Firefox users have quite a few options at their disposal when it comes to perform searches without visiting a search engine’s website first or a site they want to search on.
The most common option is the search bar that is displayed by default in one of the Firefox toolbars.
Another option is to enter the search term in the Firefox address bar, or to search from the new tab page that displays a search form as well.
The former method is probably more convenient for most users. Some users however do have a issue with the search form keeping the search term displayed in it after the search has been executed.
This is a privacy issue for some users who prefer that their previous search is not displayed in the Firefox toolbar. While the issue is limited locally, some users may prefer that search terms are not displayed at all after the search is executed.
There are other reasons for this. If text is already displayed, the methodology to search again is slightly different.
While you don’t end up having to type more, a click in the search form selects the current search term shown in it. This may be confusing to some users even though it is removed when you start typing the new search term.
On Linux, the behavior interferes with the systems middle-click pasting functionality.
The Firefox add-on Clear Search offers a solution by cleaning the Firefox search form whenever a search was performed in the web browser. This is also helpful for Linux users using Linux’s highlight and paste shortcut according to the developer of the add-on.
Clear Search is an experimental search add-on that is compatible with all versions of Firefox 3. It can be downloaded and installed from the Mozilla website.
Update: The original add-on is no longer available. Clear Search 2 has been created by another author offering the same functionality.