
- An advanced set of styling options allows you to style each Slashdot section differently. For example, you could have all Slashdot sections use the style from the Apple section, except for Linux, which you could have use the Politics style. The possibilities are endless! (Well, there are actually 10! possibilities, but that's still a lot.) The OMG!!! Ponies!!! style from April Fools day, 2006 is available as an option.
- For the links in the comment section labeled "X Replies below your threshold," there is an option to have those comments load in the current page when you click the link rather than loading a new page. The newly loaded comments will have a pale yellow background to differentiate them once they have loaded. This also now applies to links to comments in threaded mode.
- Option to be notified when you moderator points
- When you have your maximum comment length set low, clicking on "Read the rest of this comment..." will load the full comment in place, rather than in a new page.
- Option to increase comment reply indentation.
All of Slashdotter's features are optional and can be disabled in the extension's options dialog.
If you're having trouble with the extension or would like to see a new feature added, you can:
- Contact me (@cfinke) on Twitter
- Fill out a this bug report form. (If you're requesting a new feature, just disregard any text about reproducing a bug.)
- or e-mail me at cfinke@gmail.com.
Christopher Finke is a software engineer. He is available for birthday parties and bar mitzvahs. 
March 23rd, 2007 at 12:56 am
Nice work. I would like to see an option to prevent the site CSS from setting the font as small as it does.
July 27th, 2007 at 10:35 am
Just want to say this add-on is what made Slashdot so much better! Love the ability to read replies without browsing to a new window! Keep up the great work!!!
January 31st, 2008 at 3:32 pm
I just started using that scrolling bar on the upper left - genius! What a great plugin this is. Thanks so much.
March 2nd, 2008 at 6:09 am
It seems the download link above isn't working. Firefox downloads a small 7kb file, then says something about it not being a valid installation package, with error number -207. Version 1.8.9 is still available at addons.mozilla.org though.
March 13th, 2008 at 6:36 am
I noticed that that with upgrading from Slashdotter 1.8.9 to 1.8.13 that if I select "Show Replies", the "Hide Replies" option does not come up anymore. I am using Firefox 2.0.0.12 with several other extensions, possibly of which NoScript would have the greatest chance of interference (I have enabled Javascript on .slashdot.org).
March 16th, 2008 at 4:43 pm
Slashdotter is largely broken now. The hide replies and reply to selected text don't work anymore. The 'reply to selected text' brings up an error box that complains it can't find the reply button.
This preceded updating to .13, however. Indeed, I was hoping that the update would fix the problem. As far as I can tell, it broke without any change or update in extensions on my end. It happened sometime after certain ACs started getting pre-moderated down to -1. It also happened on two separate computers with two different operating systems simultaneously. The linux laptop has a pared down set of extensions as well.
Everything on the style and advanced tabs still works, though. The cache links work as well. I've really enjoyed using this. I hope whatever /. did to break this, you can fix it.
March 23rd, 2008 at 3:49 pm
I miss the hide replies too. The addon says it's compatible with 3 Beta 4, but the option isn't visible.
Since this blog has been so inactive, I guess it's time for a greasemonkey script. This script, which also doesn't work, might be a good place to start: http://www.allpeers.com/blog/?p=139
April 4th, 2008 at 5:38 pm
Actually, he fixed it within a couple hours of my post and pushed it out to mozilla. He even sent me an email. Unfortunately, when slashdot changed the look, yet again, with those big fat buttons 2 days ago, the hide replies option disappeared again.
April 18th, 2008 at 9:53 am
[...] Slashdotter es un gestor que brinda diversas funcionalidades a los usuarios de Slashdot. Por ejemplo, permite crear una respuesta en relación a un texto seleccionado dentro de un tema de Slashdot, usando un formato prefijado (que el usuario puede modificar), mostrar u ocultar respuestas de otros usuarios, diferenciar cada sección de Slashdot con su propio estilo y otras habilidades. [...]
April 26th, 2008 at 8:18 pm
[...] updated the Slashdotter Firefox extension to make it compatible with Slashdot's latest decision changes. "Hide/Show Replies" is working [...]
April 27th, 2008 at 8:17 am
show replies below threshold now shows a whole new slashdot page, oomplete with menu links and other decorators. :( Re-hide doesn't work either.
Still, This has been one of my favorite addons so I'll stand by whilst all the changes on slashdot keep Mr. Finke trying to accommodate.
April 27th, 2008 at 8:19 am
should have mentioned the platform. Fedora8 Linux/Firefox 2x
May 21st, 2008 at 7:32 pm
With this round of moderator points (when I had them earlier this month, this didn't occur), selecting to view the replies under my threshold yields a footer much like symptoms that #11 described. No header, no ads, no sidebars; just moderate buttons, sig bar, copyright notice and navigation menu. In this case, it's a feature until mod points hold out because the moderate button is 'right there'. Still, its something to keep an eye on.
May 21st, 2008 at 7:43 pm
Addendum to the above: This does not occur when selecting a parent-level 'show replies' i.e. the link opens one or more generations above the post above which it occurs. It's only when the replies are all descendants.
January 27th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
[...] Faviconize Tab gDocsBar Google Browser Sync Google Reader Notifier Greasemonkey meebo RetailMeNot Slashdotter Image Zoom Secure Login Autofill Forms Video Downloader Long Titles Linkification [...]
March 10th, 2009 at 10:59 am
Slashdotter is largely broken now. The hide replies and reply to selected text don’t work anymore. The ‘reply to selected text’ brings up an error box that complains it can’t find the reply button