Best Google Chrome Apps and Extensions For Geeks

If you find yourself spending more time looking at infinitely scrolling lines of code, you know you’re a true geek. Well, there’s the enchanted terminal to help you dominate the world, and of course, editors like Emacs, Vim, and Gedit are always at your disposal. Your world revolves around these fixed sets of tools.

However, as we slowly move towards the web-based universe, the dark terminal is becoming slightly obsolete. These days, developers, system admins, and geeks spend most of their time in GUI, switching between Reddit and doing their coding marathons. Also, browsers, though nice to use, aren't that geek-friendly when it comes to user interface and other functionalities. Of course, we can’t turn Chrome into Emacs, but we can make the browser a little more geek friendly.

So, if you are a geek and looking for some of the best Chrome apps and extensions to compliment your geekiness, then you should find this list interesting.

CroSh

If you’re too used to the Bash shell, then this extension might come in handy. Once installed, CroSh, adds a command line-like interface to your browser and web. So, you can type your favorite UNIX commands in the Omnibox (address bar) and feel right at home. Here are some of the commands you can type:

1. ls: Shows a list of all the links on the current page.
2. history: Loads the browser history.
3. cd: Changes URLs related to the URL of the current page.

Though not many commands to choose from, it does make your Chrome a little more geeky.

DOWNLOAD HERE

Utime

Utime is an extension that converts UNIX timestamps to human-readable dates and vice versa. The nifty little add-on sits on your Chrome toolbar and lets you enter human-readable dates and converts them to UNIX time stamps.

DOWNLOAD HERE

Hasher

Hasher is a developer’s toolbox. Once installed, this extension lets you compute cryptographic hashes and do common conversions. It can calculate MD5, SHA-1, SHA-2, IP/Subnet, URL decode, Base64 and more. Furthermore, Hasher also works offline, so you don’t have to worry about your flaky connection anymore.

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Vimium

Vimium, also known as the hacker’s browser brings all the Vim’s keyboard glory to your Chrome browser. Once installed, Vimium will let you navigate and use Chrome as if you’re using Vim. Though the extension doesn't add much functionality, it does, however, serve as a great tool for those who are learning to use Vim. Using the keyboard shortcuts constantly will help learn them more effectively.

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Arch Linux Package Search

This next extension lets Arch Linux users search for their favorite packages right from Chrome. Once installed, Arch Linux Package Search sits nicely in the toolbar letting users search the Arch Linux package database, and also the Arch Wiki. If you’re an Arch Linux user, this is a definite must-have for your Chrome.

DOWNLOAD HERE

Vrome

Vrome, like the aforementioned Vimium, brings Vim’s best features to Chrome. It brings most of Vim’s common key bindings to your browser letting you brag about your Vim ninja skills to your buddies.

DOWNLOAD HERE

Secure Shell

Written by Google itself, Secure Shell is an xterm-compatible terminal emulator and stand-alone ssh client for Chrome. It uses Native-Client to connect directly to ssh servers without the need for any external proxies.

For starters, Secure Shell (SSH), sometimes known as Secure Socket Shell, is a UNIX-based command interface and protocol for securely getting access to a remote computer. It is widely used by network administrators to control Web and other kinds of servers remotely.

One great thing about this extension is that it can run offline as well making it easier for you to work offline.

DOWNLOAD HERE

Written by: Abhishek, a regular TechSource contributor and a long-time FOSS advocate.