Browser extension that allows the user to browse the web more sustainably

Latest Version

Version
0.1
Update
March 31, 2022
Size
5.5KiB
Developer
Category
Users
11
Rating
1 ★
Manifest Version
3
Web Store Status
Languages Support
English
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Permissions
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Sustainable Web Browsing Extension

The internet has become a big part of modern life and its use is still steadily rising in numbers. This increase in use costs energy for the servers that these web pages and other essential components are running on, as well as for the end user’s computer. There are multiple ways in which web pages would consume more energy than necessary. Firstly, web pages are inefficiently built, as developers typically do not prioritise efficient energy consumption. Secondly, Web pages often show a lot of unnecessary elements, like images, that a visitor is not interested in. The benefits of making a web page more energy efficient are not as apparent for developers. When web efficiency is focussed on, it's typically for other reasons than energy consumption, like page loading speed and accessibility for people with low bitrate.

Because of this lack of focus, a lot of energy can be saved by making the web more efficient. Specifically, we will be looking at bringing efficiency to the server-side. While the most efficient way to do this is to adapt the web pages directly, it can also be done externally. We aim to do this by building a browser extension that filters web pages before they are loaded in. This extension can be added to your browser and automatically adds the filter onto any web page that you are visiting.

By work of the extension, pages get stripped of unnecessary features, like borders, shadows, animations & transitions, backgrounds and other decorations. Fonts are defaulted to Arial, which is built in any browser. A grey scale is overlaid onto the site and images are swapped for an empty frame.

To implement such a browser extension, we primarily made use of CSS insertion. This can be performed before a page loads, which makes it perfect for our aim to reduce page load emissions without altering any functionality of the page. This method is also not page-specific, so the extension can be active on any and all web pages.

Inserting CSS allows us to overwrite a lot of style scripting in the page and also allows removing images in a lot of instances. Furthermore, we use it to remove transitions and simplify all elements on the page; pages are grayscale, fonts are defaulted to Arial, text decorations and shadows are removed, colours are also set to a default. All these things make the page a more simplified version of itself.

After the CSS-insertion has taken place, the page is loaded. Only then we can run javascript on the DOM (Document Object Model), which is the model that describes the page’s content. Here all image and other media elements, such as video and audio, are removed from the page.
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Source Manifest.json

{"update_url": "https://clients2.google.com/service/update2/crx", "manifest_version": 3, "name": "Sustainable Web Browsing", "description": "Browser extension that allows the user to browse the web more sustainably", "author": "Robert Arntzenius, Koen Hagen & Floor Straver", "version": "0.1", "content_scripts": [ { "matches": [ "", "http://*/*", "https://*/*" ], "js": [ "content.js" ], "css" : ["styles.css"], "run_at": "document_start" } ], "action": { "default_title": "Sustainable Software Engineering", "default_icon": "icon16.png" }, "icons": { "16": "icon16.png" }}
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How to download and manually install Sustainable Web Browsing extension for Chrome

Looking for a way to install Sustainable Web Browsing extensions for Chrome, you can search for them in the Chrome Web Store, clicking the "Add to Chrome" button, and following the straightforward process.

However, you may need to install Sustainable Web Browsing extensions manually, this article outlines two simple methods to effortlessly install Sustainable Web Browsing extensions, whether they come as unpacked folders in compressed formats like .zip or as .crx files.

Method 1: Download Sustainable Web Browsing extension and manually install through Drag &Drop

If you ever need to manually install a Sustainable Web Browsing extension for Chrome, don't worry, it's a simple process. Just follow these easy steps, and you will have your extension ready to use in no time.

Step 1: Download the Sustainable Web Browsing Extension by clicking the "Download CRX" button on the website.

Look for the Sustainable Web Browsing extension you wish to install. Go to the website and download the Sustainable Web Browsing extension package, which is usually a .CRX file and comes in a zipped file. Here ".crx" file is the format for Sustainable Web Browsing extension that contains all the data.

Step 2: Extract &Arrange Files

Once the file is downloaded, extract that file into its own folder. Similarly, give that extension files a permanent home. In other words, keep it in a folder that you don't accidentally delete it because these files will be needed to make that extension work.

Step 3: Go to the Chrome Extensions Page

Open Google Chrome and in the address bar, type chrome://extensions; it will open the Google Chrome extensions page. Make sure that "My extensions" is selected in the sidebar.

Step 4: Drag and Drop the Extension

Now, go to the folder where you extracted the Sustainable Web Browsing extension and drag &drop the extension file from there anywhere onto the extension page within Google Chrome.

Step 5: Complete the Installation

Once you drag and drop the extension file, follow the steps that Google Chrome takes you through. Similarly, if the extension file is of .crx file format, you will be required to review the permissions and then add the extension.

Now, you can manage that added extension as you would like to with any other Chrome extension that you added through Chrome Webstore. Its icon will also appear in the Google Chrome Menu on the right side of the address bar once you activate it.

Method 2: Download Sustainable Web Browsing extension for Chrome and install in Developer Mode

This is another method to install Sustainable Web Browsing extension manually, but the twist is that here, you install by enabling the developer mode option provided in Google Chrome. This mode is commonly used for testing extensions or running unpublished tools.

Step 1: Download the Sustainable Web Browsing extension file

Select and download the Sustainable Web Browsing extension by clicking the 'Download CRX' button on the website.

Step 2: Extract the downloaded contents

Convert the file to a ZIP file if it is in CRX format then extract the Sustainable Web Browsing extension zip file or folder that you downloaded. Make sure you extract it using the same folder name and keep it safely in another folder, so you don't delete it by mistake. The extracted folder will be needed to keep your Sustainable Web Browsing extension running.

Step 3: Open Chrome Extension Setting Page

In the address bar of Google Chrome, type chrome://extensions and open the Chrome Extension Page.

Step 4: Enable Developer Mode

After opening the Chrome Extension page, look at the top right side, and you will find the toggle option of "Developer mode."Simply enable that developer mode option.

Step 5: Load the Unpacked Extension

Once you enable the developer mode option, you will see the menu of Load Unpacked, Pack Extensions and Update. From that, select the option "Load unpacked."

Step 6: Select the Extension Folder

Once the pop-up opens upon clicking Load unpacked, select the Sustainable Web Browsing extension directory and click on the "Select Folder "button.

Step 7: Confirm and Install

After you select an extension folder of a Google Chrome extension you're installing manually, confirm its installation for the final time and let the installation complete.

Conclusion

Here we've made a step-by-step guide on How to manually install Sustainable Web Browsing extension in 2 ways. We hope this guide proves helpful.

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